Chapter Seventeen
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T J finished washing their plates and set them on the rack beside the sink to dry, aware on a cellular level of Bristol watching TV in the living room twenty feet away. It had been more than an hour since the conversation with his handler, and there was still no obvious solution to his current predicament.
Bristol. Or rather, them being stuck alone together in this little house.
He wiped the already clean countertops, partly to keep his hands busy and partly to buy him more time before he was forced to interact with her like a human being. His time as an undercover agent on the streets had completely eroded whatever social intelligence he’d once had. He was unused to being around others now, and this place, while a luxurious reprieve for him in so many ways, was small. There was no way to avoid her while she was here.
Or the feelings she stirred in him.
Her presence seemed to suffuse the air around him. He felt her on a molecular level, could feel the weight of her stare on him right now.
The TV went silent. “Did Beckett say how long he’d be?” Bristol asked.
He dried his hands on the dishtowel, keeping his back to her. She distracted him. Made it hard to think clearly, and more than ever, he needed a clear head. “No. Just that he’d be here as soon as he can.”
“They’ll be checking up on you.”
“I know.” Without a doubt they would be. Beckett had his own connections within the intelligence industry, and also had close ties with Crimson Point Security and its management. They would be analyzing the shit out of him and his background right now, if they hadn’t already.
Over the past ninety minutes, he’d been forced to accept that the life he’d been living was over. Not that it had really been a life at all. More like he’d been existing from one day to the next. Still, having that yanked away in an instant after all the effort and sacrifice was a huge adjustment.
“Okay, so, are you just planning to ignore me until this is over? Because that could be a while yet, and I’m kind of going crazy over here. I don’t bite, promise.”
He paused, hand tightening around the cloth for a moment before he turned to face her. Christ, she was beautiful. Every time he looked at her, it hit him. Being attracted to her was problematic to say the least. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Anything, at this point. There’s nothing on TV to distract me, and this silence between us is really starting to grate on my nerves.”
“I’m not much good at making conversation.” As evidenced by the long, awkward silence while they’d eaten dinner. Separately. Him at the kitchen counter, her on the couch. Not that it had helped dull his awareness of her.
“With me, you mean? Or in general?” She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. It was adorable when she did that.
“In general.”
A slight frown drew her eyebrows closer together. “Were you always that way?”
“No.”
“Didn’t think so, because my brother always made you sound like a really social kind of guy.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say that. And that was a long time ago.” He searched for something else to say. “You must miss him.”
“I do. But he’s still in here and always will be.” She tapped the center of her chest. Her scrubs hid the gorgeous shape of her body, but, of course, now he was looking at the curve of her breasts.
“What do you remember most about him?” she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts and his gaze from her chest.
“He was solid,” he answered without having to think about it. “Team player, professional, always had his head in the game. Always had your back.”
Her soft smile did things to him. “Yeah, that’s what I loved most about him too.”
“He was lucky to have you. “
“I was lucky to have him too.” Her expression shifted, edged with a sadness he could feel. “Even if he was lost for a while, he came back to us in the end.”
And then was killed. It was fucking tragic. “I’m sorry he went through all that. But I’m glad he had you.”
She gave him a saucy grin. “Yeah? Even though you endured a taste of what I put him through?”
One side of his mouth lifted. This was getting a bit easier now. Talking to her this way still felt alien, but he could feel some of his walls coming down. “Even then. Not many people would go to those lengths to help someone.” That kind of goodness was rarer than diamonds, and deserved to be protected. Just like she did.
“I loved him,” she said with a shrug, as if it explained everything.
“I know. He had a picture of you both as his screensaver.”
Her eyes welled up. “He did?”
“Yeah. He told us all about you.” Shit. “Maybe we should talk about something else.”
She cleared her throat. Sat up straighter. “All right, fine. Then how about your background? Will you tell me some of it now? Since you already know all about me from Eric.”
Yeah, he supposed that was only fair. Although he definitely didn’t know everything he wanted to know about her. “I was born in Pennsylvania. In a little town not far from Gettysburg.”
Her eyes brightened. “I’ve been there. My dad took Eric and me when we were kids one summer. Were you close with your parents?”
He nodded. “Pretty close.”
She frowned. “Your job must be hard on them too.”
“No. They were both gone before I joined the DEA.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. What happened?”
He didn’t like talking about it. But she’d been honest with him. She deserved to know what kind of man she was trapped here with. “My dad got behind the wheel in bad weather after a Christmas party. They went off the road into a flooded ditch on the way home. Neither of them made it out.”
“That’s terrible—”
“I was home to visit them on leave. I was supposed to drive them that night. But it was my last night stateside, and I was too busy having a good time with some buddies, so I bailed on them at the last minute. And they died.”
The guilt over that would haunt him forever.
“Oh...I’m so sorry.” He could tell she wanted to ask more, braced himself for it. They had both lost close family in car accidents. Another twisted quirk of fate that connected them. “How old were you?”
“It happened a few years ago.” His leave had been extended by a few days so he could bury them.
She winced. “Oh God, that’s so hard. Is that why you decided to do undercover work when you joined the DEA? Because they were gone, and you felt like you...didn’t have anyone?”
Her perception was dead fucking on. He’d never let himself examine his motivations too closely at the time. “In a way.” He’d found direction, purpose and brotherhood in the Rangers. After burying his parents and leaving the military, he’d felt lost.
And, yeah, maybe the guilt had played a big part in volunteering for undercover after joining the DEA. Some part of him wanting to punish himself.
“What were their names?”
“They both went by their middle names. Teresa and Javier.”
Her gaze sharpened on him. “TJ.”
He nodded. He’d chosen his new identity as a way of honoring them.
“I think it’s a beautiful tribute.”
Was it? They were still dead—because of him. And they both would have hated the job he’d taken on. What he’d become.
A thick silence had settled between them, but was thankfully broken by the sound of a vehicle pulling up out front. He hurried to the front window, drew the edge of the blind back a fraction to look outside. “It’s Beckett.” Oh, hell. “And your stepsister.”
“Cassie’s here?” Bristol jumped up and rushed for the door.
TJ caught her arm before she’d gone two steps, stopping her and earning a surprised look. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Just being careful,” he answered, placing her behind him. With things so uncertain at the moment, he wasn’t taking any chances that a threat might be outside hiding somewhere out of sight.
It felt as natural as breathing to protect her, to put himself between her and any unseen threat waiting on the other side of the door. It felt right.
Beckett greeted him with a terse nod and looked past him to Bristol. Cassie stood right behind him, eyes narrowed on TJ. “You guys good?” Beckett asked.
“Yeah.” TJ stepped back to let them in, and Cassie immediately breezed by Beckett to embrace Bristol while TJ shut the door.
“Hey. You okay?” Cassie asked her softly.
“I’m okay.” Bristol pulled back and gave her a tight smile. “Kind of surreal, huh?”
“No kidding.” Cassie bent down to grab the handles of a fancy-patterned bag she’d brought in. “Here. I packed what I thought you might need for a few days.”
“Thanks. Did you bring my bat?”
“Got it,” Beckett said, handing over a battered aluminum bat. “Not sure it’ll do you much good though.”
“I just feel better having it with me. I keep it under my bed. Have since college.” Bristol stroked a hand over the barrel almost lovingly, and the sex-starved part of TJ’s mind immediately pictured her stroking something else entirely.
He shoved that thought aside, put a chokehold on his libido that seemed to go into overdrive around her. They were here because they were being hunted, for God’s sake.
Arm around Bristol’s shoulders and her body language screaming protectiveness, Cassie’s gaze swung to him, pinning him like an insect where he stood.
He didn’t blame her for her dislike or suspicion. She didn’t know him. Pretty much everything she’d been told about him so far was a lie—with the exception of his military background—and now Bristol had been dragged into this mess.
“I assume you’re armed?” she asked him in an icy tone.
“Yes.”
“So,” Beckett said, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets and rocking back on his heels. “DEA, huh?”
TJ nodded. “You verify everything?”
“Not me. CPS.”
Made sense. “I’m just waiting to hear back from my handler. Won’t know what my next move is until then.”
“Understood.” Beckett glanced around the small space before focusing back on him. Likely checking escape and entry points, assessing security weaknesses. There were plenty. “Need anything else?”
A time machine so he could go back in time and meet his CI somewhere else? Then his cover would still be intact, and Bristol wouldn’t be in danger. “Not right now.”
“Left something in the truck. Back in a sec.” He went back out the door and returned moments later with a long gun case, setting it on the floor. “Hunting rifle. Just in case.”
“Thanks.”
Beckett nodded, looked over at Cassie. “Ready?”
The set look on Cassie’s face made it clear she didn’t want to go anywhere, but her expression softened as she turned Bristol toward her. “This will all be over and behind you before you know it. Just lie low and be careful for the time being.”
“I will.” TJ had to give Bristol credit. There were no tears, no hint of fear from her. Not even a slight wobble in her voice. She was a lot stronger than she looked.
Cassie’s gaze swung back to him, laser sharp. “Anything happens to her, I’ll hold you personally responsible.” And then I’ll make you pay dearly, her eyes promised.
He dipped his head in acknowledgment, respecting her loyalty to her stepsister. Bristol deserved that kind of love and protectiveness.
The two women hugged and said their goodbyes. “Just shout if you need anything,” Beckett said before he and Cassie left. TJ locked the door behind them, let out a deep breath and turned around to face Bristol.