mouth, and bit down on his knuckles as she bent over to grab the key from beneath the rock, the snug fabric stretching across her perfect ass.
She must have felt his eyes on her because at the moment, instead of getting back up and going to the front door, she held her position and slowly turned her head to peer at him from over her shoulder.
“Yes, you are,” Natasha answered as A.J. stepped back and turned to the side. He needed to be stealthier.
“Hey, I’m not risking your necks. This was my choice. If something goes wrong, it’s on me. Not y’all.”
“That’s not how we roll, and you know it,” Wyatt said as Ana finally climbed the steps to the wraparound front porch. “And Luke and Knox will be arriving in D.C. soon. They’ve been apprised of the situation.”
“Is Luke pissed?” A.J. asked, closing one eye as if he might get punched in the face and part of him wanted to see it coming.
“I’d say Luke took it better than Knox did when he learned the news that Adriana is friends with Ana and kept the truth from him.”
His expression relaxed at Natasha’s words. “Well, considering Knox kept a few secrets from her, I’d call it even.” Ana going to the trouble of keeping A.J. from discovering she was in D.C. meant one of two things in his mind: she hated his guts, or she was so attracted to him that it scared the hell out of her. He hoped for door number two since fate, as fate tended to do, intervened and brought them together.
“And what does Admiral Chandler have to say about all of this?” That was the dicey part. Now that Natasha was working with them and reported directly to her dad, it was all a bit . . . yeah, dicey.
“He wants you to find out what Quinn may know about the Daylight Ledger and key. But the admiral said if we’re wrong about her, and she’s a traitor and a threat to national security, he’ll arrest me himself for aiding and abetting a fugitive.” A.J. wasn’t sure if Natasha was kidding or not. Her dad wouldn’t really arrest her, right?
He shook his head. “Well, if you get arrested, that would ruin your wedding, now wouldn’t it?” A.J. joked. He had no doubt if they were all in the same room, Wyatt would be shooting daggers at him, probably worried he’d just been jinxed for the second time in less than a week. “But seriously, thank you for trusting me on this. I know it can’t be easy, especially in your new position, Natasha.”
“Just watch your back. I don’t want her getting you killed. Let us handle the investigation,” Natasha spoke up, sounding all mother-like. “We’ve got this, and with Jessica looking into The Huntsman, you know—”
“I hope the angry papa bear isn’t upset we pulled him and his better half back into work,” A.J. said.
“I’m pretty sure they both begged to help,” Natasha responded, a smile in her voice. “Jessica’s parents are helping out, and I think she’s eager for a chance to do some work.”
“Okay.” That was a relief. He’d rather piss off POTUS than Jessica. “What’s the status on Jeter, her ex?”
Had Ana really taken an issue with Kyle being overly protective, or had there been more to it?
“Owen is keeping tabs on him right now. Kyle seems to be taking Ana’s disappearance the hardest. He mentioned Ana had been with some military-type at her townhouse before she went MIA,” Natasha added before tossing out, “Don’t worry, I covered for the both of you.”
“Thank you.” That was all A.J. needed—a pissed-off ex on top of things.
“And we’re hoping to have an ID today or in the morning on the target Chris snapped a photo of last night, the person who Ana passed something off to,” Natasha stated.
A.J. still needed to press Ana about why she’d been in Porter’s house last night, but he was hoping she came forward about it herself.
“Okay, good. What about the FBI agent on your special task force? He doesn’t know we’re helping, right?” A.J. clarified as Ana sauntered back his way to get to the SUV after she’d unlocked the house and presumably opened the garage. “Or that Ana is with me?” He turned his back to the car once the driver’s side door was closed, and she pulled away.
“No,” Natasha quickly answered.
“Who is it, by the way? Can we know that?” A.J. was curious who’d provided Ana’s