Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Adriana leaned against the side of her Tahoe as Knox locked his Suburban. They’d taken separate vehicles to the FBI office. It was already eleven at night, so she wasn’t sure how much they’d accomplish, but they couldn’t exactly sleep with a shooter out there.
“Why aren’t your friends here? Don’t you always travel in a pack?” Her lips teased into a grin, and his mouth tipped into a smile at her words.
“We’re not wolves.” He looked heavenward.
“I don’t see the moon right now, but I doubt it’s a full one.
” He winked. “Anyway, the boys are back at the hotel for now. More coming tomorrow.” He tucked his keys into his pocket and positioned himself in front of her.
So close a hint of his cologne mingled with the night air and touched her nose.
An aquatic scent. Probably Nautica, his go-to in the summer.
“And why are you waiting for me when the rest of your people are in the building?” He cocked his head, the smile still resting on his face like he could keep it there forever for her.
“You’re a slow driver. Someone had to wait for you.” She pushed away from her ride, but he didn’t step back at the proximity.
“Funny.”
They needed to go inside. To do anything other than stand face-to-face in the parking lot as her thoughts about his so-called “other life” begged to slip free.
She’d managed to keep the questions mostly at bay for years, but if they were going to work together, she was now part of that world he’d kept from her.
She needed to know if he’d let her in or try and keep her on the sidelines out of some moral gotta-protect-you code of his.
She didn’t want it to be business as usual.
Not now. Not with his father’s life on the line.
A shooter on the loose in the Queen City.
“Is this going to be a problem? Us working together?”
“Of course,” he rushed out, which wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
“I don’t mean because of your crazy need to keep me safe.” She had to stand her ground. “Because your friends are here, and you finally brought us together, and I’m worried about how this whole us-working-together thing might go. I still don’t even know why the hell you’ve kept them from me, but—”
“We’re scattered all over the place, and it was the first time we were all together for a non-work-related purpose.” He reached over her shoulder and propped a hand on the Tahoe, which forced her to shift a step back, so her body was flush with the SUV once again.
“Don’t lie.” It hurt too much. Maybe that’s why she’d never asked him.
She didn’t want to force him to lie to her, and for some reason, she knew he’d have to.
“Parties. Weddings. You guys have all hung out socially before.” She’d heard about it from some of the guys’ wives at the barbecue last weekend when she’d met everyone.
“Only Teamguys and their families have ever gone to any of those events.”
“I’m not family?” Maybe she’d rather him lie. Those words were like a cold bucket of water over her head on an already freezing day.
“I didn’t mean it like that. You’re everything to me, and you know that.”
Everything as long as they remained in the tight world they’d created. Their safe haven. But were they playing make-believe all that time by ignoring the very real fact he had a whole other life he kept from her?
“Before there became an Emily and Liam, she was still included.” She had ammunition to use in her defense now that she’d met some of the wives. Using it didn’t make her feel any better, though. Worse, maybe.
He shoved away from the vehicle. “Why’d they tell you this?”
“They didn’t,” she admitted. “I overheard them talking. They were wondering why I hadn’t ever come to a get-together before.”
“Jesus. I’m sorry.” There was more he wanted to say. She could see it. Feel it. Even read between the lines. But would he say it?
“I’m not upset about that.” It had more to do with the fact she’d felt left out from whatever truth the spouses all seemed to know.
“They were curious, and they couldn’t exactly ask me.
” She wet her lips. “I should’ve brought this up right after the barbecue and not now of all times.
” God, she was going to tell him what was on her mind tonight of all nights, wasn’t she?
“You’ve been keeping this whole other life from me, and I . . .”
He stepped closer and seized her face with both palms as if he were going to whisper sweet words of love and affection. But he simply stared at her.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Addy.” His eyes closed when he said, “Maybe I kept you away from them because I wanted you all to myself.” He took a breath, and his lids lifted. “When I’m with you, there’s this me. And when I’m with them, there’s that me. And I—”
“There only has to be one you,” she protested, wishing he understood he had nothing to hide from her. “You don’t have to be someone else when you’re with me. How can you not get that?”
She understood he compartmentalized when he was in the Navy, but he was a civilian now. His job at Scott & Scott wasn’t as dangerous. It didn’t make sense. It never did. And yet, she’d refused to try and understand out of some ridiculous fear she’d somehow lose him.
He lost his hold of her to turn his back.
Shoulders sloped down. Defeat she rarely saw in the lines of his body.
“We don’t need to talk about this now. I’m sorry. As long as we’re on the same page about the case—”
“We are,” he responded.
“So, are you and the president friends? How’d you even get assigned to the case?” She’d meant it as a joke, but when he faced her, there was something in the tight draw of his lips, the narrowing of his gaze, that told her it was true.
She jogged through her memories, pausing at the night he’d announced he was leaving the Navy. He’d said Luke had an in with the president and could help get him out of the SEALs early.
“My office has access to some technology even the bureau doesn’t have, and we’ll be able to help,” he explained, his voice even-toned, but it was as if he were fighting to keep it that way.
“What kind of tech could you have that the Secret Service doesn’t?” she asked, knowing she was taking the bait to guide her away from whatever truth he couldn’t seem to share with her.
Calloway’s head poked out the front door, and he waved them in. “You two coming or what?”
Great.
“Do I really need to work with him?” Knox seized the opportunity to shift the conversation. The man had skills when it came to the art of deflection.
She held a finger up Calloway’s way. “One sec!” She faced Knox once Calloway shut the door. “He’s not that bad.”
“He only wanted to date you to get into your pants. You and I both know it.”
“At least he tried.”
“What?”
Damn it. “Nothing.”
She flipped her eyes to the sky in search of her star. The star Knox had pointed to the night her mother had died and said, “She’s there. Already watching over you.”
“Maybe I can’t work with you. You might be a distraction,” she admitted when her eyes returned to his. You already are, and I just got here.
“Since when am I a distraction for you?”
“Since when are you not?” She turned and started for the building, regretting she’d even waited for him.
When she pulled open the door, she realized Knox hadn’t followed her.
His phone was pressed to his ear, and he was leaning against the side of her SUV.
“She’s taken,” he’d said, almost immediately when introducing her to his work buddies at the barbecue last weekend. He didn’t want her, but he didn’t seem to want her with anyone else, either.
“Don’t say a word,” she said to Calloway once she was inside the building. He’d been the only one who’d stayed back and waited for her, and he’d probably observed her exchange with Knox through the window. Lovely. “We’re only friends,” she said after they’d gone through security.
“Sure, and I’m a priest.”
“You’d look good in the robes,” she teased as they waited for the elevator doors to open.
“Priesthood would never work for me.”
She didn’t need to hear more to read between the lines of what he was trying to say. She kept her mouth shut on the ride up, replaying her conversation with Knox.
His parents had almost taken a bullet today, and she needed to focus on catching the shooter.
Rodriguez spotted them after they exited the elevator, and he flicked his wrist, beckoning them.
They navigated through the maze of desks and agents still working. From what she could tell, most of the so-called bigwigs Rodriguez had been worried about weren’t there, though. Probably already asleep.
“This is Special Agent Quinn,” Rodriguez made the introduction when she reached him. About the same age as Adriana. Same pantsuit and tight ponytail as well.
“Hi.” Adriana shook her hand. It was nice to see another woman on the case.
“Thanks for coming,” Quinn said. “If you two could take a look at all of the latest threats the Bennetts have received that’d help us out.”
“Didn’t his bodyguards check those out before the rally today?” Calloway asked.
“Yeah, but maybe they missed something,” Quinn answered and motioned for them to follow her into a conference room.
“Any leads on Sarah Reardon?” Knox’s deep, husky voice from behind had the hairs on the back of her neck rising.
“Ah, you again,” Quinn said, facing him, a smile in her eyes. “Where are your friends? Hopefully not getting into any trouble.”
“They wouldn’t dream of it.” Knox flashed his dazzling smile, his white teeth showing. Dimples popping. His mood now different from the parking lot. Probably an act.
“And who is Sarah?” She hated that Knox knew more about the case than she did.