Page 86 of The Last Promise You Made

Enrique shoved himself away from the counter. “I’ll take the first watch.” He glanced at my brother and asked, “Your team has the property perimeter?”

Maddox looked exhausted. “We’re spread pretty thin, but I’ve called over to Sheriff Scully in the next county to see if he can spare us some bodies.”

Enrique and Gia shared a look before the DEA agent said, “If we need outside help, we should bring in more of the task force rather than explain the situation to people we haven’t vetted.”

Something about that man raised my hackles. “Where were you today?”

Enrique raised a brow. “I don’t report to you.”

And without another word, he walked out, leaving a vibe in the air I couldn’t quite place.

Maddox looked over at me. “I’m heading back to make sure everything from Addy’s room gets processed. They want samples of DNA and fingerprints so they can rule out anyone in the family. I’ll need yours, Gia. I’ll get Barry to keep it off the books, but he can use the sample of Addy’s they already have.”

“Excuse me?” Gia hissed out. “No one is supposed to have Addy’s DNA. I didn’t even let the Colorado PD run it in the middle of a murder investigation.”

Maddox tossed me a chagrinned look that was decidedly like Mila’s when she’d ratted me out for feeding her ice cream for breakfast. “I’ll run Mila out to the ranch so she can keep Addy preoccupied until you’re ready for her here. Tell me when, and I’ll drop her off.”

Then, he practically ran out the door, leaving me with one pissed-off NSA analyst.

Her eyes sparked, and it ignited the flame in me that had been simmering all day, waiting for the right time to burst. It washed over me as if it was cleansing me, taking every remaining thought of Ravyn and burning it away. Nothing of my ex existed. Instead, I hungered for another taste of Gia. I wanted to experience again the sounds she’d made while I’d had my tongue inside her mouth. It hadn’t been memories of Ravyn that had tormented me all day. It had been Gia.

I closed the distance between us, and she didn’t back up. Instead, she raised her chin. All challenge. All defiance. All control I wanted to destroy with my hands and lips, by pummeling inside her until she broke apart in ecstasy.

Chapter Twenty-six

Gia

HELL OF A MAN

Performed by Ella Langley

Annoyance rippled through me as I narrowed my gaze at Ryder, trying to ignore the way his eyes dilated and his warm breath coasted over me. He stood so close that I’d barely need to move to kiss him. Those thoughts only amped up my irritation. “You had her tested? I told you we couldn’t afford for her to be in the system.”

“Maddox’s guy did it for us without entering it anywhere. No names.”

“Yeah, well, what if he’s working for the Lovatos?”

“He doesn’t even know who was being tested. And besides, he isn’t.”

My temper flared. “You can doubt Enrique, but I can’t doubt your guy? I know literally shit about this lab rat. How do you know he isn’t flagged in our system as a known cartel associate? You don’t get to make these kinds of decisions about my case without me.”

“Your case!” His hands went to either side of me on the counter, chest leaning into my space even more. “Your case just happens to center around my daughter. A person. An actual human being, not just some fucking code in a computer, or evidence to log, or a piece of leverage to use.”

“Do you actually believe I’d put her at risk to solve this?” I demanded, hurt cresting deep inside me.

“I think you’re very good at your job, and that means lying and conniving and pushing until you get what you want.”

His face dropped even closer to mine until our lips were almost touching. My skin broke out in goosebumps, gaze dropping to his mouth. It was set in a firm line I knew to be deceptively smooth when pressed against mine.

I swallowed hard, pressing past the attraction to keep my annoyance at the forefront as I tossed back, “I know you mean that as an insult, but screw you. I am good at my job. The fact I know where to push and pull is a good thing. But I also try to be as honest as possible because it’s hard to keep your lies straight otherwise. So don’t take your trust issues out on me—the one person trying to figure this out for you. For all of us. Do I want to chop off the head of the snake and rid our country of one more ugly cartel? Damn straight. I’ll be proud as hell when we do, but I would never jeopardize Addy to get it done.”

I hated that my voice cracked at the end of my little tirade.

His hands moved from the counter, gripped my waist, and tugged me into his chest just as his mouth landed on mine. This kiss was like our first one. Brutal and angry and frustrated. Seeking retribution. I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me or Ravyn or life in general. But it didn’t matter. My body ignited. I wrapped my arms around his neck, angled my mouth to accept the onslaught of his, and got lost in waves of longing.

The intensity of what I felt, locked in this fierce embrace, was nothing I’d ever felt before, and somehow, instinctively, I knew I’d never feel it again. This man, who appeared gruff and callous and severe on the outside, was burning up with love and regrets and sorrow on the inside.

I wanted to take it all away.

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