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“You’ll stay on in the Columbia office?”
That would take more time to sort out. Big busts sometimes resulted in promotions. A few days ago, Dale might have jumped at a chance for a bigger office with more opportunities for challenging assignments. Now… he wasn’t sure.
While he’d never admit it to Ross, he didn’t like the idea of leaving Heather’s general vicinity. What if Lester’s crew tried to retaliate? It was a lame excuse for the deeper attachment he didn’t want to examine. “I’ll stick around,” he said. “For a while.”
“Well,” Ross reached out and shook Dale’s hand. “If you need anything, just call.”
Dale agreed, though he knew Ross couldn’t give him what he really needed: a chance to talk with Heather.
Chapter 16
Columbia, South Carolina
From her parking space, Heather stared at the Columbia FBI field office. She needed to see Dale. Needed to put an end to the myth of their engagement. She’d answered questions for the local police, now she needed to give a formal statement to the FBI about what she’d heard between Dale and Bingham, the harsh words and fishbowl view through the peep hole that had made her dial 9-1-1 from that ocean-side hotel room yesterday.
Yesterday. It felt like a week, but it had only been 26 hours since J.C. had led her away from Lester and his wounded henchmen. Away from Dale.
She gave herself a pep talk as she pushed open the perpetually squeaky door of her truck. She’d looked violence squarely in the face and survived. She’d helped bust a dogfighting ring that Sheriff Cochran had explained was so much more.
The woman who’d done all of that could surely walk into this building and return a fake engagement ring.
The concern of her family rang in her ears and her knees wobbled. She’d lied to them yet again, claiming she and Dale had a connection that went beyond the case. It wasn’t a complete lie. She felt a connection to him.
Oh, her family would forgive her. They could comprehend the legitimate reason for her lies, but still, she’d violated a trust. Whatever she said in the future would carry a shadow of doubt.
It was worse because her sisters and mother wanted desperately to believe she might really have found the love of her life. Her brother wanted to call her a liar to her face and then keep her locked away in a tower.
Maybe, if Dale agreed to just a few more days of pretending, if he’d come to one more family dinner, she might save face. Before she could decide if her pride was worth the sacrifice, she found herself standing at the receptionist desk, asking for Agent Nichols.
“Come on back,” he said without preamble when he saw her waiting.
He looked stunning in the dark suit, the red-striped power tie and his badge at his breast pocket. “Thanks.” She didn’t want to do this in front of witnesses if she could help it.
“You’re still wearing it,” he said with a frown when they reached his office.
“Yeah.” She gave it one final twist, then pulled it off, tucking it back into the box, meeting his gaze as she snapped the lid closed. The artistic diamond setting would go back to wherever he’d found it and they would each go back to their pre-Lester lives.
Standing here in front of him, she couldn’t bring herself to ask for one more favor. It would hurt too much.
This adventure, this interlude that felt like a start was coming to an inevitable end. Why did it hurt when she’d known this was the only outcome? “My family says hello.”
“I’m sorry my idea put you in a tough place.”
“They’ll understand,” she said, wishing she believed it.
“Tell them I’m transferring out of Columbia soon. Everyone understands your family ties.”
Understanding or not, a transfer made for a lousy excuse. Her family had willingly included him from the first meeting. They’d embraced him completely and they would be nearly as confused and heartbroken as she felt now when she told them Dale was moving on. Without her.
“You were an excellent partner.” He extended a hand.
Her heart cracked at his flat tone, but she accepted the handshake. It might be her last chance to enjoy his touch. This wasn’t a surprise. The ring, the pretense, none of the trappings were meant to last. She was behaving like the silly, idealistic child he had once disdained. This ache in her heart didn’t have to mean she loved him. She thought of the falling star and the wish she’d made and felt a hard, terrible reality sink into her bones. Wishes were for children.
And yet, she couldn’t lie to herself. Her feelings were real. No matter how she’d coached herself on the risks, she’d fallen in love with him. Stupid, naïve move. Except she hadn’t had any real choice. She hadn’t known it was absolutely unavoidable.
Right now, despite how much his professional distance hurt, she couldn’t even regret it.
As the youngest, she’d watched all her siblings survive crushes as they grew up. What she felt for Dale was different. She tried to distract herself with the facts, but her heart wasn’t ready for practicalities. Somewhere between that first soft kiss and the first dead body, a quiet part of her had laid claim to Dale.
