Page 59 of Fast Justice

She looked at him questioningly, the vehemence of his tone striking a chord deep inside her.

His gaze was steady on her. And his eyes held a hint of something that sent a wave of warmth through her. Admiration. “Not anymore.”

“No,” she agreed, the hint of a smile on her lips. For some reason his opinion of her mattered. She didn’t want him to think of her as the broken woman he’d carried from the woods that night. She wanted him to see her for the woman she was trying to become. A warrior set on a quest for vengeance—even if it was only in the legal system.

“Especially now, since you could put a bullet in his heart from fifty feet away,” he added, a teasing note in his voice.

She grinned. It felt strange, her face stiff as though her muscles were unused to the movement, but it also felt good. “I could, couldn’t I?”

“You absolutely could.”

Because of him.

She let her gaze flit over his face once more, pausing a fraction of a second on his lips. Her libido was as dead as her former life and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever regain that part of herself again, and yet…there was something about this man that drew her powerfully, and she couldn’t deny that she found him attractive. Not just physically, either. He intrigued her on all levels.

She pushed away the wayward thought, focused on the here and now. “What about my situation? Is there any threat against me?”

“Nothing credible that anyone’s told me about. That’s actually why they sent me down here, to make sure you know you’re safe. They’re doubling up security at the WITSEC facility right now and adding a backup team to your security detail for the ride back. Just to play it safe they’re going to keep you there until they find out what happened today and figure out how the attackers found Oceane and Anya.”

Victoria nodded. “That all makes sense.” She paused. “I’m surprised they sent you to relay the intel, but I’m glad, too.”

He shrugged his broad, muscled shoulders. “I wanted to be the one to tell you.”

So he’d volunteered, then. Victoria studied him for a moment, trying to figure him out. He was FAST Bravo’s team leader. He had countless other more important responsibilities and things to take care of than looking out for her. “Why?” She would hate it if he felt sorry for her.

His expression gave nothing away. “Because I did.”

She hid a smile at his stubborn non-answer, wondering about his motivation. It was nice to know he cared about her well-being, but she couldn’t let herself depend on or get attached to him. And he was the kind of man who made that idea far too tantalizing for someone recovering from an ordeal like the one she’d survived.

In the end, that was Ruiz’s biggest mistake. He’d let her live. And now she would end his reign of terror, bring it all crashing down on him.

“Is my security detail outside in the hall? I’d like to go see Oceane right now,” she said, changing the subject to steer her thoughts away from dangerous and useless territory.

He frowned a little at that. “Why?”

“Because I’ve been where she is. And she shouldn’t have to face this alone.”

****

“Lockhart. She in there?”

Special Agent Gabe Lockhart looked up from his phone where he’d been scrolling through his sports feed outside the door to the hospital morgue. The FBI SAIC he’d met back at the safehouse was striding down the empty hall toward him, a group of folders tucked under one arm. “Yeah.”

“I need to talk to her.”

Was he freaking serious? “Now?”

The SAIC nodded. “Sooner the better.”

“She’s saying goodbye to her mother,” Gabe pointed out, attempting to make his tone respectful but unsure whether he pulled it off. Didn’t care whether he had.You know, the one she just watched bleed out from multiple stab wounds less than three hours ago?“Only been in there twenty minutes with her.”

“I’m sorry for that, but this investigation is moving faster than we initially anticipated. As she’s still a primary witness, I need to update her on a few things, and then bring her in for more questioning.”

Gabe wanted to argue with him, but it wasn’t his place so he forced himself to be more diplomatic. “Can’t we give her ten more minutes?”

“Five.”

Fine. “Five,” he agreed, mentally shaking his head. Oceane wasn’t his official responsibility anymore and he barely knew her, but fuck, she should at least be allowed to take as much time as she needed to say goodbye to the woman who had not only been her mother, but her best friend as well. She was only twenty-four, but she seemed younger than that sometimes, and older at others.

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