“Stop apologizing.” She stepped around the body and placed her finger on his lips. “I love you. Nothing will change that.” She clutched his arms and kissed him.
“Police!” Officers barged in, weapons drawn.
Jarrett shoved Marissa behind him as several armed men spread through the living room and other parts of the house.
“Everything’s fine here.” Harold moved in front of Jarrett and Marissa. “But two perps escaped on foot. They’ve probably reached a vehicle by now.” He nodded at the body on the floor. “That’s the man who attacked my wife. He and the others took all of us hostage.”
“Who shot him, Lieutenant?” One cop holstered his weapon, and his fellow officers did the same.
“I did.” Jarrett scanned the officer’s badge for his name and rank.
The sergeant’s eyes widened. “What the hell...Joel?”
Damned if it’s not a small town.He flipped open his ID badge. “It’sJarrett, but you can call me Special Agent Brandt.”
The officer stiffened. “Let’s give the guys some room to work.” He escorted them to the foyer as the other cops analyzed the crime scene.
Jarrett hung back as Marissa and his dad grabbed their coats and scarves from the rack. Too bad he hadn’t called Whittaker when he had the chance. He shrugged into his jacket and followed the others outside. Flashing blue lights from the police cruisers lit up the night like at the end of an action movie, but his troubles were far from over. The pervasive cold seeped into his bones. No matter what happened, he would keep Marissa and the others safe—even if it cost him his life.
****
“Enough already.” Jarrettmassaged his pounding temples the following morning. Did she intend to nag him to death? Jesus. “I’m a professional. I know what I’m doing.”
Marissa slammed her coffee mug on the counter with a harsh clank. Her squeaky sneakers grated on his nerves as she paced from the fridge to the china cabinet and back again.
“Aw, hell.” He left the small breakfast table where his father guzzled coffee to step in front of Marissa. “I’m sorry. Trust me, all right? The plan is solid.” The tears in her eyes threatened to unman him. He’d do almost anything to see her smile, but he wouldn’t go against Whittaker’s orders. Too much was at stake. He hugged her and sniffed her tousled, cookie-scented hair. So damn sweet. “I never meant for this to happen.”
She fisted his T-shirt and the lapels of his open button-down shirt. “You should’ve told the police everything. They could’ve issued a warrant for Ackermann’s arrest.”
“Yeah, and Whittaker would throw me out of the agency for destroying a three-year internal affairs operation.” His chest clenched. Thank God he’d opted to keep Bill’s confession on the down-low.
After he’d given his semi-true statement to the police, he called Special Agent in Charge Darryl Whittaker, the head of the San Francisco field division, and gave him a quick run-down. Then Whittaker dropped a bombshell—Internal Affairs was already investigating Ackermann but had only unearthed circumstantial evidence so far.
Ridiculous. Whittaker should’ve told him everything from the start. After all the shit he’d done to prove himself to the agency, that need-to-know crap rankled like a burr up his ass. Not that he should talk since he’d kept the local PD in the dark.
Agents from the Seattle DEA office had arrived later and took Jarrett’s mother and nephew into protective custody.
If only Marissa and his dad had gone with them. Where they took his loved ones—who knew?—but they were safe. Nothing else mattered.
“Please try to understand. Ackermann has paid off the right people and destroyed all paper trails. On the surface, he’s innocent of any wrongdoing, so Whittaker wants a verbal confession. Without that, the DEA can’t arrest him. And a judge would never sign a warrant for a federal agent at the request of some podunk police department.”
Harold scoffed.
Jarrett rolled his eyes. “This will be over soon. I’ll get Ackermann’s confession, and before long, someone will find Consuelo. Everything will go back to normal.”
She smacked his chest. “What if you need backup, like a SWAT team? What if—”
“I can take care of myself against one man.”
“The Seattle feds should deal with this. It’s their jurisdiction.”
How many times did they have to go over this? As long as no one shed civilian blood or involved drugs, the Seattle feds had agreed to stand down and let the San Francisco agents deal with Ackermann. So what if Jarrett was the only agent in town?
“Whittaker and his team are on their way.” He gripped her arms. “No one hurts you or anyone I care about. Ackermann made the worst mistake of his life when he betrayed me. I won’t stop until his ass is mine.”
Marissa jerked from his grasp. “You’re so damn arrogant.”
“Yeah, I am, and for good reason. Ackermann doesn’t realize the assassin leaked his name. He doesn’t know that he’s under investigation. He’s cocky and oblivious—an easy target.”
