Page 66 of Deadly Peril

Jana shook her head. “I can’t do that. He doesn’t want a relationship. He’s not the marrying kind.”

“He said that?”

Jana nodded.

“And you believed him?”

Jana nodded again.

“Then you’re not the smart woman I’ve always thought you were.”

“Don’t speak in riddles. My mind is muddled enough.”

Eva sighed. “Do you love Thaddeus?”

Jana bit her lower lip to hold back another flood of tears. “Yes…I love him with all my heart. And I told him. But it didn’t seem to matter.”

“I told you the story of when I met your grandfather,” Eva said. “But I didn’t share all of it. Kristofer didn’t propose.” She paused. “I had no doubt that he was the only man for me. So…I purchased the wedding rings.”

Jana widened her eyes. “How did he react?”

“He was relieved. I’m not sure when he would have gotten around to asking.” Eva smiled. “And we were married soon after. A few years ago, when my love passed away, we’d been married for fifty-one years.”

Jana hugged her grandmother. “But that was you. Not everyone is that lucky.”

“All I’m saying is,” Eva said, “if you love him…give it a chance.”

It had given Jana much to think about. She wasn’t certain that Thaddeus wanted her in the way she wanted him. He’d left quickly, without expressing any regret at doing so. Jana didn’t know what to do. There didn’t seem to be a clear path.

*****

Late in the day, Thaddeus arrived home and went to his apartment. Following a sleepless night, he showered and dressed. After several cups of coffee, he headed for the office. He’d skipped having pancakes, because it reminded him of Jana.

Everything reminded him of Jana. He needed to get back to work, to have something else to focus on. What he needed was a good battle, a high-risk deployment. Since that wasn’t going to happen, he’d take a new client, who was hopefully in a precarious situation that would require all his attention.

At Stealth Security, Tessa was at the desk. “Hey, Thad. Glad you’re back. We have a couple of new clients. The boss has something in mind for you.”

“It’s good to be back.”

Hunter appeared from the hallway. After greeting Thaddeus, he went over and gave Tessa a hug. She beamed. It seemed things had developed since he’d been away. Yet seeing the affection was a stab to the heart. Dammit, he had to stop thinking of Jana.

“Is Travis in?”

Hunter waved toward the hall. “I just passed him coming out of Coop’s office.” He kept one hand on Tessa’s shoulder, as if she might be stolen away. “You can catch him at his desk.”

Thaddeus strode to the office and knocked on the door that was already open.

“Thad, come on in. Great to see you,” Travis said. “Good work in Tahoe.”

Thaddeus took a few minutes to debrief. Most of it would be in his report, but he added a few personal notes. Travis steepled his fingers and listened with rapt attention.

“That’s all very interesting. Who would have guessed that some crazy guy from her past would surface?” Travis said. “I recognize the type, though. A guy with a grudge that won’t let go. In his mind, what happened to him had become the equivalent of a national incident, so he sought retribution. He’d probably been planning it for years.”

“Yeah.”

Travis narrowed his eyes. “What?” He leaned on the desk. “What’s up with you?”

“I’m just a bit…” Thaddeus didn’t know how to say it. He didn’t have a grip on what had happened. “Things are different.”

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