Page 99 of Fiona and the Fixer

“I know, right?”

“Did he lie and tell you he was a doctor or something?”

I shook my head. “No. It’s just… he… he sometimes has to do illegal things to do his job.”

Awareness lit her eyes. “And as an FBI agent, you enforce the law.”

I threw my hand up. “Exactly.”

The mimosa was washing down the salty chips surprisingly well.

“Honey, sometimes good people do bad things to do the right thing.”

I frowned.

“You told me about your father. What he did. You went to college and then into the FBI with the single-minded focus to put him in jail. Would you have done some bad things if needed to make sure that happened?”

“Definitely,” I said, before thinking.

“I bet you can think of other times you did the wrong thing for the right reason.”

I probably shouldn’t have sent the Highcliffs into the pickle shop knowing the guys working there were shadyjust so I could snoop. I probably shouldn’t have tossed Neidermeyer under the bus with Trotter, but he was an asshole and deserved it. I probably shouldn’t have blackmailed Trotter, but it came down to him or me.

Oh.OH.

Dax had said as much when we were in Hannah’s office, but I didn’t get it then. We’d talked about it for probably five whole minutes, and it hadn’t sunk in. For some reason, I got it now.

Maybe I’d been okay with putting all of them in bad situations because I didn’t like Trotter and Neidermeyer and my father. Even the Highcliffs. But I liked Dax. Adding him into the mix of people doing the wrong thing for the right reason and it made a lot more sense.

What he did affected me.

I hurt because of it. I felt betrayed.

“Do you think Dax is a bad person?”

I shook my head. I didn’t have to think on the answer. He’d wanted to protect me from the start, from the kid who robbed the convenience store all the way through to when I snooped in the back room of the pickle shop.

He’d hugged me. Held me. Took my hand. He gave me the attention and touch I’d craved.

He made mefeel.

“No.”

“That’s right. Because you wouldn’t be here eating chips and drinking mimosas if you didn’t care for him. Love hurts.”

I whipped my head her way. “Love?”

She smiled and patted my hand. “I haven’t seen a couple love each other as much as you two do in a long time.”

I bit my lip. “Dax said he loved me.”

Her eyes lit up and she practically clapped her hands in glee. “That must’ve been so romantic!”

“He didn’t tellme,I overheard it.”

“Oh.”

“I have really good hearing.”

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