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Chapter 22
Trying to shower while keeping the bandaged areas on their bodies dry proved quite the challenge. Teag yanked down the detachable shower head and tried to help rinse Maria’s hair, but he lost control of the device and it sprayed water everywhere. By the time they’d finished, it looked like a rainstorm had struck inside the bathroom. Both Teag and Maria had to change out their soaking wet bandages, but they’d laughed hard, and it felt so good to laugh.
Maria dreaded picking up her phone and dialing Jake. Not because she didn’t love the guy, but because she didn’t want to return to the mess that awaited them. Wrinkling her nose, she pulled on her bloody sweatshirt and dirty cargo pants. She munched on a power bar and chugged down a bottle of water, checked her gun, tidied the first aid supplies, and finally picked up her burner phone.
When she turned it on, there was only one, brief message from Jake. Call me when you get up.
Maria glanced at Teag, who lounged on the desk chair and tapped out a riff on the smooth, wood surface with a pen and pencil. She shook her head and punched the call button.
Jake answered on the second ring. “How are you two doing?”
“We’re okay. Safe for a little while, I think.”
Jake didn’t ask where they were. It didn’t matter. The breach had happened when they were supposed to be unreachable.
“I’m looping in the guys. Hang on,” Jake said.
The next voice to come on the line was Cam’s. “I’m at the Hilton Downtown. I called in Marco, and Tank, Davies, and Jennings flew back here this morning.” Cam sounded pissed. “You two were supposed to be safe.”
“Ivanovich is a pro, and he’s smart too,” Maria said.
“Yeah, well, the FBI was supposed to be smarter. Thank fuck Jake thinks outside the box.”
“So what’s the plan?” Maria asked.
“I’m not counting on outside agencies. Bring Teag here. We’ll use our own resources and lock him down.”
She stood and paced. “For how long?”
“For however long it takes. We’re going hunting. My way.”
“Okay. We’ll be there soon.”
She disconnected the call and turned to Teag. “We’re going in. Cam’s set up in another hotel.”
Teag stopped tapping, nodded, and then gave her a lopsided grin. “Can I still sleep in your bed?”
Maria stiffened. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell the guys about us…”
Teag held up a hand and rolled his eyes. “I’m kidding. I’ll be on my best behavior until this thing is over. I would never do anything to jeopardize your job or your reputation.”
Until this thing is over. God, she wanted it to be over, but the path from here to there was murky, and the outcome far from certain. She walked to Teag, stood on her toes, and brushed her lips against his.
**
She parked in the underground garage instead of using the valet and met Cam at a service entrance. They took the back stairwells, a little more slowly than anyone preferred, but Teag still got short of breath quickly. When they stopped at a landing for a ten second breather, Cam’s eyes narrowed, catching sight of the dried blood and torn sleeve of Maria’s sweatshirt.
“What the hell, Maria?” Cam said, his scowl deepening.
“Just a graze,” she answered, wincing at his piercing stare.
“I want a full debrief upstairs,” he demanded.
This time Maria scowled. She wasn’t ready to tell her boss she’d essentially made a deal with the devil to save them, especially since she wasn’t sure what del Fuego would want in return for his favor.
She caught Teag’s nervous glance. He didn’t seem too keen on sharing his role in the getaway either. Biting her lip, she followed Cam up the stairs and into the large suite.
When they walked in, all eyes turned to them. Tank stood, zeroing in on her bloody sweatshirt immediately.
