Page 28 of My Temptation

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “I could give you a hand.”

She was trying to arrange exactly what I was trying to avoid. Shaking my head, I turned toward the door and replied while I was walking. “Sorry. The shit I need to do, I have to do on my own. See you tonight.”

“You picking me up?”

I closed my eyes briefly before reaching for the door handle. “Yeah.”

“See you at seven.”

I mumbled, “Yeah,” and quickly left, putting some much-needed space between us. Maybe I couldn’t do this anymore. I could always call Brody and request a new assignment. I was sure Kyle could handle the shit I was doing and was probably better trained for it.

It was the most logical decision.

So why the hell did it piss me off to think of her and Kyle working that closely?

8

MILA

“Well, that was a bust,” I muttered as soon as Ethan closed the driver’s door, and we both settled into the front seat of his truck.

“Thought it might be,” he admitted. “I would’ve been surprised if Skinner showed his face at Hank’s.”

I realized that when I suggested Hank’s, knowing the local bar was loaded with FBI agents and cops because the owner of Hank’s was a retired agent himself, but it was still the only place Striker would agree to. He was too protective of her to let anything, or anyone, get close, making our jobs nearly impossible.

He put the truck in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. “Still want to go to the house?”

“Might as well,” I answered. “We’re not making headway by just sitting on this. We need to force him to make a move or dig until we find what we need.”

I cleared my throat. “Did you get the impression something was going on between Striker and Beth?”

He glanced my way before facing the windshield again. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think they may have left their old relationship behind and are starting something new.”

He was quiet for a minute. “Yeah, I can see that. Striker’s been different lately. He seems...”

I finished his thought. “More open.”

He nodded. “Yeah, and more engaged with the team.” He snorted. “He even asked me how I was doing, which he never has before.” He glanced my way again, his expression serious. “But don’t tell him I told you that.”

I chuckled. “I won’t.?Dealing with Striker is like approaching a scared animal.”

This time, he laughed, and the sound engulfed me. I couldn’t explain why, but making Ethan laugh was a highlight for me. He’d been a little short with me lately, and the friendship I’d hoped we’d been developing seemed like it was becoming less likely, but maybe I’d been wrong.

“I can’t believe Striker has a sister. And that she showed up at the office looking for him.”

Ethan glanced at me before facing the road again. “Kyle said he’s not handling it well.”

“Why not?”

“Guess his childhood was bad. His mom left him and hooked up with Bridget Hollis’s dad. His mom was an addict, though, so she didn’t stick around to raise Bridget either.”

“What made her start looking for Striker?”

“Kyle said her dad died,” Ethan explained. “She didn’t have any other family, so when she found out about Striker, she wanted to get to know him.”

“Hmm…” I sighed. “That’s sad. I hope Striker gives her a chance.”

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