“I’ve known Special Agent in Charge Leo Herman for a very long time.” Emmett stood behind his desk. “There is no way that man is corrupt. I would stake my reputation and my life on it.”
Hearing her boss vouch for Colt’s boss had Maren tied up in knots. She knew how upset Colt had been when they’d left the DEA offices, thinking that his boss was dirty. They’d gone there to confront him but had ended up leaving without any answers.
She’d been pleasantly surprised by Colt’s insistence they talk to Emmett because her boss was a man of honor and integrity, and she believed he would be a voice of reason. When they arrived at the task force headquarters, they’d taken the dogs to the training center for a much-needed break with water and some exercise. Then they’d headed upstairs to talk to Emmett.
Beside her, Colt shifted his weight. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his feet braced apart. “How can you be sure?”
“You’re just going to have to trust me,” Emmett said.
“I’m sorry to say right now that trust is in short supply,” Colt said.
Maren turned to Colt and put a hand on his shoulder. “We do know that Agent Spares was somehow involved with Shadow. That’s a lead we can follow.”
Colt held her gaze. She saw his upset swirling in his gorgeous green eyes and wanted to comfort him, but at the moment, the best she could do was to give his shoulder a squeeze.
“You’re right, of course,” Colt said. Still his body vibrated with tension. She could feel the tightness beneath her palm.
“Go see Eva,” Emmett said. “Have her dig into this agent’s life. He certainly wasn’t doing it for fame or glory. There has to be a money trail to follow.”
“Thank you, Emmett,” Maren said. She tugged Colt with her out of her boss’s office.
“I know you don’t want to believe this and aren’t ready to trust Emmett, but he is one of the good guys,” Maren told him. “I wouldn’t have joined his task force if I thought otherwise.”
Colt ran a hand through his hair as they made their way to Eva’s office. “I trust your judgment more than my own.”
Though she was glad to hear he trusted her, she didn’t like him disparaging himself. “Colt, you are a great agent. You have good instincts. You knew something was wrong at the hospital before anything happened. We need to trust your gut.”
His expression said loud and clear that he wasn’t buying it. She didn’t know how to get him to believe in himself. But she felt compelled to try. “You have to forgive yourself for not seeing through Rebecca.”
“I don’t know…” he said with a shake of his head.
She took his hand. “Listen to me, you are not to blame for her deception. If our situations were reversed, you’d be telling me the same thing.”
A softening in his gaze had her heart pounding.
“You’re right,” he said, his voice tender. “And so wise.”
A flutter of something she didn’t want to analyze had her releasing her hold on him. “Let’s go talk to Eva.” She needed to stay focused on the task as hand.
They found Eva at her desk. She was more than willing to dig into Henry’s financials. “It might take me a while. Since he’s in law enforcement, he would know how to hide his money.”
“How long?” Colt asked, impatience threading through his voice.
Eva considered then said, “Give me two hours.”
“That will allow us time to get some food,” Maren said. They hadn’t eaten since leaving the ranch several hours earlier. And Colt needed a break—though he tried to hide his anxiousness, she knew he was stressed. So was she. They needed fuel to unravel this mystery and deal with everything that came next.
They headed to the cafeteria in the building. Maren chose a chef’s salad and Colt grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich. After unwrapping the plastic from around the two halves, he left the sandwich untouched.
“You need to eat,” she said, stabbing a fork into her salad. “You won’t be worth anything if your blood sugar tanks. Or you’re walking around hangry.”
His eyebrow arched and his mouth tipped up at the corner in a way that made her heart do a funny bump. “I think your concern is based on self-preservation.”
She smiled across the table at him. “True. But also, I care about you.” And the truth in the words wouldn’t be denied. She more than cared, but at the moment that was all she was willing to admit.
His eyebrows rose. “Really? I had the feeling you wanted to keep me at an emotional distance.”
She grimaced, realizing he was referring to their conversation in the SUV earlier. What she’d told him was true. They both had agreed they weren’t looking for romance and she didn’t want to mess with their partnership. However, she hadn’t told him everything. Like the fact she was fighting to keep her emotions in check. She was falling for him big-time. But she didn’t want growing attachment to impair either of their judgments or their professional work ethics. So instead, she teased, “Is someone feeling sorry for themselves?”
