Page 80 of Dark ’N’ Deadly

Unable to answer his own question, he refocused on the here and now. Stowing every goddamn feeling inside him was the only way he could move forward.

This was as fucked up a situation as he’d ever encountered, so he had to think outside the box. Way outside the box, because if Gant or Pritchard got their hands on her again… The thought was so horrific he wanted to vomit.

He honestly didn’t know if he could ever forgive her for keeping a secret so colossal from him, but he’d never allow them to get their hands on her. He’d die first.

Before the end of the night, he had calls to make, one in particular to counter every federal agent’s nightmare. The worst-case scenario. Which this pretty much was already, but he wasn’t about to give up.

Someone clearing their throat had Eric turn to find Joe Eden standing in the doorway next to Dayne. In his hand were several sheets of paper.

“Remember that offline search you had me keep running for stolen or missing nitromethane?” Eden asked.

“Yeah.” Eric eyed the documents Eden was holding. Things were about to get worse.

“We got a hit.” He held out the sheets. “It came in an hour ago.”

Eric grabbed them, scanning them quickly. The snowball of shit they were facing had just gotten a whole lot bigger.

He glanced at Dayne. “The drag strip in Englishtown filed a police report for missing nitromethane. The PD thinks it was a guy who worked at the Flemington Speedway.”

Dayne cursed under his breath. “How much?”

“Six full barrels.”

“Jesus,” Dayne whispered.

“What does that mean?” Tess asked, looking first at Dayne, then Eric.

“It means”—Eric clenched the sheets in his fist—“whatever size bomb they’re building could be big enough to take out half a city.”

…

Tess woke with a start to find Tiger standing on the far end of the sofa, circling on the cushion, trying to find room to lie down.

“Hi, Tiger.” She tucked in her legs and patted the cushion, urging him to snuggle against her.

Hours earlier, Eric had escorted her to a small break room in the back of the ATF office to wait while he and Dayne met with their supervisors. A quick check of her cell phone told her she’d been sleeping for several hours and it was nearly midnight. The sandwich Agent Eden had brought her sat untouched on the nearby table.

With a throaty hmpf of gratitude, Tiger flopped down beside her, resting his head on her hip. Dogs had an uncanny way of inherently knowing when their love and companionship was needed. It was definitely needed now.

Rising on one elbow, she stroked his velvety ears. Almost immediately, an unexpected sense of peace enfolded her. Tiger tilted his head to give her better access to one particular spot behind his right ear that he loved having massaged. Happy to comply, she swirled her fingers against the soft coat and was rewarded with a groan of pleasure, confirming she’d found just the right place.

“He’ll never forgive me.” Tiger flicked his ears, listening in that silent way only dogs could. “I don’t blame him. I just wish… I wish…”

“Wish what?” Dayne asked from where he now leaned against the refrigerator.

She’d been so self-absorbed she hadn’t heard him come in. Like Eric, for such a big man, he moved as silently as a spider.

“That I could do most of my life over again,” she answered honestly. Especially the part where she’d lied to Eric about Harley. Although, the more she went over and over that moment in her mind, she’d made the right choice at the time. Helping Jesse out of a jam had been all that mattered. Then. Now, Eric mattered to her, too. As did the countless lives she might have unwittingly put in terrible jeopardy.

“Join the club.” He pulled a chair from the table, spinning it around before straddling it and resting his forearms on the seat back. “I thought my childhood was twisted. Yours makes mine seem like Disneyland.”

For the first time since meeting Eric’s darkly handsome, brooding friend, Tess sensed a soft side to the man. His sharp green eyes had always conveyed wariness and censure, yet his expression now was discernibly sympathetic.

I don’t deserve his sympathy. I don’t deserve anyone’s sympathy.

She pushed to a sitting position, and Tiger groaned at the disturbance until she resumed massaging his ears.

“Do you think he’s right? Did we really endanger people by not telling you and Eric about Harley?”