Page 96 of Lock ’N’ Load

Kade also told her how Matt and Sheba had tracked her via the locator on her charm bracelet. She should have been mad at Matt for tagging her with a tracker without her knowledge, but it had saved her life.

Trista swallowed the lump in her throat. Part of her would always miss that piece of jewelry.

Markus and Eric had been the ones to drive her to Bonnie and Kevin’s when she’d been released the next day. The rest of Matt’s friends had sent flowers and humorous cards that put a brief smile on her face.

Days later, the lab analysis report had revealed the contents of the syringe Lukashin had been about to stick her with—concentrated digitalis. It had been no surprise after what Hentz had told them about Lukashin’s proclivity for using poison as a murder weapon.

She shuddered at how close she’d come to dying. If Matt and Sheba hadn’t burst in and saved her, the rezidentura would have murdered her and buried her in the old cemetery on the grounds of the psychiatric center.

Easing into a hamstring stretch, she tried not to think about the vivid description Dayne had given her of the many unmarked graves in the psychiatric center’s cemetery. Lukashin had been burying his victims there for years. An FBI work crew would be out there with a backhoe for months pulling out bodies, many of which were nothing more than bones that would have to be identified by dental records.

She shielded her eyes from the late-morning sun, wondering how the rezidentura and his thug’s hearing had turned out yesterday in federal court. Lukashin could be facing murder charges for Thomas George and two FBI agents. Due to the myriad of debriefing meetings, Trista had been unable to attend the funerals for Donald and Angie, but she’d sent flowers and condolence cards to their families. They’d died trying to save her, and she would never forget their ultimate sacrifice.

Both Lukashin and his surviving henchman could also be facing other charges—attempted murder for what had gone down at the psychiatric center and likely others relating to the bodies in the unmarked graves. Wayne and Genevieve had assured her they would notify her of the outcome when the hearing concluded, but the phone had been oddly quiet last evening.

As predicted, the Russian government refused to waive the rezidentura’s immunity, but the attorney general refused to back down. Trista shook her head in amazement. Lukashin was now linked to multiple murders, yet the case would undoubtedly be tied up in diplomacy and the courts for years.

She inhaled deeply, loving mornings like this. No cares or worries other than working out and reloading all sorts of new programs onto her brand-new personal laptop.

Going back to work had been difficult. Every morning when she went through Langley’s doors, her eyes automatically flew to the uniformed officer, both relieved and disappointed it wasn’t Matt. She’d heard he and Sheba had been temporarily reassigned to a pre-election security detail, one of the ones his friends were in town working. It’s just as well. After what had passed between them, seeing him every morning would have been torture.

She picked up the newspaper, then went inside. Bonnie and Kevin slept in late Saturday mornings, so she normally had this time to herself. Poofy jumped onto the seat beside her, purring, and she absently scratched his head. The front page contained yet another article about Senator Ashburn.

As promised, the senator had gone public with his story, and since the entire world now knew about his past—as well as the Russian attempt to blackmail him—the threat to Trista’s life had been eliminated. Luckily for Senator Ashburn, the Berkeley County, West Virginia, DA’s office had declined to prosecute for the forty-year-old death of the senator’s abusive father, and both Senator Ashburn’s party and his constituents had rallied around him, urging him to remain in the race. Come Tuesday, it would be up to the American people to decide whom they wanted the next president of the United States to be. Amazing.

Above her, something banged, and she covered her ears. Bonnie and Kevin’s bedroom was directly above the kitchen. “They’re at it again, Poofy.” She caressed the cat’s soft ears. “Those two have more sex than bunnies. We have got to get out of here.” Listening to her friends’ lovemaking was driving her crazy. More to the point, it reminded her of how wonderful it had been to experience that intimacy with Matt. And how I never will again.

Even now, the mere thought of their naked bodies tangling together as he’d driven inside her, making her world explode with erotic sensations she’d only experienced in his arms, made her start to sweat and tremble with desire. There was only one remedy. Cold shower.

Thirty minutes later, freshly showered and with her hair still damp, she opened her bedroom door to find Bonnie in her bathrobe, fist raised, about to knock.

“Don’t tell Kevin I said this, but there’s a hot guy downstairs waiting for you.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “I mean, seriously hot.”

A flash of excitement had her heart thumping a little faster at the thought that Matt had come to see her. The momentary elation was fleeting. If it were Matt, Bonnie would have said so.

“Thanks.” She headed down the stairs to find Nick waiting for her in the living room. When he rose from the sofa, Trista had to agree with Bonnie’s assessment of the man. In her mind, Matt could never be replaced as the hottest guy on the planet, but with Nick’s tall, muscular body and those incredible, penetrating gray eyes, he was seriously hot. And that beautifully smooth, rich voice… If her heart hadn’t already been taken, she may very well have fallen in love with the man for his voice alone.

“Hey, little pixie.” He wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her against his huge body. “How ya holding up?”

“Never better.” A partial lie. Her life was better. Except that Matt wasn’t in it. “Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, tea, or water?”

Nick shook his head. “I came to let you know we all miss you. Sheba even misses that cat of yours.” His gaze swung to where Poofy sat regally on an armchair, looking as if he really did rule over the house.

“And I miss Sheba. How is she?” What she really wanted to ask was how Matt was doing, but he was gone from her life, and that was the way things had to be.

“Sheba’s good.” Nick’s brows bunched in a frown. “What I really came here to talk about is Matt.”

“Is he all right?” She grabbed his arm. Matt was out of her life, but that didn’t mean she didn’t care about his well-being. She’d probably never stop.

“Yes. And no.” He clasped her hand before continuing. “Physically, he’s fine. Mentally, he’s doing better than ever, but he misses you. He’s in love with you.”

She pressed her lips together, fighting back the tears welling behind her eyes. “You’re wrong. He’s not capable of loving me. Of loving anyone.”

“Look, pixie. Matt’s never been in love before, but he is now. With you. Trust me. And I’m guessing you’re in love with him.”

She swallowed the painful lump in her throat. “I can’t be with someone who’s hell-bent on destroying himself.” She tried to rise from the sofa, but he gently tugged her back down.

“Hear me out,” he insisted. “If I’m wrong and you don’t love him, I’ll walk away now, and we’ll call it good. No harm, no foul. Just say the words.”