Page 133 of Irreversible

“For saving your ass before you ended up on the wrong end of a big-game hunt? Or for that time I found you on your face on the side of the road?” He lifts his finger like he’s had an epiphany. “Oh wait, that was thesame day.”

“Point taken. You’re my hero.”

“You know what they say: every brunette needs a blond best friend who has their back. Even Batman.”

“That’s what people with vaginas say on Instagram.” I glare at him. “How’d you find me, anyway?”

“Lucky break, mostly. Some rich high school kid was overheard bragging about his dad setting up the ultimate big-game hunt. Thepreysounded…suspicious. You’d been gone several weeks, and, well…you’re not the only one who gets gut feelings.”

“Guess I’ve finally rubbed off on you.”

His lips twitch. Fortunately for me, Tanner is really fucking good at his job. Most people would have assumed that kid was full of shit and ignored the report until it was too late.

“The kid’s father was so afraid of losing everything, he made a deal to help us bust the operation. The Feds showed up, and you were a hundred miles outside our jurisdiction, but since I was the original point of contact with our informant?—”

“You talked your way in.”

“Couldn’t let someone else take the bragging rights for saving you, could I?”

Silent laughter twinges my ribcage. “God forbid. So, what do we know?”

“Well, while you’ve been playing Sleeping Beauty, I’ve been conducting interviews.”

I tap my fingers on the tray next to the cold eggs. “And?”

“For one thing, Everly Cross is as worried about you as you were about her.”

My heart thumps in a way I don’t appreciate at the sound of her name. “I wasn’t worried.”

Shoving the file back in his briefcase, Tanner raises an eyebrow. “Bullshit. You don’t send me to check on someone personally if you’re not invested.” He ignores my glare. “Also, during my five-minute briefing with her, she said your name at least ten times. She was very insistent. Frantic, even. She was convinced she killed you.”

“Isaac. Please, please forgive me.”

My mood darkens. “She has a husband to comfort her. She’ll be fine.”

There’s a knowing glint in his eye. “Ah, it was likethat, was it? I didn’t think you’d admit it.”

“I didn’t admit anything, jackass.”

“Come on, no one would blame you. That woman is hot, even after two years locked in a room.”

“I’m about to punch you in the fucking throat,” I growl. “What did you tell her about me?”

He laughs until I nearly get out of bed and throttle him. Then his smile drops. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Oh, come on, I’ve seen you spill your guts the second a pretty woman bats her eyelashes your way.”

“Not this time, my friend.” He shakes his head. “As far as we’re concerned, there was no evidence of a person named Isaac in the building.”

“So, the department?”

“Doesn’t know you were there. Same with the Feds.”

“Well, shit.” A spontaneous smile overtakes me. I’d been wondering if there would be repercussions for going in there without police jurisdiction, since I’m no longer employed. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Listen, Porter.” He braces his elbows on his knees and leans closer. “When you dropped off the radar after our conversation that night, I had a bad feeling. Rumors on the street said something went down between Dolph and Nick Ford, but the trail dropped from there. When the report came in about that kid running his mouth, my instincts said you’d found a way in undercover and ran into trouble.”

My chest warms. I’m a jackass, but Tanner looked for me anyway.

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