He kissed her again, giving her no chance to argue. He held her close, his hands fisting in her tank top.
She put her hands on his face and looked him straight in the eye. Her heart beat against his chest, she wanted this as much as he did. Yet, she was going to ask him to leave. He saw it in her dark eyes. He held his breath. He would leave if Alex asked him to; he prayed she didn’t.
Something subtle shifted, as if every muscle in her body relaxed. Whatever she’d been looking for, she’d found. Her lips curved, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she kissed him, all reservations gone.
Matt picked her up and carried her to bed.
Chapter Fourteen
Matt hadn’t wanted to leave Alex without saying good-bye, but he had no clothes at her place. He left her a note then rushed home to shower, shave and change into a clean suit. Dean sent him a text message that he was bringing in Huang early, and to be at FBI headquarters by eight-thirty to sit in on the interview.
Matt arrived at his own office before seven to dispatch a series of memos since he expected to be out all morning. He called Zoey while driving to FBI headquarters an hour later to run through what he needed done, and to follow-up on the box from archives regarding the People vs. Paulson. He wanted it on his desk before noon.
Bringing in Eric Huang was a controversial call—if they were wrong, then Huang would tell Travis about the investigation. And even if they were right, Huang might not know anything of value. But Dean believed Alex’s theory that Huang had been the target, and he decided to circumvent the Sacramento PD and talk to Huang directly. Dean’s decision could cause huge problems between the FBI and Sac PD, but one thing Matt liked about Dean Hooper was that he weighed every possibility, then did the one thing that would yield the greatest results. He could play the political game with the best of them, but he never allowed interagency politics to interfere with an investigation.
Matt was five minutes late and Dean met him at the guard desk. “Huang is sitting in an interview room. I want him to sit for a few more minutes, though I think sending two agents to fetch him was enough to get him to talk. He’s as straight-laced as they come. Did you talk to Alex?”
“Yes. It’s all good, we cleared the air.”
“So Hart lied to her. I’m concerned that he knows what she’s doing.”
“How?” Matt shook his head. “Truthfully, I’ve heard the rumor about Sharon before, the one he spoon fed to Alex. It came out during the election, though not publicly.”
“Tell her my offer still stands. I can place her in the Bureau as a civilian—or get her into the Academy, if she wants to be an agent.”
Matt didn’t want that. He didn’t want Alex three thousand miles away. Especially after last night. And the Bureau could assign her anywhere—there were over fifty FBI offices in the country.
But, it wasn’t his call. Alex would have to make the decision herself.
Dean said, “You need to put your feelings aside, Matt. I’m telling you this as a friend—you’re emotionally involved, and that’s going to compromise this case if you go off half-cocked on Hart or anyone else.”
“That’s not me, Dean. You know that. Alex is solid. And we both have her back.”
“After what happened last summer, I wouldn’t blame you for wanting her to decline Hart’s offer.”
“I don’t want her in there because I don’t trust him, but this is a rare opportunity. We need to find a way to keep a better eye on her, though, in case she needs assistance.”
“I’m hoping after Huang, we won’t need Alex to go undercover. You ready?” Dean asked.
“Let’s do it.”
Eric Huang jumped when they walked into the interview room. He wasn’t handcuffed, he’d been given water and coffee, but he looked terrified.
“Thank you for coming in, Mr. Huang,” Dean said and sat down. “I’m Dean Hooper, Assistant Special Agent in Charge. This is Matt Elliott, Sacramento County District Attorney. I’m sorry you had to wait. Mr. Elliott was stuck in traffic. Do you need anything? More water?”
Huang had both hands wrapped around his water bottle. “No, thank you. I don’t understand why I’m here. The agents who came to my house said I wasn’t under arrest, but it didn’t seem I had a choice. They said it was about the shooting, but wouldn’t let me call my boss.”
“I’m hoping to be done here quickly, but I wanted to talk to you before you speak to Mr. Hart.”
“I told the police everything I remember. Believe me, I’ve been reliving that moment since it happened.”
“We have your statement, and it’s consistent with the evidence. But we’re investigating another line of inquiry. We believe that you were the target of Monday assassination attempt. Do you know anyone who might want you dead, Mr. Huang?”