Page 73 of Elusive Promise

"That's the only way I know how to work."

She completely understood that. She was exactly the same way. "Leave everything on the field, right?"

He smiled. "Go big or go home. I'm sure your competitive drive would appreciate that."

"Yes. And I'd do the same thing if someone I cared about had died. I'd want what you want—justice. So, are we still working together?"

"Until you pull the rug out from under me again."

"I won't do that. And I trust you won't, either."

He tipped his head. "Deal. Now, I have a very important question for you, Parisa."

"What's that?" she asked warily.

"Do you like tacos?"

"Does anyone not like tacos?" she countered.

"I'll take that as a yes. There's an amazing food truck stop just up the road, and one of those trucks has the best tacos you will ever eat."

"I'm in."

"Why don’t we both turn off our phones? I don't think anyone is tracking us through them, but just to be sure…"

"Done," she said, pulling out her phone. "It's just you and me, Jared."

"Let's try to keep it that way."

Seventeen

Jared didn't know if he could trust Parisa. In fact, all evidence pointed to the fact that heshouldn'ttrust her. But in spite of what had happened earlier, he found himself unable to pull away from her, especially since he'd just spilled his guts about everything.

She might get him killed, or, at the very least, make it impossible for him to reach his objective, but for now he was going to keep her close. He wanted to believe he was making that decision because she could still be useful to him, but that didn't begin to touch on the real reason.

The truth was he liked her, respected her, connected with her. Maybe it was because they were in the same line of work, or maybe it was just because she was interesting, attractive, intelligent, and challenging. He liked her competitive fire, her drive to win, but also the fact that she balanced all that out with caring and kindness.

He'd seen the way she'd talked to Ben, handling her emotions while she did the job she needed to do. And he'd seen the way she'd reacted to his story about April, showing compassion and empathy for a woman she'd never met, but a woman she probably would have liked a lot.

They'd only known each other a few days, and they'd only shared their secrets five minutes earlier, but he felt like he'd known her for years.

It was a dangerous feeling, one he wasn't at all comfortable with. In his line of work, there were always too many secrets, too many lies. The call of duty could come at any moment. So, he'd kept his relationships light and easy, with women who didn't want more.

Frowning, he didn't know why he was thinking about Parisa and a relationship at the same time. They were agents from rival agencies. They were working a case. They were not having a romance.

Except that there was something simmering between them, something they'd been dancing around since that first look, something that had taken on new life with their impulsive kiss the day before.

But thatsomethingneeded to stay on the back burner.

He doubted he'd have trouble convincing Parisa of that fact. She had her priorities straight.Find Jasmine. That was all that mattered.

And he did want to find Jasmine, but he also wanted to find April's killers. It was beginning to look like they might be one and the same, which would make it easier. Neither he nor Parisa would have to choose their target over the other. At least, that's the way he hoped it worked out.

Maybe Ben would tell the FBI something that would be useful, and since Parisa was an agent and had Damon Wolfe as her inside eyes and ears, they would be able to stay in the loop.

But for now, he was going to put all that on hold. His stomach was rumbling, and he always thought better when he wasn't hungry.

Concentrating on the road, he drove down the Palisades Interstate Highway until he got to another river park and headed into the parking lot, where the taco truck was one of six trucks serving up food.

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