"An ongoing investigation?" she echoed, her mind reeling with his revelation. "About my grandmother?"
"No. It has nothing to do with your grandmother. Actually, I don't know if that's true anymore, because a lot of the same people seem to be involved."
"What are you looking for?"
"I can't get into the details. I'm not supposed to be telling you this much."
She saw the conflict in his eyes, but she didn't feel conflicted; she felt angry. She shoved him away, putting a few feet between them. "You lied to me."
"Only about being a bartender."
"And an actor."
"And an actor," he conceded.
"What about your family, your parents who died, your adopted parents…"
"All true." He paused. "I'm sorry."
"Are you? We slept together last night."
His lips tightened into a line. "That was separate from my job."
"Your job? What does that mean? What are you doing here now, with me? Why aren't you at the club doing whatever you're supposed to be doing?"
"Because you're in danger, and I want to help you figure out what happened to your grandmother."
"Why does she matter to you?"
"Because she matters to you."
She shook her head, feeling even more confused. "I don't know what to believe. You're a very good liar."
"Not good enough. Why did you suddenly start doubting me?"
"I don't know. Everything just started adding up wrong. Now I know why you kept blowing hot and cold."
"I've been trying not to get involved with you, but I couldn't make myself stay away. At first, I was just concerned that you would stir up problems at the Firebird Club. I wanted to see what you were up to. When Wallace gave me that envelope, I saw a chance to get more involved. I never expected to walk in on the middle of a burglary. And I never expected to like you so much."
She wanted to believe he had real feelings for her. But how could she?
"I decided I would try to help you, so I could get you away from the club," he continued. "I even asked my team to look into your grandmother's death."
"Did they find anything?"
"Not yet. While you were getting the journals, I called my boss, and I asked him to set up security at your sister's house and your grandfather's living facility."
Now, she was surprised. "You did? How do you even know where my sister lives?"
"I told them her first name and that she lived in Carlsbad. But if you want to give me her address, that would be helpful. You told me where your grandfather is staying last night."
"Her last name is Bolton. Her address is 2736 Crestmore."
He took out his phone and texted the information to someone, then said, "We'll have a team watching your sister's house and another team at your grandfather's facility until we find out who's behind these attacks on you. Your family won't know they're there. Since your brother is out of state, I wasn't as concerned about him, but if you are, we can get someone to cover him, too."
Her anger dimmed a little in light of what he'd just told her. "I don't think my brother is in danger, but I would appreciate someone watching out for my sister and parents and my grandfather."
"It's done. If you want to tell your family, feel free."
"I will. I need to check in with them anyway." She took a breath. "You seem to have all the answers, Jax. Does your friend work for the FBI, too?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to need to see some proof."
"I can show you my badge. It's in the house." At her hesitation, he repeated, "I would never hurt you, Maya. I hope you can believe that if you can't believe anything else."
She did believe that, God help her. She followed him into the house. He pulled his badge out of a safe that was hidden under the window seat. She caught a glimpse of some other items inside, one of which was a passport, but there was also currency that wasn't U.S. The reality of his job hit her in the face.
"Here you go." He handed her his badge.
"Special Agent Jax Kenin," she read aloud. "You use your real name undercover?"
"Sometimes."
She handed him back his badge. "I guess that looks real. Not that I've ever seen one before. But why did you keep stopping me from talking to the police when you're in law enforcement?"
"Because it would complicate my cover. But my team has already been in touch with the local police. They'll be coordinating