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“I wasn’t keeping things from you because . . .” I shook my head. “This case might take me down a dark path, Tyler. With JJ and everything I went through . . . I don’t want that touching you. Or what we have.”
“The way I see it, the way I feel about you, Marisa . . . anything that touches you, touches me. It may not be fun all the time. But I want to be there for you. For all of it.”
His words, while heartwarming and tender, were so much more. They told me I could trust him, confide in him. Allow him to support me and help me. To protect me. I was so used to being my own person, handling everything on my own. I didn’t really know how to let someone in. Anyone other than my partner. Someone I care about more than I ever had before.
I nestled into his warmth when we sat on the couch.
“I should have stayed and talked to you,” Tyler said. “But I was so lost in my anger. Feeling pushed away, untrusted, like someone you wouldn’t confide in. It brought everything back from when I was in the hospital. I didn’t give you a chance to tell me your side. And that’s on me.”
I nodded, agreeing with him but also understanding his point of view.
“I’m sorry.”
I leaned into him so I could kiss him. “Me too.”
“Should we try this again? Without all the dramatics?”
I sighed with a laugh. “Yes.”
I told him the details of the assignment and about meeting with Captain Gomez, Detective Mitchell, and Guadalupe.
“And you’re supposed to meet them where?”
“Club Oasis.”
He scoffed. “More like HO-asis.” He popped up off the couch and motioned for me to come with him. “I know the place.”
My laugh was more of a titter as I followed him to his office. “Oh really?” I said, interested in how he knew about the club. We knew it as a CARTEL den. Its clientele knew it as a swanky club that served overpriced cocktails and flaunted half-naked dancers.
He slid a painting over on the wall, then typed in a code on the security pad. I couldn’t believe my eyes as a secret room was revealed.
“Wow,” I said as I took everything in. “Are you Batman?” I asked, making my voice deep.
He chuckled as he hit a series of keys and moved his mouse to bring things up or minimize them on the lit-up screens. “Think of this room as highly classified and non-existent.”
“Got it,” I said, and mimed me zipping my lips and throwing away the key.
“I’m serious. This goes no further than you and me.”
His tone had me a little worried, but I trusted him. “You and me,” I agreed.
“These guys. I’ve looked into them. They all have seriously disturbing files.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s what I do, Siren. I’m not going to jeopardize your job. But, suffice it to say, I have ways of getting the information I want.” He handed me an envelope. “Here, I took the liberty.”
I looked at the contents, quite surprised by what I found inside. “How did you?” I flipped through the driver’s license, which had my picture on it instead of Ramona Perez’s. There were various credit cards, all of which read my undercover name, Ramona Perez.
“I know a guy.” His face was emotionless—flat and unreadable.
“Seriously?” This was surreal.
“Yeah, seriously. And don’t ask anything else. Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“Okay,” I said, taking him at his word. Tyler had told me that some of the things he did were illegal. Clearly, this was one of them. He was holding fast to thedon’t ask, don’t tellpolicy.
We spent the next two hours going over all of our intel together. Tyler quizzed me on my undercover details, ensuring I knew everything front to back, inside and out, upside and down. When he was finally satisfied that my performance was solid, we made our way back outside the bat cave.
