“Maybe you should be surprised that I can walk this morning,” she tried to joke, but it fell flat when Drew leveled his gaze on her.
“That's the problem, Dani. You can always walk. No matter what happens, what you ignore or leave behind, you can always walk. For as smart as you are, Dani, sometimes you don't have a clue.” She opened her mouth to protest but Drew stopped her with his next question. “What happens, Dani, when you find him?”
She didn't need to clarify who ‘him’ was, but the abrupt shift caught her off guard.
“What do you mean what happens?” She was confused. Was Drew asking or was he trying to tell her something?
“I mean just that, Dani. When we find this man—the man who killed your parents—what will you do? And I don't mean at that moment, or even a week later. I mean with your life.”
Her heart rate kicked up at the question. She took a deep breath and willed the rising panic to subside. Panic because, truth be told, she hadn't ever thought beyond tracking and catching the man responsible for her parents' murders. It had been her singular goal since the day the fog cleared from her mind after their deaths. She'd been lost for so long after they died and finding the man with the blue eyes—the man she'd watched assassinate her parents in their own living room—became her reason to live. What would happen after she found him? And why was Drew bringing it up now?
She frowned. “I…I don't—” she searched Drew's eyes for a hint of what he was looking for. She didn't like the sadness staring back at her.
He raised his hand to stop her and shook his head. “Think about it, Dani. If you're as close as you think you are to finding him, I suggest you figure it out soon.”
She tilted her head and studied him. His unusual request that she go on the surveillance field trip, tumbled through her mind. “What does this have to do with Ty?” she asked.
His sigh irritated her, like he knew something she didn't. “Maybe something, maybe nothing.”
“Maybe something? I told you it's fine, there's nothing to worry about.” The words were confident. Thank god she knew how to lie.
Drew made an annoyed, dismissive gesture with his hands as he turned back to the closet and adjusted his shirts. “Sure, fine, whatever, Dani. Just make sure it stays that way.”
Now he was starting to piss her off. “Meaning?” she demanded.
He spun around and stared hard. When he spoke next, his words were deliberate.
“We need Getz in order to close in on Smythe and we need to know if we're going to have a major international incident, not to mention a possible terrorist attack. Whatever the hell is or is not going on between you and the detective, deal with it and make damn sure it doesn't interfere with this investigation. In any way.”
Dani leaned back, stunned by the intensity of Drew's warning, by the fact that he issued the warning at all. Then, something shifted in the room.
“Dani,” he said and took a conciliatory step toward her.
She vaulted off the bed and took a step backward, toward the door, as he took another toward her.
“Fuck you, Drew,” she replied, hoping he didn't hear the quiver in her voice.
Down the hall, Dani slammed the door to her own room behind her. She felt like an unruly teenager, which pissed her off even more. Drew was out of line. He had no right to think her personal life would ever interfere with an investigation. It never had before, and it never would. And that Drew thought it might on this particular investigation really pissed her off. He knew how personal this case was to her, how it might give her a chance for some closure after all these years. He knew.
And yet he still felt justified in insinuating she'd let anything interfere with that.
Drew was supposed to be her friend. That he seemed more worried about Ty—that she would hurt Ty or do something that might make his working with the team difficult—made her furious.
Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she tugged on her jacket, she paused. Looking at her reflection, she forced herself to be honest. That Drew seemed more worried about Ty didn't make her angry. No, she felt betrayed. She didn't like that he seemed to think she could hurt someone else without a second thought, like she