Page 78 of Dangerous Pursuit

“Then somehow, they discover you’re a poker genius, and decide to pimp you out, so to speak, to play at their organized games and win, essentially racketeering their own system. And each time you win, the amount goes toward your father’s debt. Are we still on the right track?”

“Yes, but—” They cut her off and continue.

“So, they text you where to be and when to be there, and after you win, you leave it near your front door so they can grab it the next day. Still tracking?”

“Yes, but how do you know all that?” Mia asks.

“We’ll get to that soon. Here’s where we need help filling in the blanks. Can you explain how they learned about your particular skill and how theypersuadedyou to cooperate? We’re also unclear as to the extent of the amount owed. We have more questions, but this will complete the narrative to date.”

Enough is enough. I’m not letting Mia talk until we know why they’re here. “How about before she answers your questions, you tell us your intentions and why you’re here. And how about whether she should have an attorney present.”

“See, when people start throwing around the word ‘attorney,’ things generally go south, especially when we’re here to help you, Mia,” Agent Bale pipes up. They’re clearly going for the good cop, bad cop routine, trying to play Mia.

“Then prove it and tell me why you’re here,” Mia responds, filling my heart with pride. God, she’s so strong. I don’t give her enough credit.

“Alright, let’s cut to the chase and see if we can move this along. We’ve been after this group of criminals for a while. They have worse operations than loan sharking and illegal gambling, but until we pinpointed you and your situation, we didn’t have anything solid to bring them in on. Now we do. If we can takethem down on this, it could halt their more serious crimes while we’re at it.”

“How did you find out about me?” Mia asks, still bewildered.

“That’s where this guy comes in,” Agent Bale says, pointing to me.Fuck, I think I know where this is going. Goddammit.“If it weren’t for this guy, we might still be chasing our tails, but when a security firm started poking around, looking into the same guys we were, we decided to see why. Turns out, it was you.”

Fuck me.

Confusion is written all over Mia’s face. “What are you talking about?” she asks Agent Bale, then looks in my direction, turning the question on me and yanking her hand from my hold.

“Mia, I was going to tell you. I wanted to protect you, and since I didn’t know what was going on or how to do that, this was the only way I could think of.”

“What did you do, Jackson?” Her voice is filled with accusation as her eyes start to go glassy.

“They hurt you, Mia. I saw the bruises myself, and I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t leave you vulnerable and risk your safety, so I hired a security firm to watch over you. I was trying to help, Mia.” I’m frustrated that I’m not getting through to her.

“By having me followed? Are you insane? You can’t just violate someone’s privacy like that. How dare you?” She scoots her chair farther away, putting enough space between us that I can’t reach her.

“You were in danger, Mia, and you wouldn’t tell me what was happening. If you had just told me up front, I could’ve paid these guys off right away, and this whole mess would’ve been over by now.”

“Oh, so this ismyfault? Right. I should’ve just toldyou, the asshole who made my life fucking miserable for two whole months. Just asked for help from the guy who hated my guts.How stupid of me, huh? No, what’s stupid is that I trusted you. What’s stupid is that I let you fool me.”

Her tears fall, breaking my heart, while both agents observe the conversation with intrigue. How can my world come crumbling down in a matter of minutes?

“Mia, I’m sorry. My hands were tied, and I did what I thought was necessary to keep you safe. That’s all I ever cared about. You were important to me long before I admitted it to myself. You need to understand.”

“No—we’re done, Jackson. I can’t trust you. Not only did you lie to me, but you put my mom in danger with your actions. You may have been trying to protect me, but you risked the most important person in my life. If Frank and Jay had found out about this like the FBI did, then she might be dead right now.”

Fuck, why didn’t I tell her when I had the chance? She might have taken it differently instead of being blindsided. I’m such an idiot, not to mention the reason the FBI is here at all.

“Mia, wait. I thought I was doing the right thing. I would never hurt you. I was only trying to protect you. You have to see that.” How can she not?

“All I see is someone who lied to me and kept secrets from the person he was supposed to be in love with.” She turns toward the agents. “Is there somewhere else we can finish this? I’d like to leave now.”

“Cer—” Agent Wallace starts to respond, but I’m not ready to give up yet.

“Mia, you know I love you. Please don’t leave. Let’s work this out so I can help you through this.”

She stands up, and the agents follow. “You’ve done enough to help, Jackson. You know, since you brought the FBI in, I don’t need you anymore.”

It’s the final blow. The air deflates from my lungs as I accept defeat.

She grabs her bag and walks out the door, and just like that, she’s gone, taking my heart with her. I’m not sure how to describe this ache in my chest. It’s like nothing I’ve felt before, and knowing I’m the only one to blame is the final nail in the coffin.

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