Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ty locked Lydia’s Telluride, then headed down the busy seaside path, looking for Nick, who would be sitting on one of the benches at the public access beach.
He shielded his eyes in the late-afternoon sunshine despite the sunglasses he wore, spotting a well-built balding man sipping on an iced tea, figuring that he was most likely his man.
The guy looked up, tossing him a wave as he stood.
Ty closed the distance between them, holding out his hand. “You must be Nick.”
Nick returned his handshake. “That’s me.”
“I’m Ty.”
“It’s nice to finally put a voice with the picture I’ve seen and the stranger I’ve been texting.”
Ty grinned as they both sat down, finding it hot as hell, even with the constant coastal breeze. “Thanks for being flexible with our meetup.”
Nick shrugged. “This was a good idea. Moving things out into the open. Things are crowded with the holiday. The last thing we need is the wrong person overhearing what we say.”
Ty nodded, knowing that Nick’s reputation in the New York office was solid—that he was thorough and a hell of a good agent. “Exactly.”
“So, how’s it going? We haven’t heard from you much.”
Ty shook his head. “I’ve got nothing, man. Ten days since our arrival, and there’s nothing.”
“That’s not what I want to hear,” Nick said as he scrubbed at his face. “Tell me about the workouts.”
Ty shrugged. “We lift weights and shoot the shit. Occasionally, the senator talks a little shop about what’s going on down in DC, or Will mentions something about his job.
They both ask me random questions about myself because they want to know who’s dating Lydia, but none of it has anything to do with Russo.
” He studied his new view of the Atlantic—this one entirely different from what he was used to on the Monroe Estate.
“What about you guys? You haven’t gotten anything new over the last few days? ”
Nick shook his head this time. “Will and Russo haven’t been seen together since the last pictures that were taken at The Tap Room weeks ago. We’ve followed the senator while he’s been back in town, and he’s either at the office or with the missus, doing meet and greets throughout the state.”
Ty sighed. “Maybe there’s nothing here.” Which was what Lydia had been saying all along.
Nick shrugged. “All I know for sure is that the brass is up Danny’s ass, which means he’s up mine. They want something.”
“And I wish I had something substantial to share, but at this point, I can tell you that Will orders the same fucking cheeseburger or salad when he drops by The Tap Room once or twice a week. I doubt the brass wants me wasting anyone’s time filling out an F-302 for that.”
Nick shook his head again. “He hasn’t even been doing that—eating at The Tap Room.
When he gets to the office, he stays there.
Eventually, he heads home.” Nick sipped at his iced tea again.
“Have you at least gotten an official confirmation on whether the senator’s putting his hat in the ring for the presidency? ”
Ty shook his head. “Nothing’s been confirmed definitively.
” And if that wasn’t entirely true, it didn’t matter.
Currently, whether James did or didn’t run for president was irrelevant to the case.
If something developed and that changed, he would let them know.
Otherwise, he was keeping the Monroes’ secret because Lydia had asked him to.
“How are things going with you and Ms. Monroe? Danny shared the setup for this operation. It sounds… interesting.”
Ty grinned. “It’s going. I trust her. She trusts me. I’d say we’ve achieved a genuine friendship that makes it work.”
“I know Danny had a few concerns.”
Ty nodded. “He’s mentioned them.”
“You and Ms. Monroe spend your days and nights together. It can’t be easy to maintain your objectivity. She’s a beautiful woman.”
Ty shrugged, finding himself annoyed that the topic kept coming up—that it always boiled down to Lydia and her exceptional looks. “Would we be having this conversation if she were ugly?”
Nick looked at him. “I’m just doing my job, man.”
He nodded because he knew that was true.
“I know where the line is. I told Danny that, and now I’m telling you.
We’re keeping things friendly but professional.
” If he and Lydia regularly held hands and hung out on the couch together at night, that was no one’s business but their own.
He and Lydia did what worked for them. That was all that the brass needed to know.
Nick scrubbed at his face again. “No one’s going to be happy that we’re batting zero. Now that you’re in play, they’re expecting results.”
“And I’m doing what I can. I work out with them every morning. I sit at the same table with them every time there’s a family dinner. I went to Monroe House with Lydia yesterday and worked a shift. I’m fucking training Marietta Monroe three times a week.”
“Yeah.” Nick sighed. “There’s talk that if we don’t start developing something in the next week or two, they’re shutting this down, especially since the senator, his wife, and his mother are leaving until the next recess. No one’s interested in wasting resources on a wild goose chase.”
And the idea of getting pulled was a double-edged sword.
He didn’t want to say goodbye to Lydia, but the more he got to know the Monroes, the more he didn’t want to find evidence of improprieties.
“We’re heading to a Fourth of July party shortly.
” He glanced at his watch, realizing that Lydia had probably already headed over.
“It’s down the beach at one of the neighbors’ houses. Maybe Russo will turn up.”
“Let’s fucking hope so because the pressure’s officially on. I’m already not looking forward to my call with Danny.”
Ty shrugged. “Short of me coming out and asking them point-blank, you guys are going to have to take a deep breath.”
Nick huffed out a humorless laugh. “I’ll tell him you said so.”
“Look, man. We both know that the pieces have to fall into place organically. Otherwise, I’m going to come off as pushy and suspicious. Let me do what I do—the right way—and we’ll see what we can shake from the tree.”
Nick nodded. “I’ll let you get back to it. Sitting here with me isn’t doing our case any good.”
“I’ll let you know if anything changes.” He stood, eager to get back to the compound and to Lydia. If everything stayed as it was now, his days in Massachusetts were numbered.
Lydia sat on a blanket in the sand, glancing toward the compound again, hoping that Ty would be back to join them soon.
He’d been gone for close to two hours, which seemed like a long time, but when it came to the FBI and contact agent meetings, she had no idea whether that time frame was normal or concerning.
Staring back out at the water, she tried to relax with the music and laughter of the summer party surrounding her, smiling as Will built a sandcastle with Everly in the wetter sand closer to the waves while Mac fed Maverick and chatted with Asher under the umbrella next to her.
She looked toward the compound again and rushed to her feet in her black bikini and white mini cover-up dress when she spotted Ty moving their way in his black swim trunks and sunglasses, carrying a shirt.
“He’s back,” she said to Mac, then hurried his way, paying little attention to how amazing his muscles looked glistening in the sunshine when she could tell by the set of his shoulders that whatever had happened wasn’t good.
He grinned as she closed the distance between them, hooking his arm around her waist. “Hey, you.”
She smiled back. “Hi.”
“I like your dress.”
“Thanks,” she said, caring little about what she was wearing.
“Do you want to walk?”
She nodded, wrapping her arm around his waist as they started moving down the beach. “Is everything okay? Did things go all right?”
He shrugged. “They’re getting impatient.”
“Who?”
“The big bosses.”
“And that means what, exactly?”
He shrugged again. “It means that I’m officially on an unofficial clock.”
Her gaze whipped to his. “They’re going to take you off the case?”
He nodded. “If something doesn’t pop up.”
“Oh,” she said, staring at the sand as they kept a slow pace. “Oh,” she said again as all of this took her by complete surprise.
“This is a good thing, Lyd.”
She nodded as she kept her eyes focused on the beach because it didn’t feel like a good thing.
He stopped their walk, nudging at her chin with his finger until she looked at him. “This is exactly what you wanted. It’s what we’ve both wanted for you and your family.”
She nodded again, forcing a smile as she stared at his handsome face. Not all that long ago, she would have done just about anything to get him out of her life. Now, she hated the idea of him leaving. “When will you go?”
“It’s hard to say. Probably sometime in the next couple of weeks.”
They were down to a mere few days together, but she nodded again. “Okay.”
He tugged her closer, sliding his palms up and down the sides of her waist. “Let’s enjoy the party. We’ll have some fun with your family before they leave tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she said again as she settled her hands on his shoulders, trying to find an iota of enthusiasm for the night ahead.
He looked toward the Donahues’ large estate, where dozens of people conversed on the wraparound deck. “It smells like someone’s cooking a hell of a feast on the grill.”
She nodded. “I think there are steaks, burgers, hot dogs, and seafood. There’s usually all kinds of stuff.”
He hooked his arm around her shoulders as they started moving again. “Do you want to grab something to eat?”
“Sure,” she said, even when she had no appetite.
He stopped abruptly.
She frowned as she looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I just had an idea. A great idea, actually.”
“What’s that?” And then she gasped as he dropped his shirt and scooped her into his arms. “What are you doing?”
He grinned as he hurried toward the water. “I’m taking you for a dip, baby.”
Her eyes grew wide as they moved closer to the waves. “Ty, the water’s cold.”
He shrugged. “We can handle it.”
She grinned, even as she adamantly shook her head. “It’s really brisk, even in the summer.”
He moved into the rush of water anyway—past his knees, then his thighs and hips, laughing when she screamed as the water crashed into them.
“Ty!”
He laughed harder as they held each other’s gaze through the lenses of their glasses. “I thought you loved to swim.”
She gripped her arms tighter around him when the next icy wave slammed into them. “In the temperature-controlled pool.”
“Aw, where’s your sense of adventure, Lyd?”
“I’ll let you know when I’m not hypothermic.”
He let loose another laugh.
She gave in to her chuckle as she shook her head. “How do I end up in these situations with you? Dancing on the highway. Shivering in the Atlantic.”
“I guess you’re just lucky.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Are you too cold?”
She shook her head again. “It’s not quite as bad as I thought it would be.”
“That’s because it’s hot as fuck.”
She nodded as more water rushed over them. “It’s pretty perfect for the Fourth of July.”
“Do you want to get out? We could help Everly with her sandcastle before we grab some dinner.”
She grinned as she nodded, loving everything about her summer with Ty. “Sure.”
Ty stood on the Donahues’ deck as the sun inched closer to the horizon. His belly was full after an excellent meal, and he currently sipped on a Corona with lime while he chatted with James and one of James’s bigwig Massachusetts friends.
His gaze occasionally scanned the crowd as he watched Will peek at his phone from time to time while he sat next to his wife and son on one of the couches as Everly slept on his shoulder. He also kept his eye out for Richard Russo, but the guy had never shown up, which had been a long shot anyway.
“Ty’s going to take me on as one of his virtual clients,” James said, pulling him back into the conversation.
Ty nodded. “Absolutely. You figure out what works for your schedule, and we’ll check in whenever you want. I told Marietta the same thing.”
James nodded. “I’ll look at my calendar when we get back tomorrow. I’m sure my mother already has.”
Ty smiled when arms suddenly wrapped around his waist from behind, and Lydia’s floral and vanilla scent surrounded him as she rested her cheek against his back.
“Hey, baby,” he said as he pulled her against his side, hooking his arm around her shoulders as he kissed the top of her head.
Long ago, they’d both taken showers, washing off the sunblock, saltwater, and sand. Now he wore khaki shorts and a blue linen button-down while Lydia stood next to him in a strapless navy romper that looked fantastic.
“Hi.” She smiled up at him. “I know I’m being rude, but come watch the fireworks with me.”
He winked. “You’ve got it.”
“I guess I’ll see you kids tomorrow,” James said.
“We’ll see you at breakfast,” Lydia called as she moved them toward the stairs and the beach. “They’re going to start soon,” she told Ty. “I set up a blanket for us farther down on the sand.”
“Sounds good,” he said, trying to remember the last time he’d bothered to watch the fireworks.
Probably six or seven years ago. Usually, he passed on the occasion.
The traffic was always a mess, and there was always another case to work on, but tonight, he got to celebrate the nation’s birthday with a beautiful woman.
His beautiful woman for the next week or two, even if the whole thing was bullshit.
“Right here,” she said, stopping next to the blanket away from the crowd.
He sat down, happy that Lydia snuggled herself in the V of his thighs like she did every night.
She looked back at him. “Is this okay?”
He nodded, wrapping her up, feeling her soft skin against his and her silky hair touching his cheek. “I’d say it’s perfect.”
“We need a picture.” She held up her phone, framing them in the shot as the first firework exploded, casting them in a blue tint as they both grinned.
He looked at the picture as she did. “I think this one’s my second favorite out of everything that we’ve taken.”
She nodded as she turned slightly between his thighs. “I’ll send it to you.” She attached it to a text, sending it to his phone. “There you go.”
“Thanks.”
She nodded as she smiled at him, holding his gaze as another firework exploded—a group of white and gold that filled the sky, accentuating her stunning face. Her eyes left his, darting to his mouth in the next wash of color before they met his again.
He clenched his jaw, wanting nothing more than to close the distance between them and press his lips to hers—to taste her again. But he couldn’t because he damn well knew that kissing Lydia right now would have nothing to do with the case, and that couldn’t happen.
Stroking his knuckles along her jaw, he winked. “Snuggle up with me, Lyd.”
She nodded as she settled back against him.
He exhaled a long breath as he wrapped her up in his arms, nestling his cheek against hers—the best he could do when he craved so much more.