Chapter 15
It turned out that Remy Aguire, Elena’s partner and lover called in time for the feds to have someone watching Tanya Peal’s office. He made the claim that Dane used his connection with Elena to interfere in their operation.
Now at the jail once again, they all sat in a room. Dane, Shana, Elena and Joe. They all looked up when Kimble walked in.
Kimble looked at them and said, “Richards and Philimino are waiting in the hall. We only have a few minutes. I want to know what the hell happened. How did the feds know where you were?” She looked to Dane for the answer, but Elena spoke up.
“I swear I didn’t know Remy was setting Dane up.”
They both knew it was jealousy, but Dane didn’t bother saying it out loud. Because he knew she’d probably instigated the jealousy. She always liked to have control, the upper hand. Too much.
“You lying—“ Shana said.
“I’m not the liar here,” Elena said.
Dane would have intervened, but Kimble got in Elena’s face.
“Because of you—the only one here who I understand the FBI is not arresting—my clients are in jeopardy. Don’t say a word unless I ask you specifically.”
“Elena came to us and asked to join our operation. She said we could work together. Never did she ask us to stand down. She set us up.” Dane paused and looked Elena in the eye. “Either that or her partner betrayed her.”
“He’s a better partner than you ever were. He trusts me.”
“Which is it Elena? Did he set me up without you knowing about it, or does he trust you? You can’t have it both ways.”
“Damn you. It was his idea. I didn’t want to do it. I thought I’d talked him out of it.”
“You bitch,” Shana hissed and lunged at her. Peter and Joe both caught her as Elena jumped back. But not before Shana had grabbed onto a fistful of hair and pulled it out.
Elena screamed, holding her head and turning.
This time it was Dane’s turn to intervene.
He grabbed Elena by the wrist and pulled her away with a powerful tug, knocking her off balance and back into him.
Tears streamed down her face, her beautiful face, with those dark treacherous eyes.
Hot rage passed through him like a flash fire, leaving behind cold indifference as he pushed her away from him.
He turned his back on her, feeling nothing.
Feeling like all the questions had been answered and wondering why it had taken so long, how he’d let himself be so blind.
He went to Shana and hugged her, enveloped her, even as she seethed on his behalf, breathing hard and wild eyed.
This was Shana the beautiful at her best, protector of those she loved, right or wrong, no holds barred.
He held her tight because she was strong especially when she was in wonder woman mode.
But he knew how to calm her, whispering in her ear.
Peter straightened everything out when Dane refused to give them intel, using their new-found knowledge of Owen Evan’s secret.
In the end, Dane agreed that Peter could pass the intel on and allow Evans to make the arrest without Mark Richards.
They came to an understanding that the Boston office of the FBI owed Dane Blaise big time.
Joe tagged along with the feds at Peter’s insistence to be in on the arrest, to make sure the arrest was made by the book and no one got off.
Dane stepped outside the Cape Cod house that had been disfigured into state police headquarters one more time. He swore to himself it would be the last. For a very long time. Fully aware that it meant he wouldn’t be visiting with Cap any time soon. That suited him.
Shana leaned into him. A twinge of concern rose to critical mass.
“How about if we take a ride to the doc’s office before going back to the Gable’s?”
She snapped her head up, looking as if he’d struck her.
“Is there something wrong?”
“With me? No. It’s you I’m worried about.”
If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she blushed before she turned away. But in the twilight of the evening he couldn’t swear to it and she laughed at him. It was a convincing laugh. Or maybe he wanted to be convinced. One more day.
They had one more day of the trial to get through and then he would get her to the doctor. Right after he got her to the church.