Page 43 of Girl Betrayed

There was no accusation in Claire’s voice, but Jake felt it all the same. “Claire, I never wanted this life for either of you. If I knew what would come of all of this, I never would’ve set foot in the Smithsonian.”

She gave him a tight smile. “Yes you would. It’s what you do. Actually, it’s what we all do, I guess. We bring light to the darkness in the world.”

Jake nodded, knowing she was right. He talked a good game, but he’d been given a direct order to bring Dana onto that FBI case with Cramer. Of course, he hadn’t known his former boss’s motive at the time, but back then Jake wasn’t one to disobey orders. And even though he wished he could’ve spared Dana and Claire the pain being thrust into his life had caused them, he didn’t know how to reconcile the fact that he’d do it all again, if it meant having them in his life. The alternative was too damn depressing.

The only thing he could do now was try to make amends.

“Well, technically, I’m still on leave, and it looks like you’ve got some free time. Maybe it’s time to take that trip to New Orleans.”

Claire perked up. “Really?”

“Yeah, why not? I’ve got an old Army buddy who lives there. We could reconnect while you and Dana do your thing.”

“I would love that.”

“Yeah?” A ghost of a smile played on Jake’s lips. “Me too. It’d be nice to get things back to normal.”

Claire gave him a heavy dose of side eye. “You’re calling vampire research normal now?”

“Okay, so maybe not normal, but normal enough for a couple of occult librarians,” he snarked.

Claire frowned. “I’m not actually a librarian. I should be, but after dropping out of my PhD program and getting fired, I’m not really sure where I stand.”

“Dana said she’d have you back when you’re ready. And school will be there when you’re ready, too.”

“But what if I’m never ready?” Claire asked, her mood suddenly somber.

“Hey, you will be. We’re gonna get through this. Me and Dana are here to help you. And if you don’t think Dr. Dvita is the right fit, we’ll find you someone else or no one else if you think that’s better.”

“No, I want to keep seeing Dr. Dvita. He’s helping me face my addiction and learn how to cope with my trauma.”

“You sure? ‘Cause he didn’t exude a whole lot of bedside manner from what I saw. With Passages shut down it might not hurt to get a second opinion.”

Claire gave him a knowing look. “You mean while you do a background check on Dvita?”

He held his hands up to convey innocence. “No one said anything about that.”

“You forget I’m on your laptop, Secret Agent Man. You should really wipe your search history more often.”

Jake pulled the FBI issued laptop away from her. “Hey, can you blame me? I look out for the people I love. That includes you.”

Claire blinked her big blue eyes like Jake had just told her the earth was flat. “You love me?”

“Of course. You and Dana are family.”

Claire looked down, her cheeks blushing. “Earlier, when you came running into the kitchen in a towel, I kinda got the feeling you and Dana were more than just family.”

“Would that be so bad?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I kinda like things the way they are.”

Sensing Claire was less than receptive to the conversation, Jake changed the subject. “Well, I guess we’ve got enough on our plates as they are. Speaking of plates, I’m starving. Wanna place a to-go order for Dana to pick up?”

Claire brightened. “Thaiphoon?”

“You know it!”

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