Page 86 of Consumed By the Mafia

She gaped, just a little, before snapping her mouth shut. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. I spentmonthswith De Salvo tunnel-vision, and I—”

He pulled a folded-up piece of paper from inside his coat pocket and stuck it into her hands. “Your secret is safe with me, Agent Fitzgerald.” He smiled a little too knowingly, tucked away his pen, and added, “Welcome to the family.” Then he stood and stepped from the sofa. “You have about an hour to pull yourself together before your ride gets here. And don’t worry about your testimony. We’ll do our best to use that video you recorded yesterday.”

He was gone before she could pick her jaw up off the floor and Abigail barely thought to curve her palm enough to keep the paper from her guard’s sight when he re-entered the room.Instead, after Walters left, she stood and declared her need to gather her clothes and use the restroom. It wasn’t like she had much in that house that was actually hers.

Once she was locked in the bathroom, she unfolded the paper.

Bringin’ you home, baby girl. Be ready.

Tears rushed her eyes and Abigail shoved the paper into her bra to keep it from being found. She couldn’t quite believe that one of the state’s top prosecutors was on Dante De Salvo’s payroll, but she wasn’t about to complain. There was no doubt in her mind the FBI would have left her in that damn house as long as they felt was necessary. And to her, it hadn’t ever been necessary.

The next hour passed like molasses. Abigail caught herself wondering if time had stopped altogether, going so far as to check the batteries in the clock, before her nondescript transportation finally arrived. From there she was taken back to FBI headquarters, unloaded, and escorted straight to Julian Albert’s office. She was surely expected to check in and discuss her potential return to work or reassignment, and she figured he might expect her to argue being removed from the case.

Special Agent Albert smiled in welcome when she stepped into his office. “It’s good to see you, Abigail. Are you feeling better?” He motioned to the chairs as if they needed to have a long chat.

She obliged, anyway. “Very much, thank you.” She set her lone bag at her feet. “Sir—”

“You understand why you can’t work this investigation any further,” he said, his brow furrowing, as he moved to lean backwards against the outward facing side of his desk.

Abigail nodded. “Yes,” she said. “I understand and I’m not upset over it.” She paused for a beat and drew a breath. “Actually, sir, I know this might be difficult, but … is it possible to step down altogether?”

He arched a brow at her.

She launched into the speech she’d had nothing but time to work on over the past few days, explaining how shaken up she’d been emotionally over Dale’s betrayal. How that had led her to truly recognizing all thegrimecaked into the system, and that recognition in turn had fractured her trust. She was proud of herself for the story, but disheartened to realize how little of it was a lie.

Albert was frowning in a sad way when she finished. “I see,” he said. “That is a shame. The FBI can always use a natural talent like yours, especially one with such a staunch belief in right and wrong.” He offered her a smile. “But you’re free to leave, Abigail. If this isn’t what’s right for you, I would only be endangering you and your future partners by demanding you stay in the field. So as long as you promise to be available, in case that video testimony isn’t enough down the road, you can hand over your badge and walk out right now.” He gave a low chuckle. “I don’t think you even have your gun.”

“I don’t,” she confirmed with a half-smile of her own. She dug into her pocket and extracted her badge, ran her thumb over the laminated interior, and set the entire thing on thecoffee table. Then she stood, lifted her bag, and inclined her head. “Thank you, and good luck.”

She walked out of the building, feeling lighter with each step. She didn’t know exactly where she needed to go—Ryoma’s note hadn’t left any rendezvous instructions—so she let her feet guide her. She walked away from the FBI building, wandering down the street and around the corner aimlessly, her eyes eventually drawn up to the sky.

The smoke from that fire was gone. She’d forgotten about the smoke.

“You should watch where you’re going, baby girl.”

Her heart leaped to her throat and Abigail whipped around, spotting the most welcome sight she had seen in longer than she could remember. Ryoma, striding toward her, a grin on his wicked lips and hunger in his eyes. She should have been concerned about the bandage peeking out from beneath the sleeve of his T-shirt, but she was too excited to focus on that detail. She couldn’t even keep hold of her bag. “Ryoma!”

He caught her with an arm low around her waist and a hand in her hair, hauling her up to him for a wet, demanding kiss. He dragged his teeth over her lower lip, sucked on her tongue, and tongue-fucked her mouth until she couldn’t breathe. All the while she clung to him, her fingers twisting in his loosely restrained hair and digging at his own muscles.

This. This was where she’d longed to be for the past so many days. Maybe for her entire life. Nowhere specific, just the only place that had ever felt sogoodand sosafe. Ryoma’s arms was that place.

The kiss broke and Abigail licked her lips, not pulling away from him. “Are you okay? Did you—”

“That’s my fuckin’ line,” he said with a scoff. He shifted his hold, bringing both hands up to cup her cheeks. “We have shit to talk about, Abby. I know. But just let me say this.”

She blinked, confused by the intensity in his voice. All she could do was nod a little and keep her hands twisted in the back of his shirt.

His jaw tensed as he visibly fought for the right words. It was nerve-racking. Then, finally, he said, “Stay. Stay with me, even when it’s hard, even when it’s ugly. I know it’ll be an adjustment, but I’ll make it worth it.” He stroked his thumb over her cheek almost absently. “You don’t have to be super involved in my work. I just need you involved in my life, Abigail Fitzgerald, because I’ve fallen in love with you. So I’m asking, please,stay.”

Her vision blurred with the sudden rush of tears and Abigail gasped. “I…” She wanted to. She knew she did.But…“Am I allowed to stay?”

Ryoma brushed some of her tears away with a gentle sweep of his thumbs. “Yeah.”

She licked her lips and raised her hands until her fingers pressed into his jaw. “Then yes, I’ll stay. Because I love you, too, Ryoma.”

Epilogue

The De Salvo Family

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