Chapter Twenty-Three
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T J woke up on the couch with bright morning light filtering into the room around the edges of the blinds on the windows. And he was alone.
He sat up and looked around, trying to clear the cobwebs from his sleep-deprived brain. Bristol was nowhere to be seen. They’d fallen asleep here curled up together on their sides hours ago, with her tucked into his body. It was the best sleep he’d had in forever. And apparently deep, because he had no recollection of her leaving.
The bedroom door down the short hallway was shut. He pushed aside the stab of disappointment. Probably best that she’d gone to her own bed. Made things neater, avoided the whole awkward morning-after thing.
Unless she’d left because she regretted last night and wanted to avoid him.
He ran a hand through his hair and dragged on his clothes, feeling strangely unsettled and a little raw. Last night was wrong on so many levels, he knew that, but there was no changing it now. Part of him was mad as hell at himself for caving to his baser nature and making this whole situation even messier.
No. That was just a bullshit excuse. What he hated was how off-balance she made him feel. Bristol had woken something elemental in him that he couldn’t ignore, and he didn’t know what the hell to do about it. Or her.
He went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Shaved off his full goatee in the powder room sink while it brewed. He’d worn a beard or part of one for so long, his clean-shaven face was like a stranger staring back at him in the mirror.
Back in the kitchen, he popped some bread in the toaster. It was still early. He had no news, and last night had been a lot.
He’d let Bristol sleep a while longer. When she came out of the room, he would play it cool. Act like last night hadn’t happened so they could just put it behind them and move on. Last night never should have happened. Ending their physical relationship now before things went any further was the right thing to do.
Way too late for that, and you know it.
Yeah, he did know it. Because somewhere along the way, he’d caught feelings for her. Big ones.
Didn’t matter, he told himself sternly. He had to end it. Once their current predicament was over, he would get a new assignment somewhere else. Or maybe he’d leave the DEA for good. Either way, he and Bristol would be going their separate ways soon. She was too good. Too kind. She deserved a hell of a lot better than a burned-out, emotionally closed-off guy who’d spent the better part of the past year living on the street.
He snatched his phone from the counter when it rang. He didn’t recognize the number, but it was local. “Yeah,” he answered, relieved by the distraction.
“You’re in danger. He knows who you are.”
TJ’s spine went rigid. The male voice was somehow familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. “Who’s this?”
“We’ve never met. But you know me. We’ve spoken before.”
Woah, shit. He’d been trying to meet this guy in person for months . He’d been feeding them bits of intel for that long. He was the reason TJ had been granted permission to move here to the coast, in the hopes of making enough inroads with him through Mark so they could finally meet in person.
TJ had thought the botched meeting last night had shot that hope to hell, so to say this call was a surprise was an understatement. “So you called to warn me?”
“Partly. But I’m also willing to trade sensitive information in exchange for a favor.”
“What kind of information?” Warning bells clanged in his brain. Who the hell was this guy, and why was he making contact now? The timing was suspicious.
“Sensitive, personal information on Jordan Leandro.”
“How personal?”
“Enough to destroy him.”
This was everything they’d wanted and more. Except it felt too good to be true. TJ kept talking. “Why are you reaching out now?”
“Because I know you’re DEA and your cover’s burned. The only way to protect yourself is to take him down before his people get you. I can help.”
Fuck. Word traveled fast. And his take on the situation wasn’t wrong. “What’s the favor?”
“Federal protection.”
“You’d need to talk to the Feds about that.”
“I’d rather deal with you.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I don’t trust anyone else, and I’m on a tight timeline. Leandro knows his personal files were copied. It’s only a matter of time before he finds out it was me. And he’s got his falcons out looking for you right now.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because one of them just asked me about you. I threw him off your trail, but it’s only going to buy you a little time.”
TJ looked over at the closed bedroom door. He thought of Bristol asleep in there, oblivious of the mounting danger.
Oblivious that he was a threat to her.
This building should be secure enough for her if he left. For now, anyway. “What kind of deal are you looking for?” He had no reason to trust this guy. But this might be the only way to salvage this entire operation. And, if they got really lucky, to take Leandro down.
That was the only real way to make sure Bristol was safe, and maybe even save himself.
“Immunity and a new identity. The Feds offered me WITSEC before, but I turned it down. Timing wasn’t right.”
“What intel do you have?” he pressed.
“Digital files full of blackmail material on his rivals. As well as evidence showing what Leandro’s been up to with another lieutenant’s wife.”
Oh, shit. Yeah, this guy getting his hands on all that could definitely get him killed if Leandro ever found out. “What evidence?”
“Text messages. Video . Along with other evidence directly linking Leandro to recent shipments in the Pacific Northwest, and several murders.”
All of that should be more than enough to put him away—if it was legit. “To qualify for federal protection, you’d have to turn all that over, cooperate fully with investigators from various agencies, and testify against him if it went to trial. That would be the minimum for any sort of deal. And going into WITSEC means giving up everything and everyone in your life, starting over.”
“I’m aware. But I’m not going into WITSEC until my family’s brought up from Mexico and set up here.”
“You know the Feds could use that leverage against you.”
“Yeah, but I want Leandro taken down as bad as they do. And like I said, I’m short on time.”
If Leandro knew the files had been copied, he would have people hunting the person responsible. From the sounds of it, the countdown had already begun. “If I can get the Feds to sign off on a deal, you’ll send me the evidence?”
“No. I’ll only give it to you in person. Just you, no one else. Then I’ll turn myself in, on the condition that my family is guaranteed safe transport and citizenship in the US. I won’t cooperate further until that happens.”
It was a tall order. There were so many things that could go wrong with that plan. And there was also a good chance that this whole thing could be an elaborate setup. “Let me see what I can do. I’ll contact you from this number as soon as I have an answer.”
“Fair warning—if you try to fuck me over, I’m gone. And you’ll be dead.”
The threat was real. It was possible this guy could track his location using this call and report it to a falcon or enforcer.
The sooner he got Bristol away from him, the better.
“Understood. I’ll be in touch soon.” He ended the call and took the battery out of his phone, even though it might be too late to stop the guy from tracking him. Taking another burner from his bag, he immediately dialed his handler.
“Morning,” Diana answered. “You both still secure in the condo?”
“Yeah, but I just had an interesting conversation with the asset connected to Jordan Leandro.”
“Did you? Do tell.”
He explained everything. “He’ll only meet in person. Just with me.”
“Do you have a name for me?”
“No, but it’s him. I recognized his voice. He used a burner.”
“Of course.” Her interest was clear. “Where does he want to meet?”
“He didn’t say, but this has to happen fast. I told him I’d contact him once I had an answer about a protection deal.”
“I’ll contact my person at the FBI and find out what we can offer him.”
“No bullshit. He’ll see right through it, and if he bolts, he’s gone.” Either because he disappeared somewhere off the radar or one of Leandro’s enforcers got him. “He also confirmed that Leandro has falcons out looking for me.” His gaze strayed to the bedroom door. “Bristol needs out of here ASAP.”
“Agreed. I’ll call my people, make it clear this guy is priority for us. What do you want to do about Bristol?”
“I need you to arrange for CPS to pick her up here and take her to a new secure location. I can’t leave her without protection.” It was safest for her to be away from him, at an undisclosed site he didn’t know about. When he walked out that door, he wouldn’t be coming back. And if he was captured, this way he wouldn’t be able to give up her location even if they tried to torture it out of him.
Leandro was fanatical, wouldn’t risk leaving any loose ends. Bristol would only be safe once he was eliminated.
“All right. Give me some time to see what I can do. I’ll get back to you as soon as I have an answer,” Diana said.
“How soon?”
“Soon as I can.”
He set the phone down on the countertop. Forced himself to eat the cold toast he no longer wanted. The coffee was almost finished brewing, but he didn’t want that either. He wanted...
His gaze strayed back to the closed bedroom door, and his whole body tightened with renewed urgency. He should just let her sleep. It would be kinder and easier for them both if he just slipped out and went to the meeting without seeing her. Cleaner that way.
Then he heard the faint sound of water rushing through the pipes in the en suite bathroom. The shower was running.
An image of her standing naked beneath the flowing water filled his head. Rivulets of it sliding down her smooth skin, tracing her curves.
His resolve to keep his distance wavered. He’d made up his mind to leave, but right now everything in him was screaming at him to stay. To steal as much time left as he could with Bristol.
He walked over to the bedroom door. Stopped in front of it with his hand on the knob, telling himself not to go any farther. That he needed to walk away now.
But the need to see her, touch her one last time was like a living thing inside him.
He twisted the knob while his heart hammered in his ears, his whole chest burning with a raw hunger he couldn’t contain.
He caught a glimpse of rumpled sheets as his eyes swept past the bed to the bathroom. Faint wisps of steam floated out of the partially open door.
He pushed it open.
Bristol stood with her back to him, arms raised as she washed her hair. Her pose showed off the exquisite lines of her back, the muscles on either side of her spine that flowed all the way down to her rounded ass.
Her head snapped around, her hands still in her hair. Their gazes locked.
A powerful, territorial feeling coiled through his body.
His pulse continued to pound in his ears, all but drowning out the rush of the shower. Touching her again was dangerous. Like taking another hit of an illicit drug that he knew would turn him into an addict and maybe even kill him. He should leave.
Except he couldn’t. Seeing her like that, naked and only ten feet away, knowing he would have to leave her within the next hour...
There was no way in hell he could walk away without one last taste. Without one final chance to make her feel the same way he did.
Holding her gaze, he stripped off his clothes and pulled the glass door open to step inside the enclosure with her. Ready to claim the woman who had turned his world upside down and changed him forever.