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She’d nearly been murdered on the first one, but Jake had saved her life.
Then, of course, there was the last case—where Fiona had saved his. She’d shot a gun for the first time in her life, which had been terrifying and exhilarating all at once.
There were a lot of things in her life she couldn’t drop on Mark on their first date. But maybe, if things kept going as well as they were, they could get there.
***
An hour later, Fiona was full of steak and dessert—and she felt on top of the world.
Mark held the door for her as they stepped out of the restaurant and into the night. He’d insisted on paying the bill, as he was the one who’d asked her, but Fiona promised to grab it next time. Because she wanted there to be a next time.
They stood at the side of the street, under a street lamp, as people and cars passed by them. And yet Fiona felt like she and Mark were the only ones here. She hadn’t even thought about Jake in a while (until just now, of course).
Mark seemed to sense her emotions, because he pulled her in for a hug and said, “I had a great time tonight. I’m so glad we finally met in person. Would you like to do something again sometime soon?”
Fiona smiled and nodded, feeling a sense of relief. His body felt strong, his arms safe. Maybe this could be something real. “I’d love that,” she said, looking into his eyes as she pulled away.
Mark smiled. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said, then turned and walked away.
Fiona watched him go, feeling the warmth of his hug around her body.
She had a feeling that this date would be the first of many. Things were looking up for her in life.
If she were really lucky, maybe she’d have an actual break in Joslyn’s case soon too.
CHAPTER THREE
FBI Special Agent Jake Tucker poured himself a stiff glass of scotch and leaned against the marble countertops of his kitchen. A headache was making him stressed, and he took a sip of warm scotch as he gazed ahead at the windows of his living room, showing Portland’s skyline under a clear night sky. He wanted to resist the urge, but he couldn’t—he checked his phone again.
Still no text from Lauren.
Jake sighed and wandered over to his couch, plopping down. It was no secret to him that he’d had a tumultuous, on-again, off-again relationship with his partner, Special Agent Lauren Price, since he started as an agent in his mid-twenties. Now he was thirty, and it was still ongoing in its chaos.
Except Lauren had recently given him an ultimatum. She wanted commitment, and he’d agreed.
And yet he hadn’t been able to tell the chief the truth at work. He still hadn’t disclosed their relationship, and he knew Lauren was unhappy about it. Worst of all, she’d threatened to leave him not only as the woman in his life, but as his partner at work—something he couldn’t bear to think about. Lauren was the only partner he’d ever had.
The thought of her leaving made Jake’s heart sink. He couldn’t imagine life without her—not only was she an amazing partner on the job, but she made him laugh, and she challenged him to be a better agent every day. Lauren was one of the most intelligent people he’d ever met, and when they sparred in the office, it felt like a dance between two people who knew each other perfectly.
Realizing he’d been holding his breath, he let out a long sigh as he looked out the window again. Jake’s thoughts drifted back to all the times he’d gone on a mission with Lauren, feeling her presence next to him and trusting her implicitly. He felt the warmth of their partnership, how they could communicate almost without words and how they anticipated each other’s moves. He thought of how easily she smiled in the face of danger, and how she never failed to make him laugh when things seemed grim. But most of all he remembered her eyes—those deep green depths that seemed so bottomless as she looked at him.
He knew that if he wanted to make things right with Lauren, he had to take the leap and tell his boss—but if he were being honest with himself, things with Lauren weren’t perfect either.
They fought sometimes. And Lauren had grown jealous of Fiona, the new forensic analyst who’d been assigned to work with them. Jake and Lauren had been hot and cold for so many years that he feared the repercussions if they tried to commit and went public, only for their relationship to fail. They’d look more unprofessional than ever.
Plus, their drama could be a distraction on cases sometimes. Jake had to admit that.
That was why he hadn’t fully taken the dive with her yet. As much as he cared about her—loved her, even—he had his doubts that they could ever work.
Still, he wanted to talk to her and figure something out. Maybe he could convince her to give him more time. But they’d been off work for a couple of days, and Lauren had been ignoring his texts the whole time.
Just as he was about to pour another glass, Jake heard a knock at the door. He got up from the couch and walked over to answer it, wondering who it could be.
He opened the door to find Lauren standing there with her arms crossed, an angry scowl on her face. Her eyes were flashing with a mix of fury and hurt that made Jake’s heart sink.
“Lauren,” he said, taking a step back in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
She pushed past him into the apartment without saying a word. She looked around for a moment before turning back to him with an exasperated expression on her face.
