“Why were you shot?”
“It’s not important.”
“Don’t leave, Jarrett. Don’t run because I’m getting too deep.”
He fisted his hands. “People want me dead, okay? I need to stay under the radar.”
Her mouth dropped open. No, he couldn’t be serious. She twisted her fingers together as something flinty burned in Jarrett’s eyes.
“I returned because I wanted to make peace with Joel. I didn’t want to see you. I didn’t want to meet Jason. I knew that I’d be stuck here if I did, that you would drag me down. Leaving after that would be too damn hard.”
“I’m confused. You said you missed me, loved me, and now you claim you didn’t want to see me.” Tears stung her eyes. “Why did you sleep with me?”
“Because I love you. I don’twantto leave now. I want to be a father to your son. That can’t happen, though. The people who want me dead will eventually find me if the police don’t catch them first. The only thing I have in my corner is that they don’t know my real name. Everything they know about me is a lie, which buys me time.”
“If they come here searching for you, would I be in danger if I know your secrets?”
“Yes.”
Marissa flung up her arms. “Bad guys don’t care about that. I’m your past, your baggage. They’ll kill everyone you love for revenge, despite what we know. If you want to protect Jason and me, tell me the truth, so I can better prepare if they come.”
His eyes bugged out. “Prepare? Are you fucking crazy? You can’t prepare.”
“You have to stay then. If only you know how these criminals operate, only you can protect us.”
“Aren’t you scared of me?” He drew back his shoulders as though she would curse or slap him.
“I am scared, but not of you. I won’t scurry away like a mouse at the first sign of trouble.”
He scrubbed his hands down his face. “I’ve killed people, Marissa. Youshouldscurry away like a smart little mouse.”
The air in her lungs froze before she forced out the breath and dragged in another. “How did you get mixed up in something like that?” She backed closer to the door. No, stop. She wouldn’t run from him. This wasJarrett—the boy she’d met in first grade, her lab partner in her seventh-grade science class, the cocky teenager who’d swept her off her feet. He wasn’t a monster, no matter his sins.
“I have two scenarios.” She stalked right up to him. “One—you were involved in some kind of mob or gang. You fell in by choice or mistake and killed good people because you had to. If you killed bad people, well, that explains why others want you dead.” She crossed her arms over her chest to hold back the pain welling inside her. “Two—you’re a cop. You went undercover, and the shit hit the fan. Now there’s a bounty on your head. Either way, you’re running for your life. I don’t believe, not for an instant, that you killed willingly or for fun. You did so because you had no other choice. I’m not a fool, so don’t play me as one.”
He barked out a laugh. “No, you’re definitely not.”
“Criminals have resources. They’ll discover who you are sooner or later.”
“They’ll be in custody before they do.”
“How can you be so arrogant?”
“Confident.” Jarrett stroked her cheek and pushed a lock of her curly hair behind her ear. “It’s a mixture of one and two. What I’m about to tell you cannot go beyond us.” He stepped back and hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans. “Did you hear about the shootout in New Mexico last week?”
“Yeah, of course. It’s online and all over the news.”
“What do you know?”
“Why does it matter?” His narrowing eyes quickened her pulse. She rubbed the back of her neck. “The DEA raided a smuggling facility outside of Albuquerque and confiscated a lot of cocaine and money. An undercover agent is responsible for the bust.” Another round of goosebumps prickled her skin as her stomach sank. “No, you’re not the agent.”
“I’m with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Long story short, the San Francisco police picked me up for burglary and the intent to possess seven years ago. The feds took over the case and offered me a deal—do a job for them, and I walk.” He withdrew a slim black billfold from his backpack and handed it over. “I’d already quit using, but my life was still a mess. I was so close to breaking. With the feds breathing down my neck, I stayed clean while undercover and finally realized what I wanted to do with my life. After they expunged my record, I convinced my superiors to keep me on the staff. I had nothing else to live for.”
Wow. The identification card and badge weighed heavy in her hand. She traced the smooth metal emblem with her fingertip as the light coming from the window glinted off it.
“The feds locked up my friends, and I feared I might slip back into my old lifestyle without the job keeping me in line. If not for Agent Ackermann backing me, I’d probably be dead or in prison.”
“So you don’t work construction?” How lame, but her mind was short-circuiting.
