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Even though she was surrounded by agents and lost in the data analysis, Tessa felt the air change and knew Flynn had walked into the hotel suite. Either she was beyond exhausted and imagining things or she was so in love that she was attuned to his presence.
She looked up to find his gaze locked on hers from where he stood by the door. She’d known there were no injuries, but seeing him whole and grinning at her was the best feeling.
Unable to help herself, she rose and met him halfway across the room. She wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
He kissed her hair and squeezed her back. “Right back atcha.”
Not wanting to embarrass him in front of his team, she stepped back. He took her hand as he moved back to where his boss stood.
Janis Jenkins studied her. “How do you feel about wearing a wire when you meet with your grandfather?”
The question stumped her for a moment. She’d never thought of that. “Why?”
“We’d like the conversation on tape, but only with your permission.”
Over the hours since the raid at the casino, the agents had told her there’d been nothing at the casino to implicate Grigor Pavic, even though they had all believed he was involved. The team wanted information about his operations, but that part wasn’t why Tessa wanted to speak with him.
She thought over the pros and cons of wearing the wire and finally shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do that. Not this time. If I meet with him a second time, I’ll consider it again. I want honest answers from him and I can’t demand that if I’m not being honest myself.”
Jenkins frowned but nodded. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but I understand.”
Tessa looked at Flynn. “But I’d like Flynn to go with me.”
He smiled. “You couldn’t stop me from going.”
Jenkins rolled her eyes. “When do you plan to go see him?”
Tessa hadn’t expected all these questions. Her mind was gritty from staying up all night but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she’d seen her grandfather. “Now.”
Flynn studied her for a moment and then nodded. “Okay. We might as well keep going. Get it done before we need to crash. You sure you’re up for this?”
She nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Which wasn’t saying a lot.
Once they were in Flynn’s Jeep, he turned to her. “What are you thinking?”
That made her laugh. “I’m not even sure. So many pieces of data are whirling through my brain. No one found anything connecting Grigor to the casino. There were plenty of Karlo connections, but nothing with my grandfather. Is it possible that there’s nothing to find?”
“You think Karlo was running this under his nose and Pavic didn’t know anything about it? That doesn’t seem likely.”
Not when he said it like that. “I know. The agents and I couldn’t make sense of it either. There was all kinds of earlier evidence. That’s how I found the location in the first place. But nothing recent.”
“You think he’s maybe passed on the business?”
She shrugged. “Maybe? My gut says it’s Karlo’s business now and the information is all pointing at him.” Would that be good news or bad?
Flynn ran his hand under her hair to rub the back of her neck. “It’s okay to not be sure. Most police work is asking questions, making theories, proving and disproving them. And research. Lots and lots of research. We’ll figure this out.”
Then he kissed her. Lightly at first, but it deepened in a heartbeat.
When he pulled back into his seat, he pointed a finger at her. “You, Tessa Flores, are a dangerous woman. You ready to do this?”
Rubbing her fingers over her lips, she smiled and nodded. If anyone was dangerous, it was the sexy rodeo star turned FBI agent sitting next to her.
Dangerous in the very best way.
Flynn started the Jeep and drove out of the parking garage and to the west. The sun was up and people were heading to their jobs, making traffic its usual nightmare. That eased when they moved into residential areas, each better off than the last.
She’d grown up in houses like the ones around her and she wondered how many were filled with sad stories. They might be beautiful houses but were they homes?
