Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“Are you going to say anything?” she cried. Tears covered her face, and I hated that I made her that way.
“Shawn had to die, and everyone needed to believe it. I couldn’t tell you in case someone was watching you. You were a credible witness to his death.”
It was also the end of an era for me. I’d semiretired from the bureau. My focus was on my family whether they knew it or not. It didn’t mean I was completely out. It meant I could choose my assignments. Also, Griffin offered me a partnership in his security business. I was still thinking about it.
Tayla reached up, and I thought she might slap me. Instead, she ran her hands through my newly dyed hair. Gone was the brown and the dye job was close to my natural blond.
“I hate you,” she said, yanking away from me and giving me her back.
“No, you don’t.”
I hadn’t meant to sound cocky as she spun and narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re dead to me. Remember?”
I glanced down. She had a point. I met her gaze again and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Matt. Nice to meet you.” I wanted more than everything to be Matt. Matt was worthy of Tayla. Shawn wasn’t.
She stepped forward. Her hand came out, but instead, I got the slap I’d been expecting earlier.
“Not nice to meet you. You broke into my apartment—”
I stopped her rant by cupping her face and kissing her. She melted against me immediately. Her soft skin and body were a lightning rod to my cock. I was insta hard and knew she could feel it.
When we finally came up for air, I said, “I love you enough to walk away with you hating me as long as I know you and our kiddo are safe. I had a choice, and I made it. But now you, your family—”
“And ours,” she completed.
“Are safe.” The kingpin thought I was dead, too. Leaving no threat looking for Shawn.
“Who do you work for?” she asked. I knew this question was coming. When I didn’t answer, she asked another. “Are you an undercover agent?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” I said but held her gaze, hoping she could read the answer there.
She nodded. “Shawn is dead. What does that mean?”
“It means Matt is a free man.” I rubbed my newly clean-shaven face. It was funny how most people wouldn’t link my new look to my old one. Shawn mostly wore jeans. Matt dressed like the million-dollar man he was. Boss pants and button-down shirt and Gucci loafers. The outfit was a couple of grand. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent that much on my entire wardrobe, let alone one outfit.
“I fell in love with Shawn.”
I pursed my lips. “Then I guess Matt will have to win you over.”
“Can you stop talking about yourself in the third person?”
I bobbed my head. “It’s a little weird for me, too. I’ve been Shawn so long…” I feared a part of me would always be him.
“Shawn wasn’t a bad guy,” she said and took my hands in hers.
“You don’t know what I’ve done,” I said.
“I do. I read about Shawn. I also know from firsthand experience what Shawn did for me. I don’t know Matt. And if Matt is anything like his father, I don’t want anything to do with that version of you.”
“I need you to know that every time I was with you, I was me. The real me, whether that’s Shawn or Matt or a mix of the two. I felt myself when I was with you.”
She looped her arms around my neck and lifted on her toes. I met her halfway as we kissed again.
“I have something for you,” I said when we came up for air.
I pulled out the bracelet I’d removed from her wrist. “It was you?” she said.
“I didn’t want them to take it from you.”
“I didn’t even notice.”
“You were a little busy being abducted.” I screwed it back on her wrist.
“Were you a part of the op?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” I said.
She frowned. “Is Ruin dead?”
This was a harder question to answer. “It’s better if you go with what the news reported.”
Ruin had met Karma, and his name was Connor. Griff had asked if I’d wanted to stay while Connor made the man pay, given my position in the FBI. It hadn’t been a question. Ruin had hurt Tayla. Revenge was best served when it was least expected. And Ruin hadn’t expected to see me.
We’d even gotten intel on his other cohorts who needed to be caught. The one question I really wanted to know was what Ruin’s connection was to the kingpin. Turned out, he had used Nicolas Cortez to help acquire the trackers he used. Their relationship was limited to that.