Page 38 of Bait

She sneers at the both of us before she whirls, whipping her cell phone out. Ana crumples behind me, and when I turn, I can see tears in her eye.

“I—I’m so sorry,” she whispers fiercely, fighting back tears.

“You havenothingto be sorry about, baby girl,” I growl.

“I do! I—your job! They’re going to—”

“They’re not going to do a damn thing, beautiful,” I say quietly as a grin spreads over my face.

“Oliver, I’m astudent. I might be eighteen, but I’m still a—”

“Do you trust me?”

She stops, her brow furrowing as she looks at me curiously.

“Yes,” she says quietly. “I mean, of course I do.”

“Then I need to tell you something, something that’s going to change all of this.”

“How? Oliver, I’m astudent—”

“And I’m not really a teacher.”

She blinks, and the air between us hangs for second as she processes what I just said.

“What?”

“Ana, I’m not a teacher. I mean, I am, but not really.”

“What are you talking—”

“Ana, I work for the FBI.”

Everything goes quiet, and she just stares at me for what feels like an eternity, before she slowly opens her mouth.

“You’re joking, right?”

I shake my head. “No, baby, I—”

“But youwork here.”

“Cover,” I growl quietly. “I had to establish cover.”

“And me?” she snaps. “Am I part your little pretend story?!”

“Fuck no,” I growl, wrapping her in my arms and pulling her into me.

“Ana, you’re nothing I ever saw coming. You’re nothing I was even looking for, and then suddenly, there you fucking were, and now I can’t even imagine my world without you in it.”

She swallows, raking her teeth over her bottom lip as her big blue eyes lock with mine.

“You’re really with the FBI.”

“I really am.”

She smiles, looking away as she shakes her head. “What the hell is FBI doing at Winchester Academy?”

My mouth tightens. “This.”

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