“Don’t do something you’ll regret,” O’Brien said in a low tone, as if he sensed Troy’s thoughts. His eyes softened and he frowned. “If I have to fire you, the deal you two negotiated will be null and void. I’ll have no choice but to ship her off to one of our safe houses a thousand miles away from here. You might never see her again. Don’t risk your career on a crush, boy. Take it from me. It’s not worth it.”
Troy closed his eyes against O’Brien’s words. They weren’t a threat. His boss wasn’t a cold-hearted employer. They were the reality of the situation. If Troy didn’t agree to back off, Bethany would be sent somewhere far away. Somewhere where she might never see her ailing mother again. And far away from Troy. There was no winning here. And he couldn’t do that to her.
“I understand you, crystal clear,” Troy said through his teeth, opening his eyes. He nodded sharply. “It won’t happen again.”
“Good.” O’Brien patted him on the shoulder, a strange expression crossing over his face. “You’re a good agent, Troy. Don’t forget that.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Despite the fact that praise like that would’ve meant the world to him only weeks ago, Troy didn’t feel the effects of his boss’s words. They felt hollow—like his chest.
“Listen, I didn’t come here to chew you out,” O’Brien said, buttoning his suit jacket. “I think we need to finally talk to Void. Get him in the chair and press him for information. His lawyer agreed to an interview tomorrow morning. I’m determined to get to the bottom of this thing. I want you there.”
Troy’s mouth dropped open. “He actually agreed to talk?”
“Could be a trick.” O’Brien shrugged. “It could be a thirty second conversation for all I know. But you know this case better than anyone and I think you deserve to be there. I’ll send Agent Rogers down in the morning. He can stand guard while you’re gone.”
Troy nodded, his mind a million miles away. This could be the turning point in the case. If they got Void to confess, Bethany could finally go home. She wouldn’t be a witness anymore. They’d be free to be together.
“We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.” O’Brien walked toward the door and paused, throwing him one last piercing glance. “Let the girl down easy tonight, will you?”
And then he was gone.
Chapter Fifteen
Bethany
Bethany paced her room, wishing she could go rescue Troy from this embarrassing situation. Of all the times to be caught kissing. Her cheeks still burned from the thought. But she didn’t regret it. Not one ounce. Kissing Troy felt as natural and good as anything she’d ever experienced. She loved the feel of his large hands canvasing her waist. His surprisingly soft lips brushing against hers. Their bodies pressed together as they gave into the attraction that had been building for the past couple weeks.
She realized now why she’d been so unsettled lately. It wasn’t really the boredom of the witness protection program or the fact that some really bad men were out there looking for her. No, those things had become background noise to the feelings that had blossomed in her heart for Troy.
He was a good man. A solid mountain of a man who made her melt from the mere touch of his hand. Now that she’d acknowledged those feelings and seen them returned, she couldn’t stop grinning. Her cheeks hurt from the effort.
She needed to see him again. To kiss him goodnight. Her ears strained to hear Troy’s footsteps as he came up the stairs to bed, but the footsteps never came.
“I hope his boss isn’t giving him a hard time,” she said to Samson as he rolled on top of her comforter and fixed her with one lazy green eye.
There was no way she could go to sleep now. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins. She needed to distract herself. Snatching her purse from her dresser, she found the cell phone the FBI had temporarily loaned her. Troy had confiscated her old one. He’d mentioned something about Void’s men tracking her location through it.
But she could still check her voicemails with the new one. It was something she usually did every morning, except for today. It was the only way she could know for sure her mother was doing all right. She’d never gone so long without seeing her. Her heart ached at the thought. However, no news was good news. So, she dialed up her old number, entered in her pass code, and waited.
The first was a message from her new boss checking in. Bethany cringed when she heard his voice. Troy had assured her that someone at the Bureau would contact her new job with an excuse, but that didn’t make her feel better about missing her very first day of work. Or first two weeks. Who knew what kind of explanation they’d given him?
“Might as well kiss that job goodbye,” she mumbled as she scratched the spot between Samson’s ears. He purred and pushed harder against her hand.
Still, the sting wasn’t so bad now. She might have lost the dream job, but she had Troy. More jobs would come along, but there was only one Troy. The thought made her pulse quicken. He really was such an unexpected find.
The second voice message was from earlier that day. It was from the nursing home. Bethany sat up straighter, dread filling her heart. The nursing home didn’t call unless there was a bill to pay or a problem with her mom. And she knew without a doubt she’d paid last month’s bill on time. She listened as her mother’s nurse came on the line, telling Bethany to call her back as soon as possible. The urgency in the woman’s tone made Bethany’s stomach sink.
Had something terrible happened? An accident or a spill? Or, had Gerald Void’s men done something to her? The possibilities raced through Bethany’s mind. Troy had banned her from calling the nursing home herself. He was paranoid about Void’s men tracing the call. But this was an emergency and she had no choice! She hung up the line and dialed the nursing home as fast as she could. It only took two rings for them to pick up.
“Hello! This is Bethany Reed,” she said breathlessly to the receptionist. “Did something happen to my mother, Lila Reed? I had a message to call.”
“One moment, Miss Reed.” The woman’s voice was frustratingly calm. Bethany didn’t have a chance to say anything before she was put on hold.
She hopped off her bed and paced the room with the phone plastered to her ear, imagining the worst. Why hadn’t she checked her messages earlier that day? While she was off gallivanting on some silly shopping trip, her mother could’ve been dying or lying injured in a hospital bed. She’d been distracted and only thinking about herself. The award for Worst Daughter of the Year was all hers.
“Miss Reed.” A familiar female voice came across the line. Bethany recognized it as another one of her mother’s nurses.
“Tell me what’s wrong.” She stopped her pacing and pressed the phone harder into her cheek. “How’s my mom?”
“First of all, your mother isn’t hurt.” The nurse’s voice was calm and soothing. She took a large breath and sighed. “But she had an episode today and fell in the cafeteria. She became confused and combative. We did our best to divert her attention, but I’m afraid she just hasn’t been herself.”
Bethany’s heart sank. This was the kind of call she’d been dreading. As the days ticked by, her mother was losing herself to this terrible disease.
“She’s been asking for you,” the nurse continued. “Would you be able to come visit soon? I think it would do her a world of good.”
“Of course, I will.” She dug her toes into the plush carpet of her bedroom and tried to stave off the panic swirling in her gut. Her mother needed her. She had to see her. There was no question. “Tomorrow morning. I’ll be there first thing.”
The nurse thanked her and they said their goodbyes. As Bethany hung up the phone, she heard a soft knock at her bedroom door. She threw it open to reveal Troy standing there, his broad shoulders taking up nearly the entire width of the door frame. He had his head slightly bowed and a thoughtful frown on his handsome face. Despite the panic from the phone call still coursing through her veins, Bethany’s heart fluttered
at the sight of him. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug.
“I just got off the phone with my mother’s nurse,” she said, trying to hold back her tears. It felt so good to be in his arms. To have another human being to share her worries with.
“You used your phone to call them?” Troy’s voice lowered into a growl. “I thought we talked about this, Bethany. We can’t take any chances.”
“I know, I know.” She waved off his concern and sniffed. “But this was an emergency. My mom needs to see me. I told them we’d come tomorrow morning.”
“That’s really not a good idea.”
She stiffened and pulled away just enough to look him in the face. “But she needs me, Troy. She had an episode.” Biting her bottom lip, she held back a nervous laugh. “If you think it’s too early to meet my mom, we can just tell her you’re my bodyguard. She’d get a kick out of that.”
“I’m sorry, but you just can’t risk it right now.” He moved his hands to her waist and his gaze darkened. “O’Brien says Void is getting desperate to find you. The prosecutor might move on him any day now. It isn’t safe.”
She let her arms fall away from his shoulders and took a step back. The panic she’d felt at hearing the voicemail was returning in full force. “Troy, I don’t think you understand me. My mom needs me. This was the whole reason why I wanted to stay in the Las Vegas area.”
Sympathy entered his eyes. His jaw tightened as he looked down at her and shook his head. “It just isn’t possible right now. We’re on total lockdown. Boss’s orders.”
Furious tears entered her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Surely, he’d make an exception for something as important as this.
She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and glared at him. “But you just asked me out to dinner for tomorrow night. Why is that allowed?”
“It’s not.” He swallowed and averted his gaze. Misery wracked his face. “I’m sorry Bethany, but this whole thing was a mistake. I acted unprofessionally. You are the asset and I am your bodyguard. I never should’ve allowed the lines to blur. Until that changes, we can’t be together.”
“Okay...” She felt as if she’d been slapped across the face. She couldn’t even look him in the eyes.
How had she gone from being the woman he was falling for to the asset in less than an hour? Had that kiss changed things for him? Or, was he really that wishy-washy? She shouldn’t wonder how a man like him had stayed single for so long. If that’s how he treated the women he liked, the problem was clear.
“Bethany.” Troy took a step closer, his gaze heavy on her face. Sorrow tugged at his lips. “I’m so sorry. I know you don’t understand, but this is in your best interest.”
“No.” She shook her head and hugged her torso. The last thing she needed at that moment was him feeling sorry for her. “Please don’t say anything more. I’m done talking. I just want to go to bed.”
Weariness fell on her head like a heavy fog. She couldn’t deal with either of these problems right now. All she wanted was to crawl underneath her comforter and hide from the world. Push these horrible feelings out of her head and wait until the morning light to re-examine them.
“A full night’s sleep is a good idea.” Troy tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shot her a hopeful look. “Maybe we can call your mom tomorrow. I’m sure that would make you feel better.”
Bethany nodded her head, but deep inside she knew that would never be enough. Her mother needed her there. To see her sitting next to her bed. To feel her holding her hands. A phone call might only confuse her further and waste the precious time they had left.
“We’ll talk more about it when I get back tomorrow,” he continued. “Agent Rogers will be here in the morning to stand guard.”
Her head snapped up. “Why? Where are you going?”
“Void is coming into the Bureau to be interviewed.” Troy shuffled his feet, sucking in his cheeks. “O’Brien wants me to attend. We’re going to do our best to end this here, Bethany. I promise.”
She watched him for a long moment, knowing that she should be feeling hope. But this whole situation was turning out to be one nightmare after another. She couldn’t hope anymore. Not today. Not when it felt like her heart couldn’t take another disappointment.
“All right, I guess I’ll just say good night.” Troy lingered in the doorway for a moment, his hand gripping the frame. He turned his head to one side as if he wanted to say something more, but only a deep sigh escaped his lips before he pulled the door shut behind him.
As soon as she was alone, a flood of emotions washed over Bethany. She sat on the bed and gasped as embarrassment and shame colored her cheeks. How could she have allowed herself to think Troy was different from any other man? If he truly cared for her, he wouldn’t have allowed his boss’s orders to keep her from her ailing mother. But Troy had put his career first for the past decade. He freely admitted to it. Why should she expect him to behave any differently now?
Her lips burned where he’d kissed her. She allowed her fingertips to trail along her mouth, the tingling sensation no longer bringing her joy. She felt used and deceived. That was twice now in a matter of weeks that she’d allowed herself to be pulled in by a man with the wrong intentions. She obviously couldn’t trust her own intuition. Momma would have to accept that her daughter was never meant to find love.
But if there was one constant in her life, it was her wonderfully wacky mother. The woman who had always stood by her side—bad luck and all. Bethany wouldn’t abandon her to that disease. She had to see her.
And even Agent Troy, with all his muscles and impressive arsenal, wasn’t going to stop her.
Chapter Sixteen
Troy
Troy entered the Bureau feeling more like his old self in his black suit and with his trusty Glock in its holster under his jacket. Still, despite the thrill of being back, pain weighed heavy on his heart. The conversation with Bethany last night couldn’t have gone worse. Once again, he found himself lacking in the words department. He couldn’t find the way to explain to her that if she just held out, if she could just be patient, he’d fix this so they could be together.
Instead, he’d blundered through the conversation to the point that she’d been left staring at her comforter in tears. The pain in her voice had said she didn’t want anything to do with him. She wouldn’t even look at him. He wanted to punch himself in the nose.
Just when everything seemed so right, he had to ruin it all. Even if he got a full confession out of Gerald Void today, Bethany might never forgive him. She’d entrusted him with her heart and then he’d turned around and stomped on it not an hour later. He was the lowest of the low. The scum of the Earth. He didn’t deserve her.
“What’s with the long face, Troy?” Captain Shawn Richmond leaned against the wall next to the elevators. He wore his full uniform and a million watt smile. With a snicker, he punched Troy on the shoulder. “I thought you were living the life. Back in the field.”
“Don’t worry, I am.” Troy tried to swallow down his disappointment. He couldn’t bring his problems to work. He had a job to do. “What brings you around the FBI? You thinking about leaving that joke of a precinct and finally joining the big boys?”
Shawn grimaced, waving his hand in front of his face. “Please, your boys can’t hold a candle to my deputies. I’m just here to see how things go down with Void. O’Brien owes me one, so I’m cashing in. Void’s family has been a pain in my side for the past decade. I can’t wait to see them go up in flames.”
Troy pursed his lips and nodded, not feeling half as confident as Shawn. “I hope you’re right, because we could all use a little resolution today.”
At that moment, the elevator doors slid open and a team of men and women descended upon the floor. They all wore power suits that were worth at least ten of Troy’s discount suits. Smack dab in the middle of the pack walked Gerald Void, with his slicked-back black hair and
designer suit. A cocky grin that didn’t reach his eyes played on his angular face. He swept a lazy gaze over Shawn and Troy as he approached.
“You’ve got me here, boys,” he said in a slow drawl. “Now, let’s talk.”
Troy nodded curtly and held out his arm, directing Void and his people toward the conference room O’Brien had prepared. They settled silently around the table, Void’s people on one side and the government on the other. It was a showdown of old western proportions. Troy could’ve sworn he heard a raven crow somewhere and a tumble weed blow down the abandoned hallway. All he needed now was a white ten-gallon hat and a set of spurs to complete the image.
Before Agent O’Brien could begin the introductions, one of Void’s lawyers cleared his throat. He had a white head of hair and a red bulbous nose that drooped at the tip. His voice was low and gravelly.
“My client, Gerald Void, has agreed to speak off the record with the Federal Bureau of Investigations today. Please let it be noted that he came here out of his free will to work alongside our brothers and sisters in blue, however he can. He fully supports cracking down on crime in the Las Vegas area.”
O’Brien pressed his lips into a thin line and huffed. “This isn’t a campaign appearance, Mike. You can drop the act.”
Void’s lawyer chewed on the side of his cheek and gave O’Brien a sour look. “Just keep your questions respectful, gentlemen. That’s all we ask.”
Troy’s hands curled into tight fists under the table. Already, Void was throwing up his defenses and they hadn’t even asked a single question. That didn’t bode well for the rest of the interview.
“Let’s start with an easy one.” O’Brien shuffled through the loose papers in front of him and then pierced Void with a single look. “Where’s Freddy Mack?”
“My client has no knowledge of Fredrick Mack’s current location,” Mike stated as Void grinned next to him. “He has written an affidavit to that effect.”
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