Like it or not, Ava was involved in this case somehow, and with their limited leads, he had to chase the ones that popped up. Dead ends were a part of the job—more often than not—but occasionally, there were those leads that panned out.
He could only pray Ava could convince her friend to reveal her father’s real name—or at least the name he used with Jesse Fields. The more they could find out about her father, the more they would find out about those he associated with—which might lead them to the killer. And if it took a trip to DC to do that, then he was okay with it. “Do you think this friend of yours could give us a list of aliases? See if any are missing from our list?”
“I think she probably could, but I doubt she would. I’m actually skeptical that she’ll tell me my father’s birth name.” She paused. “What if I’m wrong and this is just a wasted trip? Will your SAC be super mad at you for following the whims of a childhood friend?”
“No way. It’s not a whim. It’s a legitimate lead. Right now, those are few and far between. And if it turns out to be a dead end for the case, at the very least you have a nice visit with a lady you love.”
Her expression softened. “Yes, that’s true. Thank you, Caden.”
“Of course.”
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled to the curb of a home located in McLean, Virginia. A very nice home.
Ava blew out a low breath. “Well, I guess this is it.”
“Ava?”
“Yeah?”
“What exactly does your friend do at the CIA?”
She cut him a look from the corner of her eye. “Hmm?”
“Spill it.”
“He’s the director. John Sparks.”
Oh boy. Caden shut his eyes for a brief moment. Ava sat still. Quiet. He opened one eye and looked at her. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and kept her gaze on the house. He should have known. He knew her father was CIA, and she’d said the person she’d tried to get information from knew everything there was to know about her father, so . . . in hindsight, it made sense. “All right, then, let’s do this.”
She turned her eyes to him. “Are you sure? I really don’t mind if you want to sit this one out.”
“I’m sure.”
“Okay, but you’re not here as a fed, you’re here as a friend. Just follow my lead, will you?”
That would be an unfamiliar role. “I’ll try.”
“Cade . . .”
“All right, all right. You can introduce me as your boyfriend. That’s probably more believable than just a friend, right?” Her jaw swung open and he tapped it. She snapped it shut and let out a husky chuckle that washed over him in a way that set his nerves singing. He cleared his throat. “Ready?”
“No.”
“Oh. Why not?”
“Because we need to clarify something. She’ll never believe that you’re my boyfriend, because I don’t do the whole dating-slash-boyfriend thing—and she knows that.”
He blinked. “You don’t? But I remember you going out on dates.” And he hadn’t liked it at all, but since she’d never shown even a hint that she was interested in him—as an adult, not a flirty teen—he hadn’t pursued her. Much.
“First dates mostly. It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but I’ve rarely had a second date.” She paused. “Definitely never a third. If I had a third date with someone, I would probably wind up marrying him because that would be huge.”
Disbelief rendered him speechless. This time it was she who tapped his swinging jaw. Finally, he found his voice. “Now, wait a minute. I have a hard time believing that.”
“Well, it’s true.”
“But . . . why?”
She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Various reasons. Mostly because I wasn’t willing to give what most of them wanted. Other reasons include unwilling to be—” She swallowed and looked away.
He narrowed his eyes. “Be . . . ?”
“Vulnerable. Open. Honest. You know, all of those things that are kind of important when you want to build a relationship? I try, but I’m not very good at it because I’ve lived a lie—that included multiple sub-lies, if there is such a thing—since I was fifteen years old.”
Tears sparked in her eyes, surprising Caden. “Hey, it’s okay.” He could count on one hand the number of times he remembered seeing her cry.
She swiped a hand under her lashes. “It’s fine. Sorry. I must be more tired than I thought.”
“We don’t have to do this.”
“Yes,” she said, her voice low, “we do. I do. I want to help you figure out who’s killing these people, but if I’m honest, this is for me just as much. I want to know who my father is. Was. And who might be coming after me.”
“Right. I’m ready when you are.”
She climbed out of the car and waited for him to join her. Then linked her fingers with his. “Come on, boyfriend, maybe it’s time to let Julie think I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
Caden’s heart was the object that turned over, but he kept his surprise—and happiness—to himself and let her lead the way. With a mental note to learn more about why those first dates never morphed into seconds. Because he definitely wanted a second date—no, a third date.
Assuming he ever got a first one.
He smiled. He’d get a first date—and a third one.
Someway, somehow.
C
HAPTER
ELEVEN
Ava’s heart thundered in her chest as they approached the front door. Caden’s large hand tucked around hers boosted her courage like nothing else could have. And calling him “boyfriend” had sparked a gentle hope in her heart that she couldn’t ignore. What would it be like to let herself fall in love with Caden? If she was honest with herself, she’d concede that it wouldn’t be a lengthy fall. But even more intriguing was the question, What would it be like to let herself be loved by him?
Heat fired in her cheeks and she ducked her head to get her emotions under control. You don’t date for a reason. Think about something else.
But the fact was, her reason for not dating was gone. A fact that pierced her heart with sadness but allowed hope to filter through the cracks.
She took a deep breath.
While she and Julie talked on a regular basis, Ava had rarely dropped in on the woman unannounced. Only the fact that she’d been received with open arms the few times she’d done it allowed her to put one foot in front of the other.
She pressed the doorbell, then tapped her foot while she waited. She’d pace if Caden didn’t have a firm grip on her hand.
“You’re nervous,” he said.
“A little.”
“Should we abort?”
“No way.”
The door opened and Julie Sparks stood there. Her eyes lit up when she saw Ava. With a very proper squeal, she pulled Ava into a hug. “What are you doing here? I’m so glad to see you.” She released Ava from the embrace and slid her hands down to Ava’s, which forced Caden to release the one he’d been holding. “This is such a welcome surprise.” Her gaze landed on Caden. “And please, tell me who you’ve brought with you.”