Page 64 of Justice for Francesca

“Did he use drugs?”

“No. Never. But then again, dealers rarely do. Can’t make money if you’re using the product, plus they know what it does to people.” She sighed. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Who would have it out for him then?”

Francesca bit her lip, a worried look in her eyes. “I can only think of four people. My father and brothers. They hated how clean we were. The pressure to be part of the McCabe machine had become verbally abusive by then. They were starting to make threats.”

“So it’s possible they set him up as a means to bring him over?”

A horrified expression passed over her face as another memory surfaced. “The look on Michael’s face. He was pleading with me not to believe it. Then he was angry. I always thought he was angry at me for not believing him or defending him.” She looked up at him, realization dawning. “He wasn’t mad at me. He was mad at them. Not just for accusing him but for how it would affect me in the process. Oh god, Ethan, what have I done? I was so ashamed. So wrapped up in how others would perceivemebased on the accusation and his alleged actions, I never spoke to him.”

“You don’t know for sure that theory is accurate, but it sounds more like the Michael I know.”

“He must hate me.”

She sat up in bed, sheet and knees pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs and face resting on her thighs. Sobs shook her body. Almost immediately, arms reached around her and pulled her to where she was cradled in his lap, her head against his chest. His skin was warm, and the gentle beat of his heart beneath her ear was comforting as she cried. How long he held her, she wasn’t sure, but it felt like hours. When she was finally spent, his arms hugged her even tighter.

“Michael doesnothate you. When he found out you were here, and he came to my office to let me know, his first concerns were for you and how you were going to react. When we spoke, he wanted me to fire him so that he wouldn’t be around to make things more difficult for you. I refused. He tried to quit. I refused that too. He loves you, Francesca. The day he was accused, no matter whether true or false, I’m betting he would have taken on your pain if he could have. It’s part of why I can’t truly believe that he had anything to do with the murders. It’s just not in his nature. He’s a protector, just like you, me, Cosmos, and Triumph. It’s part of why he’s so popular with the staff.”

“We need to find him. I don’t know him well enough to know where he’d go though.”

“I’ll ask Rye for you. She’d probably know. He was closest to her since they worked hand in hand at The Library for so long. Or maybe Damaris, our event coordinator. She might know. I don’t know how close they were personally, but they worked together daily for hours on end.”

Francesca glanced at the clock and sighed. “I have to go soon.”

“Doesn’t sound like you want to.”

“I don’t.” She brushed a hand up and down his arm, studying the anchor tattooed on his forearm. “Lately, that’s the drawer that’s been overflowing the most. I love helping people, and I’m good at what I do. Undercover work used to make me feel alive,combatting the dead feelings inside and the rule-following that felt so stifling, but I felt compelled to hold onto. The worries over my family. How others perceived me, called me an ice queen. Claimed I had no emotions, no ability to see anyone other than in black and white. Jaded. Cynical. Even undercover at The Library, I knew that the club members saw me that same way. I could never truly let go there, even though I knew it would help me blend in better.” She felt herself blush. “Well, with you I could. A little bit.

“Trouble is, I felt it was necessary to be that way to be a strong upholder of the law. I saw and felt only the taint I came into contact with repeatedly, always looking for the worst in the people I was around. It all started coming back with a vengeance on my last case. Once Tilly’s case is over, I think… I think I need to do something else for a while.”

“I know I’ll worry less about you if you aren’t undercover. What about being an analyst instead of a field agent?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. It doesn’t really bear thinking about until this is over though. Justice for Mila, Jessa, and Tilly has to come first. Then I can worry about what I want to do.”

Tripoli had forgotten to close the blackout curtains when they’d entered the bedroom, too intent on solidifying their connection, so now she watched as the sunlight began to change colors over the horizon and filter through the window.

“Francesca,” he whispered. One hand unwrapped from around her and traveled down, his fingers threading through hers and his thumb gently massaging the palm.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think… maybe… when the case is over, you might consider seeing where this goes with me? I have no right to ask you to stay here. I understand your job is important to you, and I know that means you’ll go back to Dallas. If you stay doing what you’re doing, it will mean you’ll still travel a lot, and I’llworry, but I’ll support that choice. If you do end up transferring to another job, it might mean another city altogether, but I’m willing to give it a shot. I’d even be willing to follow you if you were comfortable with that step. No matter what, it won’t be easy. I’m overbearing, and I’ll want to fix everything for you, so you’ll probably want to kick my ass on the regular. But I love you, and we’re good together.”

She smiled, even though she knew he couldn’t see it from the angle of his head above her. “Well, I did say I liked you a mile, so I think that drawer is already wide open, don’t you?”

“You said you liked me a mile plus about eight inches,” he reminded her.

“I did say that, didn’t I?”

He leaned back against the headboard, pulling her with him so that she straddled his lap again. “Yes. Yes, you did.”

19

THE BONDS THAT BIND AND THE TIES THAT TEAR

Tripoli

She mock frowned, making an exaggerated show of looking over their position. “I’m sensing a theme here, Mr. Evans. I keep ending up in this position.”

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