Jemma rushed toward him, slamming into his chest as she wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she whispered into his neck as she snuggled against him.
Rocco’s arms found a home around her, holding her tight. Being with Jemma calmed the turmoil in his mind. Gave him a path to putting things in perspective, even if that perspective differed from before.
Pulling back, Jemma’s eyes narrowed. “Did you stay overnight to party in St. Felipe?”
“No..”
“Explain why you smell like a distillery.” Her arms fell to her sides, but he didn’t stop holding her. She felt perfect in his arms, pressed against his body. Her confidence and strength were the only support he needed.
“Caught up with friends. No partying. But I do have news about El Sombro,” Rocco said, knowing Jemma would be livid if he withheld the details from her any longer. “Let’s go inside.”
She grabbed his hands and pulled him into the living room, shutting the door behind him. “Should we shower first?”
Confused, Rocco stared at her. She was absolutely stunning, dressed in a tank top and pajama shorts. Her hair was piled into a messy ponytail. That gorgeous face, devoid of all makeup, looked like pure perfection.
“Who are you, and what have you done with my Jemma?” Rocco asked. The Jemma he knew was business first and everything else later, yet she hadn’t jumped on getting the information for the op.She wanted to shower … which wasn’t a bad idea. Being under a steamy stream of water with her naked body close to his was precisely the kind of homecoming he deserved.
Jemma responded with a giggle. Her hand caressed his face, and he leaned into her touch. “The details will be the same in an hour or two. You look like you need TLC.”
“And that’s what you’re going to give me?”
She bit her bottom lip in the cutest way. “If you want me to. Or you can unwind and shower alone. I can tell the trip was hard on you. I can wait to hear the details. The most important thing is taking care of you first.”
Rocco was touched speechless. When he thought he couldn’t want this woman more, she went and did something downright irresistible. “Watch it, Supervisor Winters. Don’t want people to know you have an ooey, gooey, soft side.” He tickled her, and Jemma shrieked, slapping his hands away.
“Just Jemma has a soft side. Supervisor Winters is hard as a rock.”
“Both parts of you are amazing.”
“Oh, stop it,” Jemma said, then grinned. “Want to talk about it?”
Rocco hesitated.
He’d rather get naked and shower, but there was time to do that after he filled her in on the intel. Time wasn’t on their side. New plans would need to be devised.
“You should sit for this,” Rocco said.
Jemma raised an eyebrow as she stepped back and sat on the edge of the couch.
“I listened to a live feed of the meeting between Nico Lecrae and El Sombro.”
“Were you able to ID him? Do you know who El Sombro is?” Jemma asked, a spark in her eyes and eagerness in her voice.
“No. But what I heard is as valuable and … concerning,” Rocco said.
“I think I will sit,” Jemma said, beckoning him to follow.
Rocco filled Jemma in on the trip to see Everett’s friend, Bobby Zaniewski, and everything said on the call between El Sombro and the PC-5.
“Guns,” Jemma’s voice was monotone as she processed the bomb he’d dropped.
“Whatever connection Eddie has, it’s helping El Sombro get into arms trafficking,” Rocco said, a sourness settling into his stomach.
“Arms trafficking? This could have major ramifications, depending on whether he’s moving guns to equip his men or to put them in the hands of terrorists.”
“He floods the streets with drugs, preying on people in vulnerable states looking for a way to deal with life. Destroying people little by little every day isn’t good enough for this fucker,” Rocco said, his voice rising. “Now he might be putting guns in the hands of groups who want to wipe out whole cities. Destroy livelihoods. I can’t fathom how greed can make someone oblivious to how their actions are a blight on our world.”
