“Ranger to base, we’re breaching a locked steel door, stand by.”
The pounding of a ram slamming into the door several times is followed by the clang of it bursting open, and soon after, I hear the sounds of boots on stairs.
Why would he have a locked steel door, if it doesn’t lead to something he doesn’t want anyone finding? But what if that something isn’t what I’m expecting? I close my eyes, doubt creeping in as it always does.
What if it’s drugs? Or a sex dungeon full of whips and chains but cleared of people? What if this was all for nothing, and his victims are being hidden somewhere else?
“Ranger to base, we need a medical team, stat. We’ve got at least twenty kids in here, maybe more.”
I let out the breath I was holding, and Logan finally moves, putting his hands on top of his head as we all continue listening.
Tears prick at my eyes as I hear little voices in the background over the radio. A supervising agent in the Chicago office gives the order for Shields to be arrested by the other team standing by. We wait in absolute silence again until the radio message comes across that Shields was arrested at his Chicago office without incident.
And finally, I can breathe again. It’s going to take a lot of time for this case to work its way through the courts, and things will be stickier with the compound being located outside the United States.
But whether or not Shields is convicted, we stopped him. The children he was using for his sick sex trafficking operation will be safe now. I want it all—a conviction, his public humiliation, the rest of his life spent behind bars, but getting the kids to safety is the most important part.
There are sighs of relief and handshakes all around the room as the tension unwinds. Logan looks over at me and Jonah and gives us a thumbs-up and a smile.
My boss, Angela, comes over to shake my hand, smiling wide. “Great work, Agent Diaz.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
She extends a hand to Jonah. “And Mr. West, thank you for all your help on this case. Agent Diaz told me she couldn’t have done it without you.”
Jonah smiles at me and says, “I bet she would’ve found a way. But I’m glad I could help.”
“How about a week off to recoup before your next assignment?” Angela asks me. “I know you usually like to move from one job right to the next, but with this one, I thought you might have some loose ends to tie up.”
She looks down at my hand, still entwined with Jonah’s, and smiles. As she walks away, Jonah leans into me and says, “She looks freakishly like Angela Bassett.”
“I know, right? And her name is Angela, too.”
“Really?”
“Yep. But call her Special Agent Moore if you address her. I only call her Angela when we aren’t working, and even then it feels weird for me.”
Logan comes over to embrace us both. “Job well done, guys.”
“You too,” I tell him. “This was a team effort.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t have to make nice with that son of a bitch,” Jonah mutters.
“Hey, you want to go get lunch?” Logan asks us.
“Yeah, sounds good,” Jonah says, looking at me. “You want to?”
“I wish I could, but I have a lot of paperwork to do here. You guys go ahead.”
I let go of his hand, and my heart tugs with sadness. It’s not just his hand I’m letting go of. It’s everything. Us. The inside jokes and late-night phone calls while he’s on the road. The killer sex and intense looks between us. The way he makes me feel like everything about me is exactly right.
Jonah’s gaze is just as hungry when I’m wearing sweats and a T-shirt as it is when I’m glammed up like the beauty writer I was supposed to be. He always chooses restaurants he thinks I’ll like. And he looks out for me. I’ve always prided myself on not needing anyone to look out for me, but I’ve realized something with Jonah—just because I don’t need it doesn’t mean I don’t want it or deserve it.
“Are we okay to talk freely outside of here?” Jonah asks me.
I nod and say, “When we’re alone we can. But we need to stay completely buttoned up around other people. Because of the trial and all, we won’t be able to tell anyone the whole story for a long time.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I just figured maybe…we should talk later. Want to come by my place?”
“Sure, what time?”
He looks at his watch. “I have to go work out and do some drills to make up for missing practice. Is 6:00 okay?”
“Yes, I’ll see you then.”
It’s become our habit to kiss each other goodbye. But now that our fake relationship is officially over, neither of us seems to know what to do. I put up a hand in an awkward wave and Jonah just says, “See you tonight.”
I smile, but inside I’m anything but happy. I’m the worst at intimacy. Other than this fake relationship with Jonah, the most serious relationship I’ve ever had is with my job, which is very important to me. What does that say about me?
All I can do at this point is enjoy the extra time Angela gave me to wrap things up here before my next assignment. Jonah may be the best man I’ve ever been close to, but I have to move on to the next case, so this is the end for us.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jonah
Kit drops his barbell to the floor after a set of deadlifts, blowing out a breath as he rolls his shoulders to stretch them. I nod at him as I walk over to a stair climber machine in our team training room to warm up.
“Hey, man,” he says, following me to the machine.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Why’d you miss practice this morning?”
“I had a thing.”
He pulls up his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face and quips, “Dick enlargement procedure?”
“Yeah, it’s just never big enough for your mom.”
My heart’s not really into trading jabs today. Rey and I are over, and she’s leaving. I could tell today with the awkward way we said goodbye. I knew it would hurt when the time came, but it’s even worse than I thought it would be. I’m at a loss.
I didn’t see her coming, the outspoken Cuban beauty who can’t cook for shit and swears like a sailor stole my heart right out from under me. It’s like when a puck I can’t get my eyes on slides right between my legs and into the net.
It’s worse, actually. I lost Lily, the only woman I ever thought I’d love, and then love somehow found me once again and now I’m losing Rey, too.
Kit looks around the room to make sure no one can hear him, then leans over and asks in a low tone, “Did you hear about that high roller friend of Durand’s getting arrested?”
“What’d he do?” I ask, answering his question with a question so I don’t have to lie.
“Some fucking awful shit, dude. The cops found child porn on his computers and they went to search his place on some island and he had twenty-four kids locked in a dungeon that he was renting out to his pals as sex slaves.”
“Holy shit, are you serious?”
Kit nods. “Durand isn’t connected to all that, it sounds like, but he looked like he was about to be sick when I passed him upstairs earlier. Can you imagine finding out someone you know is actually that kind of monster?”