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“You do? Agree with me?” She eyed him, and for the first time since working together again he saw the same world-weariness that had been pressing on his conscience more and more.
He nodded. “I do. Look, we’re on the same team, sure, but it’s more important that we’re on the same page. You saw how close we came to it all blowing up in your office earlier.”
“I did.” She looked away, as if measuring her thoughts. Grabbing a brush, she began working on her hair. “What made you show up when you did?”
“I was about to tell you that.” Before he’d been insanely distracted by her beauty. And his emotions, which he was going to have to sort out much farther down the road. When this assignment was finished, when they were both safely ensconced in their previous lives. Apart.
“Well?” She winced as her brush hit a hair snarl. “Do tell.”
“I got a tip that Rex was paying you a call. I knew it couldn’t be good.”
“Be honest. Were you waiting on him to show up?” She must have seen the apology in his eyes. “Forget I asked. We’ve both been hoping he’d show, me so I can apprehend him and you so he can lead you to Slim. Tell me something, though. Did you expect him to kill me today?”
Temptation to lie, to plead the Fifth, to skirt the issue was defeated by the coldness in her eyes. The knowledge that she was ten times smarter than him didn’t help. Dylan knew he wasn’t unintelligent, but she’d blown him out of the water on written competency exams, and had a far superior gift for case analysis. His skills were more in the “stay alive and take the enemy out” category.
“I know Rex’s modus operandi, yes. That’s why I came here as soon as I got word he was on the premises. I thought we might get a heads-up from my team beforehand, but we both know how inconsistent comms intercepts can be.”
“Even if you had advance warning, you would have had to sit on it, right?” It was a rhetorical question, indicating she didn’t expect an answer but trusted him.
His respect for her grew. Veronica was a pro, and her focus was on the mission. Like him, she sought justice not only to prevent future victims but for those who could no longer seek due process for themselves.
“It’s the truth—my source wasn’t LE. Brick got a text from Hank and spilled the beans.”
She shook her head. “So the very man who’d turn me in to Rex in a heartbeat saved my life?”
“I wouldn’t give him that much credit. He was scared crapless is my guess, reaching out for help.”
“So your LE sources failed on this one.”
“Looks like it, yeah.” He clamped his jaw together. They both knew he’d said too much. His team had fallen down on the job, told him too late. It was something he’d have to work out with them later. He’d faced a lot of dicey situations, but when it came to the team’s intelligence and communications monitoring, they’d never let him down. Until this afternoon.
“Well, Rex bought your story, and they all believe we’re an item, so there’s that.”
“Rex gave in to my offer because he’s greedy, and because he pictures himself as having Slim’s job one day.”
“I suppose you’re right.” She hesitated. “Thank you for showing up when you did. I don’t think it would have turned out as well otherwise.”
“You were holding your own.” He tried to not remember the twist in his gut when he saw Rex menacing her. “That said, I need you to have a go bag.”
“If I pack a go bag, Hank’s going to see it. It’s a risk I’m not sure is worth it. If I do go with you, what’s the point? I’m on the sheriff’s task force, sure, but I’m still permanently assigned to RGPD. I don’t have any jurisdiction outside of Stark County, remember?”
“Under any normal operation, you’re absolutely correct. But this is far from usual and we’re past the point of keeping you pigeon-holed as a solely RGPD asset. Callum’s task force is in full cooperation with the FBI at this point. You’re working for me, and the Bureau, if needed. You’re the only other one on the ground, besides me, who knows how Rex and in turn the drug ring operates. Your instincts have always been spot-on. And we’re going to need your expertise when we take this op north of the border.”
Her eyes widened but only fractionally before they narrowed and Veronica gave him a quick nod. A twinge of—regret, sorrow, curiosity?—tugged behind his rib cage and it was clear to him that Veronica wasn’t the determined officer he’d once worked with. She’d grown into a woman who possessed every single skill she’d ever need to take down the bad guys, whether solo or as the team player she’d always been.
It was more than Veronica’s law enforcement prowess that he was staring at, though. She’d become all that the younger version of herself had promised. Self-assured, determined and, yes, sexy as hell.
This wasn’t the time to think about how much he’d miss her, though. Not with so many lives at stake.
Chapter 11
A week later the club had managed to maintain its recent increase in business, and there had been no further sign of Rex and Bulldog. Veronica hadn’t seen Hawk again, either, but had let Hank believe that Hawk and she were meeting up for clandestine dates. Dylan told her he’d do the same with his squad of misfits.
Sending up a grateful prayer that she’d convince Hank she’d be at Pixie Hair for the next few hours but back before opening “—my roots look like death warmed over and I broke two nails last night—” Veronica had driven to the salon and quickly changed before leaving in her actual vehicle, her mother riding in the passenger seat. She and Mom had never missed this annual ritual and she’d be damned if an undercover assignment kept her from their obligation. It was the least she owed her family.
It was her favorite time of year and the day was quintessential autumn in North Dakota, from the bright gold aspen leaves on the trees that lined the road to Red Grove Cemetery, to the constant scattering of leaves on the roads and sidewalks downtown, to the crisp air that today had taken on the scent of snow. The weather forecast didn’t call for any precipitation, but as any native North Dakotan knew, snow came when it wanted to in these parts, and didn’t finish its hold on the state until well into spring.
They’d both remained silent on the drive up the winding road to the cemetery, and walked hand in hand to where they now stood.
