Page 167 of Unforgettable

“I promise, sis, this is the last time I’m ever going to see that disappointed look on your face.”

Reed and I stepped out of the school, but I was still on edge. The sun had been replaced by the moon, which was low in the sky. And the high temperatures had given way to the slightly cooler night air.

The officer and DEA agent in charge of the joint team approached us not long after Adam walked away. And as I was in the middle of stuttering another apology to Reed, who wouldn’t hear it.

They explained only the details they could, which wasn’t much since the investigation was still ongoing.

The older man and younger woman explained that they weren’t aware CJ would come after us. The plan—which we were not privy to—didn’t include him leaving the safe house. Apparently, CJ was the only one in on his own plan to find the money through other methods—namely, Reed through me. They said that Adam only mentioned Reed casually and not, in their opinion, enough for them to think he’d be in any danger.

But neither Reed nor I were satisfied with their answers. Especially Reed, who was brimming with rage and hung on to me tighter as he berated the officer and agent for their lack of planning and responsibility.

After several minutes of subtle threats from my irate boyfriend, I stepped in, trying to finish the conversation.

“Well, now we all know that we would’ve probably preferred the cast ofCriminal MindsorLaw & Orderto the two of you. But not much we can do about your incompetence now. Either way, I’m gonna go home, fuck my boyfriends, and then take a hot-ass bath. I think that’s how you celebrate surviving a near-death experience.” I’d left the room without looking back.

“I shouldn’t be surprised by anything you say anymore,” Reed mumbled into my hair, carrying my bags and still keeping me close with an arm around my shoulders. The doors clicked softly closed behind us, and we both took long, deep breaths.

“You shouldn’t, but we’re going to have to figure out how to tell Josh about all of this.”

The words had barely left my lips when someone began yelling to our left. And like my need to see him had summoned him from thin air, I lifted my head to find Josh running toward us across the parking lot.

“Josh, I—” My words were knocked away as he barreled into me. He cradled me to his chest with one hand while the other reached behind me and tugged Reed as close as possible. His warm, sunshine scent overwhelmed everything else around me, and I settled into it. Being cocooned by my two men was undoubtedly the safest place I’d ever been. The three of us were an impenetrable force, unwavering against anything and anyone.

“You two—fuck—” With his cheek pressed against the top of my head, his voice broke over a sob. He stroked his hand down my back and then stepped back, lifting it shakily to my face.

His eyes were glassy and rimmed with red. And my heart shattered at the sight. He opened his mouth to speak again, but his jaw quivered. Quietly, he stuttered a shaking breath, his eyes stormy and pleading.

From behind me, Reed’s hand appeared against Josh’s cheek and then wrapped around the back of his neck. Their eyes met over my head.

“Told you I’d take care of her,” he said quietly, snaking his other arm around my hip and pulling us all even closer.

“Adam called me. He was only on the phone long enough to ask me if I was there. He… umm… he hung up before I could ask any other questions, but I drove straight here either way. When I pulled up and saw the cop cars and vans, it was like the beginning of my worst nightmare. Like it was all going to happen again. Knowing that both of you were in there, and I had no idea—”

His voice shook, and I cupped his other cheek in my hand. His scruff scraped against my palm, and I urged his eyes to meet mine with a soft squeeze.

“We’re here. We’re fine.”

“You could have just as easily not been fine,” he argued. “I can’t,” he continued in a softer tone. “I can’t lose anyone else.”

One single tear spilled down my cheek. My broken, sunshine man wasn’t ever going to lose anyone else. Not if I had a say in it. “Luckily, it didn’t go that way, okay?” My voice wavered slightly, and at first, he wasn’t convinced. But the longer we stood there together, the more he relaxed. The fear slowly dissipated and was replaced with the same relief finally beginning to flow through me.

“I’m going to kill your brother,” he muttered.

“Not unless you beat me to it.”

“Me three.”

“And fucking CJ?” he added and then scrubbed a hand through his hair, making each strand stick up in several directions. “I never liked him. Mostly because I thought he wanted you, not Reed’s money or leverage, but still, I can’t believe it.”

“How do you know about that?”

“I’ve been pestering everyone out here since I got here. They finally gave me some sort of information. The rest of it I overheard.”

“Doesn’t seem like he’s going to be going anywhere soon, though,” Reed murmured, and we all watched CJ get loaded into the back of one of the DEA vans. The van door slamming was music to my ears.

“Let’s go home,” Josh muttered, and I smiled.

“Yes,” Reed chimed in with a decadent smile. “Amanda’s already decided what exactly is happening when we get there, too.”

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