CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Falls Church, VA
Thursday, 7:50 p.m.
SCOTT COULD HARDLY BEAR THE shock, anger, and confusion on Valerie’s beautiful face. But he couldn’t think of another option to keep her safe. If Hollowell’s men were outside, especially a sniper, they didn’t stand a chance if they left the apartment.
But if the police showed up, Hollowell’s guys wouldn’t come anywhere near them. Scott hoped.
He relayed his address to the woman on the phone.
“Is Valerie Sanchez with you?” the operator asked, her tone as calm and bland as if asking about the weather. Despite the situation, he couldn’t help but admire her professionalism.
“No.” Scott cleared his throat. “No, we split up.”
Valerie reached for the doorknob, but he grabbed her arm through the thick jacket. “Wait,” he mouthed, not letting go.
“Do you have any weapons in the home?”
“Just a knife,” he told the operator. “I left it in the bedroom.”
“There are several units on their way to you now. When they arrive—”
He hung up. Sirens were already audible from several blocks away and he needed to talk to Valerie.
“Are you crazy?” she cried.
“Probably. This is the only way I could think of to keep Hollowell’s men from getting to us first.”
She stared at him.
“If they see the cops, they’ll stay back. Hollowell wants us dead, not caught, but they’re not stupid.”
Her expression might have softened a fraction, but she was still pissed. “Then I’ll turn myself in too.”
“No. We don’t have any evidence yet and you’re the only one of us with the skills to get it. You can’t do that from jail, baby.” Jail.Fuck.
She sobbed. “You promised you’d stay with me.”
He closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. God, he didn’t want to give her up. Not now, not ever. But he couldn’t let the cops—or Hollowell—have her. He slipped a hand behind her head and said, “You can do this.” He punctuated his words with a quick kiss. “Ineedyou to do this. It’s the only way we both get out of this alive.”
“But what if he can get to you in jail?” she whispered.
“I can take care of myself,” he said, not denying her concern. Or alleviating it.
“You realize Dan’s going to get in trouble too.”
Dammit.Scott honestly hadn’t given his friend a thought, but what choice did he have now? “Once we’re acquitted, he should be fine.”
She bit her lip and hesitated, but she must have decided that his option was the best choice they had under the circumstances. Her gaze strayed to the floor and she nodded. “Okay.”
“Valerie,” he said, her name light and fragile and precious on his tongue, like a new snowflake. Leaning in, he kissed her hard and deep with a dizzying intensity that left them both panting. “No matter what happens,” he rested his forehead against hers, “I love you. Nothing changes that.”
“I love you, too,” she said, without hesitation. The look in her eyes was both fierce and full of anguish.
He wanted to cry.
Reaching under his jacket, he whipped the HOG’s tooth over his head. “Take this.” He looped it around her neck and tucked it inside her jacket. “For luck.”
