unable to make out anything they’re saying. Falling back against the pillow, I close my eyes, wondering how long I’m going to be stuck here and when the hell I’m going to get answers. More importantly, how long will it be until I can get to a phone and contact Rafe? He must be sick with worry.
After a few moments, Agent Howard walks back in. “Ms. Latham,” he says, going back to his previous formality.
He hands me a card that reads Special Agent in Charge Howard. It has his phone number, too, and I glance back up at him.
“I’ll be back tomorrow to check on your status. Once you’re released from the hospital, we’ll need to have a formal interview, but I have an agent outside who’s practically ready to rip my throat out if I don’t let him in here.”
I frown at the obvious annoyance on his face. “I don’t understand.”
His smile tightens. “I know, but you will. Call me if you need anything in the meantime.” He clears his throat then calls for the other party to enter. “Ms. Latham, this is Agent Phillips. I’d make a more formal introduction, but I believe you’re already acquainted. He will answer any questions you have.”
The door opens, and my heart jumps into my throat at the man standing before me.
Oh, yes. Agent Howard was correct. I’m quite acquainted with Agent Phillips.
Physically.
Emotionally.
Intimately.
And now, forever.
Because Agent Phillips is none other than Rafe Matthews.
IF LOOKS COULD FUCKING kill, I’d be obliterated and burning in Hell, paying for my multitude of sins right now. I deserve it, every bit of her disgust and animosity, but it’s the mistrust in her eyes that kills me. Even still, she’s alive, she’s awake, and I’m overjoyed. I’ll deal with the fallout later.
I’m pissed as hell that Howard was by her side when she awoke. That should’ve been me. Instead, I was dealing with bureaucratic bullshit when all I wanted was to be with her.
Agent Michael Howard was a last-minute replacement I hadn’t known about until I made it to the hospital. Supposedly, he hadn’t been tasked until after Brie had been taken, but I wasn’t buying it. How quickly he’d made it to Philadelphia was alarming, and I wonder just how long this was in the works.
He apparently was apprised of my “relationship” with the victim and has made it obvious that he doesn’t approve. Hell, no one in the agency does, but I can’t bring myself to care. It changes nothing, and since I know they won’t take any action against me while I’m on assignment, I’ll do as I please.
To say that I was angry about Agent Howard is an understatement. I already have a handler, and I don’t need another one. Especially one who has no idea about the case. But clearly he’s my punishment for getting too close. And since I don’t plan on stepping aside or walking away, we’ll both have to get used to it.
The agency may think Brie’s a dead end, that she has no use, but I know differently. There’s something in that file that will lead me to the truth. She knows something, even if it’s subconscious, and I plan on figuring it out. I’m keeping her as close as freaking possible. I just hope she’ll forgive me in the end. After all, this has become so much more than an unsolved case for me. Her safety is the most important thing to me, and if unlocking some secret she has hidden is the key to finding it, I’ll do whatever I have to.
When I finally made contact with my handler, he told me the agency’s plan for Brie. They wanted to take her away from me, whisk her off into witness protection until this whole thing blows over and the threat is annihilated, but I refused. Adrian’s body has yet to be recovered, and there’s no proof that he drowned in that river. Even though most people are writing him off, I’m not so sure. I’m also not convinced he was the actual threat—not any longer. There’s so much more to this story, and I’m determined to uncover it, all the while keeping Brie safe from harm. I threatened to walk away from the whole operation—a move that I’m sure I’ll be punished for later—and they relented. Brie stays with me. No ifs, ands, or buts.
And when I glance at her, I can see that she’s going to need more convincing than my handler did.
Even though she’s