Of course he hadn’t. He was just waiting for her.
So much had happened so fast ... and she didn’t know which end was up. She’d trusted Jim, and he was not only a corrupt cop, but ran Sergei Rykov’s operation. He’d wouldn’t admit it, just like he denied that Sergei was with him on the road after she went into the river.
The police hadn’t found Sergei Rykov, and they likely wouldn’t unless Jim cooperated. And the plea deal was for one thing:
Travis Hart.
Matt was in the observation room when Dean entered with Alex.
He frowned. “I would have picked you up.” He moved a chair over so she could sit.
“The Marshals are bringing Perry in now,” Dean said. “Five minutes.” He left.
“Stop waiting on me like a child,” she said, though gratefully sat in the chair. The crutches were extremely frustrating for her, when she was used to being so active. “I need to learn to get around on my own.”
“Why can’t you let me help you?”
“You’re spoiling me.”
“Never.”
She kissed him. “Let me start doing things for myself.”
“Maybe I enjoy taking care of you.” He played with her hair. “I’m glad you’re feeling yourself.”
He still looked worried.
She almost smiled because he was so adorable. But this was hard for her, and she didn’t know why. “Stop walking on eggshells around me. I’m not going to break. I’m not going to run away. I’ve been thinking about me, about the men in my life and why I made so many mistakes. I didn’t know about Jim, and that bothers me more than anything else. Even when the pieces were all there in front of me, I couldn’t even imagine that he was in Rykov’s operation. That he was Rykov’s equal. In fact, there would be no Sergei Rykov without Jim Perry.
“Yesterday, I was furious that the FBI was cutting Jim a deal. That he would be walking free and not even have to turn over the person who we were trying to get in the first place. Jim was party to human trafficking, prostitution, and money laundering. And there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s killed in cold blood. He’s a sociopath. He would have killed me if no one else knew about his involvement.”
Matt tensed, and she grabbed his hands. “But he didn’t. I just need to make peace with the fact that we’re getting a killer and Rykov has lost his partner. I have faith that the FBI, that Dean Hooper, will get him some day. I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.”
“I didn’t like the deal either, Alex. Not after what that bastard did to you.”
“I’m a big girl, Matt. I’m not a victim here. I walked away from Jim that night after he accused me of having an affair with Tommy because I was having an affair.” She touched him. “An affair of the heart,” she added. “I never understood why you’d never asked me out, and assumed you didn’t date cops or colleagues, or maybe you were gay.”
Matt’s eyes widened and she couldn’t help but laugh. “A girl has to stroke her ego, you know. Cute guy not interested? Married or gay. But when we started working together eighteen months ago, and I saw you every week, I started to look forward to our hour together. I wanted it to be more. I wanted to spend more time with you. And before I even moved out of Jim’s house, I knew I didn’t love him, and I was falling in love with you.
“After Tommy shot me and everything came crashing down, I think I blamed you when it was really no one’s fault. No one except Tommy, and me. I didn’t see the signs that Tommy thought I was a snitch, and I walked into a situation I wasn’t prepared for. But I was angry, and hurt, and bitter, and embarrassed. If I had let you in then, I would never have trusted my feelings, or yours, because I would have thought it was you pitying me, when really it was just me feeling sorry for everything I lost.”
“I’ve never pitied you, Alex. Sympathy isn’t pity.”
“You’re right, but when you’ve been through the emotional wringer, everything is skewed. But now I can tell you the truth.” She leaned forward and looked into his eyes. “Matt Elliott, I love you. I trust you. And I want to see where this relationship goes. I’m not an easy person to love. I’m prickly. I’m sarcastic. I’m nearly as judgmental as my dad. I don’t know that you’ll want to—”
Matt put his fingers to her lips. “Say the first part again.”
“The first part?”
“I love you. Say it.”
“I love you?”
“That’s it. Nothing else matters. I love you, Alexandra Morgan. Just as you are. Because of who you are. We’ll figure the rest out as we go along.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
Matt leaned in and kissed her. Slow. Sweet. With promises of more to come.