Page 97 of Taking Care of the Target

And they wouldn’t send someone new without letting him know.

He grabbed her hand, spun as he stood, and pinned her to the wall, looking for a weapon.

***

Before Cassie was allowed inside, a guard had searched her for weapons. Her cheeks had grown hot as he frisked her, certain he was going above and beyond with his very thorough examination.

Vince’s frisking sent an entirely different kind of heat through her. “Nice to see you, too,” she said. “I forgot how hands-on you are. Guess you don’t need an extra bodyguard after all.”

Vince’s eyes snapped to hers, and he blinked, the crinkle of confusion and suspicion so sexy she stopped breathing. Who needed oxygen anyway?

Ever so slowly, he reached up and dragged his fingertips down the side of her face, his disbelief clear. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said, but before she could respond, he captured her mouth with his.

The familiar, intoxicating brush of whiskers combined with the touch of his soft lips sent the world spinning off its axis, everything blurring around them until the only thing that existed was the reacquainting of tongues and limbs and bodies. She no longer knew which breaths were hers or his or where she stopped and he began, only that for the first time in months, everything was completely right. She figured if they never stopped kissing, they could call it one kiss. Then they wouldn’t have to deal with any of the sucky stuff that would happen after.

“You need to go before anyone finds out you’re here,” he said, but he gripped her butt, boosted her in his arms, and kissed her again. “I should yell at you.” Another kiss as he pressed her against the wall. “Of all the stupid”—his lips touched her neck—“reckless…” He nipped at her ear, and she clung on to him, sure she’d fall if she didn’t hold on, even though he had her fully pressed against the wall, not enough space to slip. “But we’ll set up a meeting spot this time. For after the trial. Then just wait for me. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She opened her mouth to respond, and he plunged his tongue inside, sweeping it against hers until she didn’t remember how to talk.

Then the stupid knock on the door interrupted everything, and before she could even try to rearrange her disheveled clothing, Agents McVee and Mancini walked in.

“Ah, Cassandra Dalton,” Agent McVee said. “Imagine finding you here. We’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Chapter Forty-Four

Vince pushed her behind him as if he planned on fighting the two FBI agents if they came any closer. Shit, he probably did.

Cassie wrapped her hand around his biceps, trying not to get distracted by the rock-solid muscle there. “It’s okay. They’re the only reason I got to see you first. I’m testifying against Mr. Rossi.”

“No.” Vince spun and took her face in his hands. “Baby, it’s too dangerous.”

“What good does it do me if you put everything on the line and he still gets away with murder? I’m here to ensure that doesn’t happen. If you love me, you’ll let me do this.”

He scowled.

“Not so easy to be on the other side of that statement, huh? Look, I tried to start over, but I realized it was too late. Can’t start over when your heart is somewhere else.” Heat crept into her cheeks, and she tried not to think about their audience. How could she say everything she wanted to in such a short time?

We’ll have more time later tonight. And once this is done, we’ll have nothing but time.

She placed her hands on the sides of his waist. “I know being here’s dangerous, but we’ll have constant protection. And hey, at least this time I remember why people want to kill me.” Vince didn’t seem to find that very funny. She leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “We’ll get through this together.”

Agent McVee cleared his throat. “Look, we’re walking a fine line here. If we blur the rules too much, there could be a mistrial. I won’t let that happen. We need to get Cassandra’s statement, and then she needs to meet with the AUSA when he gets out of court and repeat it to him, so we can work it into the plan as soon as possible.”

Cassie gave Vince’s hand a quick squeeze. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you tonight. You just have to tell Agent McVee that it’s okay for me to know where you are, and that you want me to be under protection with you, and he’ll let the U.S. Marshals know. Considering the shakedown I got, I’m assuming you’ve cleared me?”

Finally, she got a smile. Then he leaned down and whispered, “Just to be safe, we better schedule a private one in my room later tonight.”

***

Vince paced the partially finished living room of the place on Monmouth Street where he and Bobby had been staying for the past month. The U.S. Marshals picked the spot because they wanted them to be close to the courthouse—a quick four or five minute drive—but not walking distance, or close enough someone could easily stumble across their location if they were canvasing the neighborhood, like Carlo’s associates probably were.

Red, squished together townhouses that had been around for at least a hundred years lined the other side of the street. They were trying to cram a few updated two-family type houses on this side, and the green, in-progress one they were currently staying in hadn’t had any occupants yet.

Deputy Florez, the former linebacker responsible for their safety during the trial sat in the corner, his gaze tracking Vince’s progress across the room. The guy was chill enough, but Vince still hated the thought of being guarded at all. He’d always taken care of himself just fine.

“Bro, relax,” Bobby said. “You’re going to wear a hole in the brand new floor.

“If they don’t bring Cassie over soon, I’m going to punch a hole through the door and go hunt her down.” It’d been hours since she surprised him at the courthouse, and right now, it seemed more like a dream than something that had actually happened. He’d stared at her face thinking nothing was quite right, yet everything was familiar. Her voice and the way she delivered the lines helped him see through the changes, despite the different colored eyes and hair, and the fact that she’d thinned down a bit, even in her face.

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