28. Val
TWENTY-EIGHT
VAL
Fierce, protective Evan was a major part of his sex appeal, but the man in front of me was something more. Something unrestrained and aggressive.
Dangerous.
Evan stormed around his cabin, and rage poured through him as he fought for control. The tension in the cabin was palpable. I followed him to his bedroom as he grabbed a duffel from his closet and began shoving clothes inside.
“What are you doing? Where are you going?”
A large vein pulsed in his neck, and he spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m handling it.”
“You heard what Scott said— we’re handling it. Let the agents figure it out.”
He ignored me as he continued to throw items in his bag.
The calm, rational man I knew was nowhere to be found.
I stood my ground in his bedroom— our bedroom —as he seethed.
Evan disappeared into the closet, shoving storage boxes and clothing to the side.
A small black safe I didn’t know existed was nestled into the corner.
Evan pressed his thumb to the center pad and with a quiet beep beep and a green light, the small door swung open.
From the safe, Evan pulled a handgun. He didn’t look at me but checked the magazine before loading it.
“Whoa. What the hell, Evan?” My voice raised, and he finally looked at me.
“Parker found us. It’s time I go remind him who the fuck I am.”
A reminder. A criminal.
His eyes were hard. I took a step back. The funny, kindhearted, warm man I had fallen in love with had slipped behind a mask of blind fury. Crystal clear, I could see Evan Walker transform back into Evan Marino, Mafia criminal who would use brute force to get any job done.
His breathing was erratic as he moved through the cabin. He dragged his fingers through his hair. “Someone must have leaked it. How else would he have been able to locate us on a ranch in the middle of goddamn nowhere Montana?” His anger flowed over me, swallowing me whole.
I suppressed my uncertainty. I knew in my bones he would never hurt me, but I barely recognized the man in front of me. “Leaked it? Who would do that?”
“Anyone. Anyone looking for a payday. Someone gave us up.” He straightened and pinned me with a look. Tension pinched his shoulders back as he stared down on me. “You.”
I lifted my chin. “Me? What do you mean, me?”
“Have you talked to anyone in Chicago?”
Denial was on my lips when I recalled my conversation with my partner, Eric. The blood drained from my face. “I called my chief but he wasn’t there. My partner, Eric, got on the phone. He couldn’t believe it when I told him I’d been holed up in Montana.”
Evan reached me in two long strides. “You told him where we are?”
“No. Not exactly.” I moved to place my hand on his forearm, but he pulled back as though my touch would burn his skin.
“I didn’t give him any details. He doesn’t know anything about the ranch or what goes on here, just that I was halfway across the country and how different it’s been for me.
” My throat was dry, and every swallow felt like nails raking down the inside.
“Yeah, fucking great.” Evan tucked the pistol into the back of his jeans. “You told him where we were. You gave us up.”
My eyes went wide. When I’d talked with Eric, I’d joked about the nothingness of the ranch and how someone like me, someone who’d never been exposed to rural living, was practically limping my way through the day-to-day.
I searched through my memory. I had mentioned the ranch in nonspecific terms and lamented crappy takeout from Uncle Mao’s—but that was before. Before meeting Evan changed everything.
He stood in front of me, breathing hard. He closed his eyes. “Val.” It was clear he was warring with himself. “Move.”
I raised both hands in the air. “Eric isn’t a great cop, but he’s not dirty.”
“All cops are dirty!” Evan threw his arm in the air toward me, clearly lumping me together with that statement, painting all police officers with broad strokes of contempt and mistrust.
Anger bubbled inside me. “How dare you. I’ve done nothing but stay here and try to help. To protect you ! ”
Realization dawned on him as the words tumbled from my lips. “That’s what you meant by we , isn’t it?”
My brows drew together.
“Earlier when you said ‘we’re handling it.’ You’re not just helping. You’re working.”
My mouth popped open, but no sound would come out.
I’d had every intention of telling Evan about the deal I’d made with Agent Walsh.
Once the threat was gone, I was going to tell him everything.
The pain that crossed his face was a brand on my heart.
I lowered my shoulders and fought the tears that choked my voice.
“Evan, I passed my evaluation weeks ago. Special Agent Walsh and I worked it out that I could remain here on the ranch. My job was to quietly gather any information if it were pertinent to the investigation, but, overall, to help keep you and Gemma safe.”
“You’ve been lying.”
“No, I ...” I took one step forward, but the fire in his eyes stopped me.
Evan’s voice was cold and hard. “No, I get it. You’ve got your big promotion, and wouldn’t it look great if you helped save the day. Close a big case.”
He moved to walk past me, and I finally found my voice. “Do not walk out that door.”
“I’m leaving. You can arrest me, or you can get the fuck out of my way.” The door slammed behind him and echoed in the hollow of my bones.
I stood in stunned silence. The metal door to Evan’s truck banged closed, and through the window, I watched his truck tear down the dirt road, kicking up dust in his wake.
The last hour was a blur of chaos and heartbreak.
The bone-chilling fear in Gemma’s eyes was familiar—it was the same wild-eyed, frantic expression I’d seen on the faces of gunshot victims. Women who’d suffered abuse.
Children abandoned by their parents. It was a look of pure terror that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.
Fear rattled Gemma to the core, and she’d been inconsolable.
Gemma was certain Parker was in town, and I prayed the marshals would find him before Evan did something epically stupid to get himself hurt, or worse. I had to move, to do something other than recall the way Evan’s blue eyes had turned dark and hard.
Unease snaked through me. He’d slipped so easily into someone I barely recognized. All his warmth was zapped from his body, and only his cold, hard exterior remained.
But under all the anger and determination was something he couldn’t hide from me.
Panic .
Evan was truly afraid, and he’d lashed out because of it.
In the echoing silence of the cabin, I wasn’t feeling as confident in my decision to strike a deal with Agent Walsh.
I hustled toward the lodge. If Evan thought he could hurl himself headfirst into the fray without backup, he was wrong.
I didn’t care how hardheaded he was—there were plenty of people in his corner now.
I gathered my resolve and made my way back to the lodge. Inside, Gemma was curled on the couch, her legs tucked under her and the wool blanket high under her chin. Scotty hovered over her, two fingers touching the slope of her shoulder as they spoke. She nodded once, fighting back tears.
I walked into the center of the room and cleared my throat. “We’ve got a problem.” My thoughts warred against each other. My instincts were screaming at me to tell everyone that Evan had left in search of his brother—gather backup and haul ass out of there to help him.
Your gut told you to stay and look at the mess you’ve made with him.
Uncertainty clouded my thoughts. I wasn’t one to stress over difficult decisions. In the past I’d always listened to my intuition, and it had always, always worked out. This was different. I couldn’t separate my head from my heart, and it made everything seem unclear.
Ma stepped up. “What is it, Val?”
I stalled. I didn’t know if telling her Evan had left with a gun in search of Parker would get him in more trouble. I searched her face. Ma’s kind eyes were looking at me expectantly, her mouth in a firm line. The rest of the agents turned toward me, ready to leap into action.
These people care about him. They’re his family.
“Evan is about to do something reckless.”