Chapter 9 #2
“What about me and Mercer?” Draven asked.
Emmett paused to mull over the best use of his men’s time. “Keep trying to get in touch with Detective Boone. See if his people found anything useful when they processed Janie’s hotel room.”
Draven gave his bearded chin a dip.
“Even if Boone does have a lead in my case, what makes you think he’ll be willing to share?”
Emmett thought back to what the D.C. detective had told him about knowing Talia and his prediction that they’d soon be friends.
“Something he said last night leads me to believe he’ll be an asset to our team.” To Blake, he added, “But I still need the goods on the guy, just in case.”
His teammate nodded. “You’ll have it on your desk by the end of the day.”
With everyone’s tasks assigned, he gave his watch a quick glance. “Let’s break for lunch, and then we’ll all get back to work.”
“What will we do while the others are busy with their duties?”
He looked at Janie. “If Dr. O’Neill agrees to help, you and I will pay her a visit.”
“I was really hoping you’d let us break for lunch soon.” Draven rolled himself away from the table and shot to his feet. “My stomach’s been growling since before I got here.”
“Mine, too.” Gwen joined him in standing.
As the team began filing out of the conference room one-by-one, Emmett looked to Janie, who’d also risen to her feet. “You hungry?”
“Not really.” She sighed. “But I know I should probably eat something, anyway.”
“I’ll order us some food. What sounds good to you?”
“Whatever you want. I’m not a picky eater.”
“Janie . . .”
Blue eyes that still held the same slivers of guilt and remorse met his once again.
“I’m not trying to be difficult, Emmett.
Seriously, I can eat just about anything.
” Her shoulder lifted in a casual shrug.
“Besides, you’re the one who lives in this city.
Where do you and your teammates like to go? ”
It was a fair question, but like her, he wasn’t picky. Plus, he wanted to at least have some idea of what her favorites were. She’d had a hell of a night, and the news of Amy’s death had made the morning rough for her, too.
Most people would think a dangerous pursuit of justice in the name of a woman they barely knew was a stupid choice to make. Not Emmett. After all, he and his teammates had spent their entire adult lives risking themselves for strangers in need.
What the woman needs is food, jackass.
“Come on.” He stepped past Janie. “I have a bunch of take-out menus in my office. You can look them over, see if anything jumps out at you, and we’ll go from there.”
The level of concern he felt at the thought of her being even a tiny bit hungry was much stronger than it should have been. But as he led the beautiful brunette to his office down the hall, Emmett realized he despised any concept that wouldn’t bring the woman behind him complete joy.
Hunger. Thirst. Worry. Pain.
Just thinking about Janie suffering in any way left his protective instincts firing on all cylinders.
His jaw clenched when that last thought drove through his mind.
And though Emmett couldn’t explain the visceral reaction he had where she was concerned, he couldn’t wait to find the bastard who’d left her bruised and make the bastard pay.
While he was at it, he also found himself looking forward to uncovering the truth about the intern’s murder. Despite the fact that, if the White House really was involved, Echo Team may wind up being a one-and-done team.
But Emmett didn’t get to where he was by shying away or being afraid to ruffle political feathers. Murder was murder, and he wasn’t about to let Janie become their next victim.
These pricks—whoever they turned out to be—had already gotten too close. They wouldn’t get a second chance. Not while he was still breathing.
Emmett may not be able to act on his attraction to the mouthwatering journalist. But he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
Janie scanned the handful of small, framed photographs positioned on the bookshelves lining one wall of Emmett’s office. He was at his desk, forced to place their lunch orders over the phone because the restaurant’s online system was down.
While he took care of the food, she kept herself busy, trying to learn more about the man she’d hired. There wasn’t much, just a few hints into the intriguing man’s past. Like his time in service with the United States Marines.
Younger Emmett was quite handsome, but he didn’t hold a candle to the current version. She did wish she could see him smile like he was in a few of the pictures. The ones where his younger self had his arms outstretched around the shoulders of the men serving by his side.
“Order’s in.” His deep voice filled the otherwise silent space. “Food will be here in twenty.”
She turned away from the pictures and offered him a smile and a sincere, “Thank you.”
He rounded the edge of his desk before coming over to where she stood. Sliding his strong hands into his pockets, Emmett glanced at the pictures on the shelf behind her and lifted his lips into a grin. “Checking out my glory days, I see.”
Janie tried her best not to think about how close she’d been to kissing those same lips that morning. “You look so young in that one.” She turned and pointed to a four-by-six frame on her right.
“I’d just turned nineteen.” His smile grew a bit more. “I’d just graduated from basic.”
“Nineteen? You were just a baby.”
A deep chuckle shook his broad shoulders. “Tell that to my drill sergeant.”
Janie laughed. “Didn’t exactly use kid gloves with you guys, huh?”
“More like ones made from iron.” He sighed. “But it was just what that cocky kid from across the river needed.”
“Cocky? You?”
His dark stare grew narrow. “I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or you’re genuinely surprised.”
“Oh, I’m surprised.” Janie crossed her arms loosely at her front. “You seem too stoic to be cocky.”
“Yeah well, it was a long time ago.”
“So you’ve grown up since then?”
“Something like that.”
Speaking of growing up . . .
“You mentioned the other day that you were raised around here?”
“A small town not far from Joint Base Andrews.” He thumbed in that direction.
“Are your parents still there?”
Emmett blinked as a haunted look came over him. “My mom passed away twenty years ago from breast cancer.”
Twenty years.
“I’m so sorry.” She frowned. “What about your dad?”
His scoff oozed with sarcasm. “He’s the whole reason I went to basic in the first place.”
“I take it the two of you didn’t get a long?”
“When I was younger, sure. But after Mom . . .” His audible swallow pulled at her heartstrings. “My dad was never the same after she died. He decided to drown his own grief with the bottle rather than remember he had a son who still needed him.”
Janie reached for him then, her fingers wrapping as far around his taut forearm as they could. “That must have been hard.”
“It was.”
Still is.
The admission was as soft as the look in his beautiful stare.
It was also the first time the larger-than-life man had shown even a glimmer of vulnerability since she’d met him. But a moment later, Emmett blinked, and just like that, the walls surrounding him were back.
“What about you?” He slowly stepped out of her reach, returning to his desk. “Tell me about your family.”
Janie followed him with her own set of slow, casual steps.
“I don’t have any family. My parents were killed in a car wreck when I was a baby.
I was an only child, just a few months old, so I have no memory of them or the wreck.
” She stopped in front of his desk and lifted some hair from her forehead.
“See that tiny little scar right there? That’s all I came away with.
” She let her hair fall. “One teeny, tiny scratch. My parents, however, weren’t quite as lucky.
But something tells me you already knew all that. ”
“Blake gave me the basics,” Emmett admitted. “But as I’m sure you know, there’s only so much you can learn about a person by reading a background check.”
“Even when its your guy at the keyboard?”
Lips she was still tempted by curved upward. “Even with Blake at the keyboard.” He gave one of his broad shoulders a shrug. “And to be perfectly honest, I like hearing about you from you.”
Her heart gave a forceful kick. “I liked hearing about you from you, too.”
Despite their juvenile-esque confessions, the moment felt genuine and sweet.
“You’re a very beautiful woman.”
“Thank you.”
You’re not so bad yourself.
Janie’s lips parted to utter the complimentary words when she heard—
“But you’re also my client.”
Client. Right. Why was that such a hard thing to remember when he was around?
“We need to keep things professional.” She felt a sudden need to say it first.
Emmett was attracted to her. He’d made that much clear, at least. But he was also letting her know that’s as far things between them could ever go.
At least while she was an Echo Team client.
In another life, maybe things could have been different. One where Amy was still alive and no one wanted Janie dead. But they only got one ride around the crazy train called life, and she needed to focus on finding those responsible for Amy’s untimely demise.
“It’s okay, Emmett.” Janie forced a smile and lowered herself into one of the chairs facing his desk, crossing one leg over the other. “I get it, and you’re right. We need to keep our heads in the game so we can hopefully identify the person who murdered Amy.”
“We find them, we find the person after you.” He sat down in his high-back chair. “Two birds—”
“One stone.” Her smile became a little less fake.
So there it was. The matter had officially been settled, and their priorities were exactly where it needed to be. Maybe after the dust was settled, the two of them could go out for dinner or drinks.
As long as I’m still breathing when that day comes.