parents first outside the theater. He was threatening to hurt you if they didn’t sacrifice themselves right there.”
And that’s why her parents drew their guns, “forcing” the FBI to fire.
He squeezed Ana’s hand, knowing she damn well needed it. And more.
“Your parents were protecting you.” Knox huffed out a breath. But there was more, wasn’t there? “After the Russians found the ledger, well, what they thought was the real ledger, they wanted you dead even though you didn’t know anything about it.” Knox took one step closer. “From what Winters said, Porter didn’t want you to die. He insisted you should be kept alive in case they ever needed you.”
Ana released A.J.’s hand and stood. She had to be reeling from this news. She walked around him and the couch and went to the wall by the windows, bracing both palms against the glass.
“Apparently, over the years, Winters realized Porter had grown attached to you. And when Porter insisted you work for the Bureau, he began to suspect Porter cared more about you than his allegiance to the Russians.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, tears in her voice, but she didn’t face the room.
A.J. stood, trying to determine what Ana needed from him right now. Space? Comfort?
“Porter’s a bad guy, but he wasn’t lying when he said he was trying to protect you. When the Volkovs re-emerged, he realized Winters would want you dead. Porter offered to, um, use you to infiltrate the Volkov organization to find out if the ledger and key were still out there, as well as determine if Adrik Volkov was still alive.”
Adriana was back on her feet, standing beside her husband, and A.J. took slow steps to get to Ana, not sure how to read her mood. But he wanted to be there for her.
“But Winters had concerns Porter really only cared about keeping you safe, so he made his own plan,” Knox continued as Ana turned.
“Shit,” A.J. said under his breath. “Winters framed Ana and the Volkovs? Hired The Huntsman. He planned to try and get the ledger back and locate Adrik, and the money in the Maldives was his safety net or backup plan, right?”
Knox nodded. When A.J. came up alongside Ana, she turned into his chest and began to sob as he held on to her tight. “Porter didn’t know about Winters’s plan. I think, in his own twisted way, he did care about you, and he was trying to get the ledger to prevent the Russians or Winters from hurting you.”
Porter was a traitor. His actions led to the murder of her parents. And the man put Ana in danger all those years. Trying to protect her didn’t undo all the wrong in A.J.’s book, but if Porter hadn’t stepped in, and Winters had his way, things could’ve gone much differently.
It was a good thing A.J. hadn’t been with Luke and Knox in the Maldives. He would’ve killed Winters with his bare hands.
“You okay? I’m sorry.” Knox’s voice was low and soft. Compassionate. Then he tossed a thumb behind him, letting A.J. know they’d leave and give them some space.
“Call you later,” A.J. mouthed and thanked him before he and Adriana quietly left.
Ana unleashed more tears once the door clicked shut, then sank to her knees. He went to the floor with her, keeping her in his embrace so she could let go. Let all the pain and anger free.
“Can I kill him?” he asked when she pulled back, brushing the backs of her hands over her cheeks.
“Porter or Winters?” she whispered.
“I’m good with both,” he answered in all honesty.
“I’d prefer you not go to jail before we have our three-month adventure.”
“So after that,” he said with a nod.
“I can’t imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t come into my life when you did.”
He couldn’t imagine either, and he never wanted to.
He brought her face closer to his, gently caressing her cheeks in his palms. “Good, don’t picture it.” He kissed a few stray tears on her cheek. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
“By the way, you still owe me a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven for that bet you lost. You said our comms wouldn’t work in the tunnels in Budapest which, obviously, was not the case.” A.J. rolled to his side in Ana’s bed and lowered the sheet from her chest, exposing her naked breasts. He was greedy, and he wanted every chance to soak in the sight of her before he left for Alabama soon.