Janie hugged herself as she stood in front of Emmett’s living room windows. The brown leggings, scrunched socks, and oversized sweater she’d changed into after returning from Echo Team’s office offered less comfort than she’d hoped.
City lights twinkled from the streets below. So many people going this way and that, having no idea what kind of monsters existed in their world. Monsters she was trying to help catch. Killers with powerful connections she feared would make stopping them an impossible, terrifying dream.
“That was Blake.”
She blinked, her focus shifting from the nightlife scenery to Emmett’s reflection in the glass.
“Was he able to find out anything new?”
“Cops found the body of the shooter from the mansion.”
That bit of news sent her heart racing and her body spinning on her heels. “Do they know it was you?”
He came to a stop a few inches away, shoving his hand into the pockets of those panty-dropping sweats. “No.”
“You sound pretty confident of that.”
“Because I am.”
The man never did seem to mince his words.
“How?”
“Because Blake got his information directly from the official police report. It’s still technically open, but it appears as though the plan to conceal what happened that night worked.”
The plan.
Something he’d explained to her the night of the shooting as they were leaving the safe house behind. Though a mansion with fresh bullet holes wasn’t the only thing they’d left in their wake.
“Janie.” Emmett’s soft whisper had her gaze rising back up to his. “It’s okay. There’s no way to trace that man’s body back to us. Trust me.” He moved a tad closer. “This is what we do.”
The meaning behind that statement sent a rush of churning nausea in her gut.
“You move bodies of the people you kill to a different location to keep the cops from knowing what you’ve done?” When he flinched, Janie immediately wished she could take the accusatory words back. “I’m sorry.”
She closed her eyes, hugging herself a bit tighter in the process. Her muscles tensed when warmth from Emmett’s hands made its presence known on her upper arms. But almost immediately, Janie was filled with a sense of comfort she knew only his touch could offer.
“Look at me.”
The words were so soft, they were barely even a whisper. Her innate stubbornness wanted to ignore him, but Janie’s heart refused to deny the man’s request.
She opened her eyes and lifted them up to meet his. Her heart pounded against the inside of her ribs as she waited for whatever would come next.
“Sometimes, in our line of work, we have no choice but to do things we normally wouldn’t for the greater good. If we’d called the cops in after the shooting that night, everyone who’s anyone in this town would’ve gotten the news within minutes. Including the Secret Service and Press Secretary Daley.”
They didn’t know about Daley’s and the Secret Service’s involvement until today, but Emmett’s point was easily understood.
“We still didn’t have any names to connect to it at that point.” She searched his intense stare. “You were trying to protect me.”
He brought a slow hand to her face, resting his palm against her cheek.
“It’s all I’ve been trying to do from the moment we met.”
Her lids fell shut as she leaned into his touch. “I know.”
The breath in her lungs gave a slight hitch when Janie felt his lips press against hers.
“We’re getting closer.”
