“Yep.” I’d had enough excitement for one day and had absolutely no trouble staying in the warm truck and out of the rain. The chips were the good barbecue kind, too.
Aiden’s phone dinged, and he handed it over to me so I could field a phone call from my sister, Donna. The family was trying to keep my involvement in the earlier explosion a secret, but soon word would be out. The next article from Jolene would be landing, no doubt. Hopefully she would at least double-check her facts this time and not make things up.
Donna sighed. “Why are you still with Aiden? I thought the three of us were going to have a sister’s night. Tessa is already asleep on my sofa.”
I grinned. “It’s hard to keep her awake unless we’re doing something. We’re still here. Let’s do a sister’s night next weekend.”
“I got the scoop on Bud from Cal Carisea, who works in the courthouse. Bud is definitely married, and his wife is a spitfire who’s now in town. I’m hoping we get to meet her,” Donna said.
“Me, too,” I agreed. “Sorry he’s married, though.”
“I’m not. It’s a good thing. We can’t be with a guy who’s scared of our family.” Donna sounded cheerful about it.
Good. She was right, too. Family was always around.
“Are you sure you’re safe?” she asked.
“Yeah.” For now, Barensky didn’t know I was alive, and I was fine with that. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.”
She said ‘bye’ and hung up.
For now, I needed to say a couple of things to Aiden. “With us scrambling all day, I didn’t get a chance to thank you for staying with me and diffusing the bomb earlier. I’ve never seen anybody be so calm in a situation like that,” I murmured.
“It’s my job to stay calm in situations like that.” Aiden lowered the binoculars and stared out the side window.
I tried again. “I know, but I’m more than a job. I mean, it meant everything that you stayed.” Yeah, he probably would’ve stayed for anybody, but he was my boyfriend. “I just wanted to say thank you.”
He turned toward me, and even through the darkness, the brilliance of his blue eyes shone. “You’re my angel. I’m not going to leave you alone in danger, and I’m sure not going to let a bomb get you.”
My heart turned over. Probably twice. His sweetness was so natural. “Also, about Kurt. He was running toward us with his gun out,” I said, reliving the day.
Aiden nodded. “Kurt saw you leaving the courthouse after the bombing and went on instinct. He was trying to protect you.”
I stared into the darkness. “So I guess he’s back on the team?”
“No, he’s still going to LA, but I gave him a commendation.” Aiden chewed on a chip. “We’re solid, but he still screwed up in the one area I can’t allow. You.”
Man, his sweet side was killing me.
His radio crackled. “We have movement coming from the southern gate. One individual. Suspect parked outside the fence and is proceeding on foot inside. Saber, out.”
“Received,” Aiden said, lifting his binoculars again to peer through them. “No visual as of yet.”
Anticipation rushed through me, and I leaned toward the front window, squinting to see through the rain. A dark figure, barely visible, moved toward the open grave only yards from us. The grave had been dug just that morning, and outdoor green carpet had been laid over the hole to keep the rain away. A small tent protected chairs that would be brought out for the funeral this coming morning.
“Everyone hold tight,” Aiden ordered through the radio.
The figure, hunched over with a duffel slung over his bony shoulder, ducked his head from the rain. He methodically walked between grave markers until finally reaching the carpet covering the open one. Leaning over, he gently lowered the dark duffel bag to the ground before straightening and looking around.
Aiden pressed the button on the radio. “Move in. All move in.” He flicked the lights on his truck to bright, illuminating the grave. Then he jumped out of the truck and slammed the door.
Even though the rain, I could hear “ATF, stop,” coming from every direction. The team moved in swiftly, lights on, guns out like a coordinated dance.
With the lights on, it was easy to identify the figure as Norman Barensky. He whipped around with nowhere to go. When he caught sight of Aiden coming at him, his shoulders went back.
Aiden reached him and flipped him around so fast his thin hair flew. Then Aiden had the bomber cuffed in seconds.
Barensky said something that had Aiden’s mouth tightening. Aiden shook him and leaned down to say something in his ear. Then my badass ATF SRT agent boyfriend looked at me and gestured that it was safe for me to approach.
