“Oh, I had a few distant cousins, but only one who lived nearby, and most of my other relatives lived out of the state. I found a new family with the Navy and now with the FBI. The men and women I served with became important to me. The men from my SEAL team are still my brothers. They always will be. I want you to meet them. If anyone of them needed me, I’d be there in a heartbeat. I know they feel the same about me”
“It was like that with my uncle,” Dawn confessed. “That’s why Chief Daniels and Tom are always so protective of us. My uncle made them promise to look after Tawny’s kids. They are like fathers to us.”
“You’ve mentioned them before. I look forward to getting to know them better.” And he meant it. No matter how old you were or where you ended up, a SEAL team member was family for life.
“They’ll like you.” She hugged him close, and he kissed the tip of her nose which made her cuddle deeper into his embrace.
“Work become my life when I joined the FBI, that and my cousin, Amanda, and her kid.”
“I can’t wait to meet them.”
“They’ll love you.” He laughed. “Hell, they’ll just be thrilled that I’ve finally decided to settle down.”
Dawn quirked one eyebrow. “Settle down?”
“It’s not the time to make promises, but I do want a forever with you. And soon, Dawn. I will not make you wait long, but I want to do it right.”
Dawn felt the tears coming and pushed them back. He wanted a forever with her, and she wanted that with him, too. It’s all she ever wanted when she’d wished on those shooting stars as a child. “I want kids someday, Jack. I always have. I need to know if you want kids, too.”
“I sure do, baby; having a baby with you, or two, hell, I would be the happiest man on earth. But let’s not say any more about that because when this investigation is done, I want to propose the right way, okay?”
“Okay,” Dawn murmured. The tears were still there, but she fought through them.
“I’m a bit old fashioned, Dawn. I just do not want there to be any dark clouds on the horizon when I stake my claim on you.” When she looked puzzled, he clarified, “I want you to know how I feel. I screwed up the start of this relationship and want to do something right.”
He heard the tremble in her voice when she spoke. “Oh, Jack, you have done so many things right. Please know that.” She put her palm against his chest. He had healed her broken heart and made her the happiest she had ever been even with the fear of their current situation.
“We will have a lifetime to get to know each other,” he whispered in the dark, pressing a kiss on the top of her towel-dried hair. “You are the first person I’ve ever wanted more with. I will never be able to let you go.”
His words broke her; they were so sweet. A few tears trickled down her cheeks, and she slid a finger across them before speaking. “You better save some of those words for the actual proposal, my love. Because I don’t think anything can top what those words are doing to my heart right now.”
Jack hugged her to him. “I will tell you I love you every day, in a thousand ways. I promise.”
The lump was growing because Dawn believed him. “You are perfect, Jack. Perfect.”
He laughed at her words. “Okay, remember you said that. I will remind you of that when we have our first fight and every time we fight until our dying day.”
Dawn giggled. This man was everything. Men had said they loved her before, but they had never said it like Jack had just done. This was different. He was different. Special. Perfect. And this feeling was real.
Chapter 14
‡
In the morning, Dawn and Jack shared a quick breakfast in the room. And although Jack had done much to calm her nerves and fears the previous night, the day brought reality back to the forefront.
“Dawn, I know you need to be part of this investigation, but I want you in as little danger as possible.”
“Please, don’t worry about me,” she started to interrupt. She pushed her unfinished breakfast away. She had not been able to eat much of the western omelet. Her stomach was in knots. “I just want this over with.”
“So do I, kitten. I’m not your brothers, but like them, I really do think you need to stay close to your room and offices.” He finished his coffee and stood to finish dressing.
He heard her sigh behind him. “It’s not like I don’t agree with you. Believe me, I don’t want to put myself in any more danger than I’m already in, but shouldn’t I be seen around the casino? If the gang sees only you around, and not me, they might get suspicious.”
Jack pulled his shirt on, grateful that Agent Cooper had thought to bring him several changes of clothes before he departed at the shift change two hours earlier. “You let me worry about that. I have a feeling they’re going to contact me today. I’ll keep you posted when and if I need you.”
Dawn bristled under his words. He had mentioned being old-fashioned, and in her heart she knew he was just trying to protect her; she also knew the gang would be checking on her story that she was on the outs with her family. Perhaps they needed to let them see her argue with a family member or, at the very least, overhear her complaining. “Jack, please don’t treat me like a child. I know you are only thinking of my safety, but I am an adult.”
Jack turned to her and saw the annoyance on her face by the fine lines and crinkles around her adorable nose.
He sighed before speaking. “I promise not to treat you like a child. But this is my job, and I’m trained to deal with criminals. You are not. I just want you safe.” The annoyance disappeared from her face with those words. She got up from her seat at the breakfast table and joined him at the mirror where he was adjusting his tie. Shooing his hands away, she fixed it for him. He smiled at her actions, so domestic, and allowed her to retie the offensive neck wear he hated but had unfortunately become a part of his cover.
“I just think it will go easier or quicker if they see me with you. I don’t want to just wait around in my room until something happens.”
“You are not confined to your room. You need to go to work. They will be watching for that. You have the ear piece Cooper gave you this morning. Just slip it in, and if you are in danger or being watched, you will be alerted. You are wearing the earrings and both have tracking devices, so even if you lose one, we will find you. But putting you in harm’s way for the sake of appearances just isn’t going to happen.”
Her stomach twisted at his words, ‘We will find you.’ Ugh. She wanted this over. She finished tying his tie, and then looked up into his eyes.
“I love you, woman. I love that you just tied my tie.” He was happy to see that her frown turned upside down. She smirked back at him and then handed him his hat. Another bothersome accessory he didn’t enjoy wearing in his role as a gambler.
Dawn had to smile at the dimple in Jack’s cheek when he grinned at her. She had the urge to touch it but resisted, and instead brushed her hands down his chest smoothing out the fabric of his button-down shirt. He groaned his pleasure, and she swatted him, knowing he needed to be seen downstairs and had to go soon. She, too, needed to get ready for work in an hour.
“So, I’m headed for coffee and to read the paper downstairs in one of the bistros, just hanging out waiting to be seen. I may head to the bank and get some cash for the game tomorrow night. The buy in is 50k, so it might be nice to be seen doing that. Then I’ll head back here, and maybe we can have lunch downstairs. I’ll shoot a message to Neal and see if he thinks that would be okay.”
Dawn nodded and then repeated her itinerary to him. “I am going to work at nine and have lunch at my desk, or at least in the office suite. I have two agents watching me at all times. I will wait for you to text me if plans change. I will leave work at precisely five PM,” she repeated today’s plan to him. “I will meet you here, and then we will be informed what our next move will be.”
He smiled. “See, you are a professional agent already,” he teased her.
&nb
sp; She rolled her eyes. “Sounds like a lot of waiting around for other people to order you to do something.”
He laughed loudly. “That’s exactly what it is. Same thing in the military. Lots of boring nothing, then a few minutes of terror.” When he saw her wince, he realized his lapse. “Sorry, bad word choice. I should say action.” He stopped to kiss her and was glad when she didn’t resist.
As she eased away from his lips, Dawn added, “Isn’t there a way we could speed things along a bit? Maybe have a fight with my brother at lunch or something and hope they see? It might get the ball rolling.”
Jack tilted his head to the side. He didn’t like putting her in harm’s way, but a staged argument could help move things along. He hated waiting as much as she did. “Let me run it by Neal and your brothers. I’ll let you know.”
“This casino has cameras everywhere, and if you let Tom know, he can put cameras anywhere you need them to be.”
“I do like the idea, Dawn. I still have to run it by Neal. If they don’t reach out to us today, I think we’ll venture out; and if one of your family members is agreeable, it could work. But I don’t want to make that call,” he warned her sternly.
“I understand.” She pouted.
His kitten was smart. He’d give her that, he thought grimly. The agent in him thought her idea was great and practical as hell, but the man in him, who loved the woman in her, was scared to death that he could lose her.
Chapter 15
‡
Dawn’s day was as routine as could be though her nerves were frazzled by noon. Agents Emerson and Johnson had the day shift, and occasionally they sent her updates through her earpiece so she could get used to the thing and not be startled if they needed to send her communication.
She immersed herself in numbers for the first part of the morning and was happy she didn’t jump out of her seat when they called in.
“Status check. Dawn in office, secure. No updates.”
Her reply came instantly. “Clear.” That was the safe word they told her to use after she scanned the doorway outside her office. If she were in danger, she was to say, “I’m getting a migraine.” It was innocuous enough and could be stated randomly without alerting anyone that she was wired.
With a few key strokes, she opened up the electronic ledger for one of the shops downstairs and began adding and checking the daily totals. Easy for a small shop. It was routine. That’s why she liked accounting so much. It made sense. It was concrete. At times challenging, a puzzle to be solved. But it could be solved. Unlike her life and her thoughts on her current predicament. Growing up, math had been her favorite subject for those very reasons. When she was scared or confused or feeling sad, math could distract her and make her feel secure. When she was feeling depressed because she didn’t know her father like her friends knew theirs, math made sense. When her sister was out and came home from another date, there was always AP Calculus to keep her mind occupied.
Jack texted that he wouldn’t be able to have lunch with her which disappointed her. She hated being cooped up all day in her office. So when her sister called at eleven, she asked through her headpiece if it would be okay to have lunch with Eve downstairs. Ten minutes later the earpiece crackled.
“Affirmative. Go to the bistro just off the lobby. We will have it secure at noon.”
“Clear,” was her reply as she fished out her phone and accepted the invite her sister had sent. Her sister texted back two thumbs up and a smiley face emoji.
A text from Jack five minutes later told her not to reveal to her sister any of their plans. She hadn’t been cleared or informed of the investigation by anyone at the FBI. Only her brothers, mother, and Tom knew of the new direction of the investigation.
She let Jack know she would be a good girl. Feeling relieved at the reprieve from her desk, she quickly finished the account she was working on before packing up for her lunch date with her sister.
Dawn would keep the conversation with her sister as normal as possible. She had already told her about Jack, so talking about him would be nice. But the fact that she had ears listening in made her pause as she began to leave her office.
“You guys won’t tell Jack what my sister and I talk about will you?” she spoke the words to the air and immediately felt silly for asking.
She heard a chuckle before one of the agents replied, “Sister secrets are sacred. You can rest easy. Unless it’s pertinent to the investigation, you can talk freely.”
Well, freely was one thing. She would have to watch her words a bit, but when she and her sister were alone, they did talk. She just hoped being in a public place would temper her sister’s occasional awkward and unusual questions. But even with that worry, she looked forward to seeing Eve. She exited her office before turning to shut and lock the door.
“I’ll be at the bistro with Eve for an hour,” she told the secretary who worked for the four accountants. Jane smiled and nodded as she continued typing on her keyboard.
“Have fun. Say hi to Eve for me.”
“Will do.” She half waved as she walked down the corridor, looking forward to some time away from her office.
When Dawn reached the bank of elevators that would whisk her to the lobby, she pushed the button to wait for the doors to open. Her ear piece piped in. “Eyes on you, Dawn.”
Her good mood evaporated. She said nothing. That was code for a gang member nearby. She forced herself to remain calm, knowing she was being observed. When the doors opened, she recognized Agent Johnson in casual wear already inside and was relieved. She fished out her phone to have something to do and tapped out a few words to her sister. “I’m on my way now.” She sent the message and then put her phone away. A lone man had entered with her, and she wondered if he was a gang member. He was tall and lanky and wore a business shirt. She didn’t recognize him. She knew a great number of people who worked on the fourth floor; but since she had started only a few months earlier, she didn’t know everyone. She was glad the ride was short; and when the man smiled and allowed her to pass, she was able to walk by and return his smile without flinching.
She walked directly to the bistro and sat down at a table in the center of the room that had good visibility of the entrance and paid no mind when Agent Johnson walked past her to get in line to order something from the cashier. The man from the elevator strolled past the entrance and went on his way. She let out a breath of air slowly as her heart rate returned to normal, relieved that he didn’t come in. It was bad enough having to be careful with the two agents hearing her conversation, but with others also listening it would have been difficult to have any semblance of a normal conversation. But she would give it her all. Being able to do this would be a good test if she had to do it again.
A normal conversation. Between sisters. That is what this needed to be. She gave herself a pep talk. Normal, though her life was anything but that right now. But Jack made her happy, and she would focus on that. He made her feel protected and loved, cherished. She’d never experienced that with another man before. She didn’t feel any of her old insecurities cropping up. In fact, she felt like she could take on the world and braver than ever. Her flagging spirit returned somewhat. She had a lot she could talk about with Eve, but some things she needed to avoid, such as how his job had her worried, and whether she would always feel like that when he went to work. Eve had worried about her fiancé being away for long stretches, and she wanted to ask her how she dealt with that. Though, the two situations were different; Eve’s fiancé being the lead singer in a band, she worried about women throwing themselves at Lucas. But they could not talk about any of those things today. Today she would focus on the positive of being involved with Jack. There would be plenty of time for a real heart to heart with Eve when this was all said and done.
*
After their orders arrived, freshly made chicken salad sandwiches and sweet green tea, Eve laid into Dawn. “Okay, what’s up? You are not acting the same.”
Dawn
gave her sister her best perplexed look. “I don’t know what you mean.” She even managed a sisterly eye roll.
Eve knew her better than anyone else, though, so not telling her anything personal was a dead giveaway. She decided to bring up Jack. “Things are going well with Jack. Too well.”
“That’s interesting. And great. But does not explain why you are so jittery.”
“Jittery, please.” Dawn tried to brush it off, but aware her words were heard by possibly two different groups of people had her on edge. She needed to forget the FBI was listening, but it was hard to do. Sighing, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “He said he loves me and wants a future together. I admitted I have fallen for him, too. Hard. Fast. I guess it all just happened so quickly, and I’m worried about trusting myself.”
Eve nodded, knowing quite well why her younger sister by one minute would be having trust issues. Twice she had been burned by guys before. “Sis, you can’t let that stop you from pursuing this thing, especially if you do love him. You can’t give up on a guy because you’re afraid.”
“I know,” Dawn sighed. She decided to tell her sister a bit of a white lie in case the bad guys were listening. “Also, I ran into both Jonathan and Joseph. They know about Jack. I’m afraid they don’t like him.”
Eve’s eyebrows arched. This was new, but then she blew it off. “Well, they will have to get over it.” Her brothers never liked any of her boyfriends growing up, and Lucas had been no exception at first. “They came around with Lucas, and they will with Jack.”
“I don’t think it will be that easy.” Eve gave her a sympathetic pat on the hand. Dawn added, “That’s not all. Mom knows, too. She came by my suite yesterday and gave me hell for dating this guy. A gambler.”
Eve looked shocked. Dawn hoped she didn’t pursue this too much. “Mom, really?”
Dawn just nodded. In her ear she heard Agent Johnson. “Nice drop. You are being watched.” Dawn swallowed hard, knowing she was being observed by someone in the Santorini gang and resisted the urge to look around. “Yeah, she was ‘very disappointed.’” Dawn used air quotes to punctuate her words.
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