Page 49 of Escape You

He smiled at his hands. “After the FBI turned me down, I was pissed. If they’d seen what I saw, they would’ve sent a swat team the next day. Instead, they put up all this red-tape bullshit. I might’ve lost my shit and gotten thrown out of their field office.”

I laughed at his irreverence. I’d seen him do that with Rossi too. His compass pointed true north, and I loved that about him. What did it matter what I loved? “Like I said, the FBI doesn’t care about people getting hurt. The agents I’ve met only care about their careers and their shiny medals.”

“That was the night I met you. I went to the bar to blow off steam.”

“I’d gone there to blow off steam too.”

“Something in your eyes told me you understood. I had no idea who you were. All I knew was that I wanted you, more than anything I’d ever wanted. You made me forget about the FBI, Rebecca and Venezuela. For an entire night, all the horror from the past two months vanished.” He placed his hand on top of my foot, pressing slightly with the pad of his thumb.

The heat seeped through my skin, all the way up to my chest. I leaned forward, moving the pillow out of the way. “That night, you did the same for me. I needed to forget about my life for just a moment.”

“The following morning, I went in for my next assignment.” He met my gaze. The blue in his eyes turned steely, as if the memory of the morning after hurt him. “I was assigned to look into a situation brewing in Jersey with a new boss who’d risen to power. We were concerned a war between the different crews was coming.”

Oh fuck. “That’s when you found out who I was. I was your case.”

He nodded. “I had to tell them and recused myself. They put me on leave again, and I went to spend some time with my family in Atlanta.”

Atlanta. Tyler was from Atlanta. “Earlier this morning, you called me ma’am. I thought you were being kinky. But you weren’t.”

He chuckled. “More of a slipup.”

“How much did you hate me then?”

“I didn’t hate you. I was mad at myself for going along with your rule of no names and no questions. I was mad because I realized I would’ve done anything you wanted to be with you that night. I’m just glad you didn’t ask for access to the ATF field office.” His chest bounced a little when he chuckled.

“What happened after you told the ATF that you knew me?”

“Well, they didn’t like it. They’d planned to send me to the West Coast to get me as far as away as possible from you.”

I pulled my knees to my chest and ignored the pang in my stomach. “How did you end up here?”

“A month after I left, they called me back to Jersey to tell me that the FBI had a case for me. Rossi’s grandson had passed away, and they were ready to make a move and plant a…” He cleared his throat.

“A spy.”

“Yeah, we can use your word. I think they were worried I would decline. They used you to make sure I said yes. That’s when I found out you were pregnant. This soon after our first meeting, I knew for sure the baby had to be mine. Obviously, the FBI had the same thought.”

“Bastards. Only one person knew about the baby, and she’s my friend. They broke into the hospital records to get that information. Does that sound right to you? Wait. The day before the wedding, you went to the hospital to get me back here. Did the FBI know where I was that day?”

He rubbed the creases on his forehead before he glanced up. “Yes. After Rossi told me you’d escaped, I called them and they told me where you were. I’m sorry I was so tough on you that day. But when they said you’d gone back to your doctor, I thought the worst.”

“You thought I’d gone there to get rid of the baby.”

“Yeah. You’d had plenty of opportunity to tell me about it. I figured you’d decided not to say anything because you didn’t want it.”

If I had to be honest, the thought crossed my mind. I didn’t want to have a kid growing up in this kind of life. With the crew being so vulnerable and my guys’ lack of confidence in me as their leader, I wasn’t sure I could offer her a good life. And I wanted that for her. I wanted my baby to have a good life. For that she would need a good mom. Someone I knew I could never be.

“But you do, don’t you? I’m here for whatever you need. I promise I will protect you and our baby with my life.” He pressed his lips to my knee. Adrenaline surged through me as his soft lips brushed my skin.

“I do, but I’m scared for her.” I buried my fingers in his soft hair. The dark strands were such a contrast against my pale tone. Whether I wanted to or not, I trusted Tyler. I trusted he would do right by our family. “I went to the hospital because the FBI was harassing one of my own. Did you know that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Special Agent in Charge Clifton paid a visit to my hacker. He apparently tracked the transaction back to the hospital. My guy was confident Clifton couldn’t prove anything, so he didn’t rat us out. But that asshole was going hardcore. The Rizzo brothers are barely adults. Manny turned eighteen a few months back.”

“That son of a bitch. So that’s why he left me hanging in the city. He found the hacker.” Tyler shot to his feet, raking a hand through his hair, face red.

“What?”

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