Fatal Exposure - By Gail Barrett Page 0,87

She knew that as soon as she fired at you, they’d take her down.”

Brynn squeezed his hand, a myriad of emotions passing through her eyes—relief, understanding, sympathy. “I’m sorry, Parker.”

He ran his thumb over her knuckles, his chest suddenly tight. He knew what she meant. She wasn’t sorry that Lieutenant Lewis had died. She was sorry that another officer had betrayed him. She understood how deep this cut, undermining everything he’d once believed.

But had he acted any better toward her? He’d lied about his relationship with her stepfather, destroying her trust—just when she’d needed him most.

He had to plead for forgiveness. He needed to tell her he loved her and ask for another chance. “Brynn,” he began. He swallowed hard, regrets piling up inside. “I’m sorry. I never meant to deceive you. I mean, at first I did. I didn’t know you. I thought you had something to do with Tommy’s death. And Hoffman showed me your file.”

“It’s pretty convincing.”

He nodded, his throat dust-dry. “I didn’t know who to believe. But I realized pretty fast that something was off. Those reports didn’t match what I saw about you, the woman I was getting to know. And when I finally figured it out, I didn’t want to hurt you. You’d already suffered too much. I was trying to find a good time to tell to you. But I really did plan to tell you the truth.”

“I believe you.”

A rush of relief spiraled through him. Declarations crowded his throat—his hopes for their future, his need to stay with her forever, his love.

But a sharp knock came from the door. Then Sergeant Delgado strolled in, accompanied by several guards. Delgado’s gaze met his, and his mouth kicked into a smile. “I figured I’d find you here.”

Parker frowned and released Brynn’s hand. Of all the people to show up now... He gave him a reluctant nod. “Have you met Brynn?”

“Not officially.”

“This is Sergeant Delgado,” Parker told her.

The sergeant swaggered over to Brynn, an interested gleam in his eyes, and clasped her hand. Parker’s eyes narrowed, his face heating when Delgado didn’t let go. But the sergeant was in Don Juan mode, puffing out his chest, flashing her the smile reputed to make women swoon.

Two seconds, Parker decided, working his jaw. And then he’d wipe that smirk off his playboy face.

Brynn extracted her hand, then shot Parker a questioning look. “He’s been working undercover,” he explained, wishing to hell he’d back off.

But Delgado cocked one hip and folded his arms across his chest—to better display his biceps, Parker guessed. “One of our informants gave us a tip,” Delgado told Brynn. “He said there were rumors that a senior officer was involved with child pornography, but he didn’t know who it was. The trail seemed to lead to Colonel Hoffman, but we didn’t have any proof. So internal affairs sent me to the cold case squad, thinking I could monitor him better from there.”

So Delgado hadn’t gotten his position through brownnosing. Parker’s faith in the police force rose. “What the lieutenant said—that something big was going on—any chance that’s true?”

Delgado switched his gaze to him. “Yeah, we think so, but we don’t have any leads yet. We were trying to bring her in alive, to interrogate her.” He shrugged. “About the only thing we know right now is that whoever this mastermind is, he has power.”

Power? “You mean like another cop?”

“Maybe, but our sources are all tight-lipped. Whoever this guy is, he’s got them running scared.” Delgado turned to Brynn again. “And until we catch him, you’re in danger. As soon as the hospital discharges you, we want to put you in protective custody.”

A startled look entered Brynn’s eyes. “You mean a safe house?”

Delgado gave her a nod. “Probably some place out West. Wyoming, maybe. Just until we figure out what’s going on.”

“But why would he want to kill me? My stepfather’s gone. Lieutenant Lewis and her cousin are dead—and they’re the ones I saw in the warehouse. I thought I was safe.”

To Delgado’s credit, sympathy filled his eyes. “I wish you were. But someone ordered Lewis to kill you. Both of you. And this mastermind appears to have a lot of influence, even within the police department. Until we bring him in, we need to put you somewhere safe.”

But Brynn’s mouth turned flat. A stubborn look entered her eyes. “I’m not hiding out again.”

“I know it sounds drastic,” Delgado said. “But—”

“No, absolutely not. I’m not going into hiding again.”

Parker caught his eye. “Listen, Sergeant. Give