Page 40 of Breaking Conviction
Wes grinned and she felt the heat of his smile down to her core. “Thankfully, we don’t have to do thiseveryday. There is downtime. I’ll admit though… it is extremely rewarding when we get it right... especially since some days aren’t as great as others. It’s easier on everyone when it works out.”
A shadow crossed over his face and Naomi wondered if it had something to do with the tension she’d felt between Wes and Phoenix, another teammate. Of course, she knew absolutely nothing about their relationship, but considering hers with Dean, Naomi was an expert in unresolved tension and sure as hell could identify it when she saw it.
Her gaze locked on Wes again, and she remained stock-still as he watched her with piercing blue eyes that—despite her best efforts—had captured her soul. She may have been an expert in one kind of tension, but she was a complete beginner in knowing how to navigate the type she had with Wes.
She cleared her throat. “Well, it was amazing. Was what Phoenix said true? Did Devil really shoot Mitchell Strickland?”
Wes crossed his arms, his spell broken by her serious question, and nodded. “Yep. He’ll likely be spending the rest of his days in jail with a colostomy bag, but he won’t be abusing women any longer. I don’t care how rich Strickland is. There’s no way Marco’s going to allow him to go free. Aguilar takes his position as an assistant district attorney really fucking serious.”
“That’s insane that someone with such a big name in our little town would be behind something so evil.” She shivered. “It’s nice that Ellie wanted him to stay alive to get justice for her friend, but men like that can rot in hell for all I care. My daddy died protecting and serving this town and he’d be rollin’ over in his grave if he knew one of its members was traffickin’ women.”
Wes sucked in a breath. “I didn’t know that about your dad. He was an officer?”
Naomi nodded before sobering. “Captain George Ward. He was shot in the line of duty when I was fourteen.”
A look of an emotion she couldn’t place made his brow furrow before concern further marred his features. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Naomi. Losing a parent like that is hard.”
She braced herself for the inevitable cringe that always came with that word, but relaxed back into the conversation when it never came. “Thanks... I tell myself he went out the way he would’ve wanted to, a hero.” She picked at a thread in the hem of her cream sweater dress, trying not to think at the dull ache that always accompanied thoughts of her father. “That helps sometimes. But not all the time.”
Wes’s ice-blue eyes softened before his lips quirked at the corner and he spoke in his calm baritone. “You’re damn right he was a hero.” He removed his glasses and massaged his eyes. “But hopefully he doesn’t roll over in his grave too many times over all this shit.”
“What’s that mean?” she asked, feeling her eyebrows furl at the odd comment.
“I think there’s more than Strickland who’s involved in this. I actually think he was just a pawn and I’m afraid to find out who’s behind the curtain, and who all paved the road to get him there.”
“Seriously? Who else would be involved?”
“I don’t know. But Ellie heard that Russian guy Vlad talk about how the investigator had done good work forAlea Iacta Est. All I know is that it’s a Latin phrase that means ‘The die has been cast.’”
“I remember you saying that in the meeting... and then Phoenix was rude as hell. What was that all about?”
He sucked his teeth. “Yep. That’s me and Phoenix for you. I don’t know what his deal is. Anyway, I need to look into it more, but I’m afraid Strickland might be a part of it, and if there’s a whole group of Stricklands out there, that’s fucking terrifying.”
“What? Really?” she asked, feeling like a broken record. “Shit, this place has gone to hell in a handbasket. It makes me wanna pack up all my things, pick Thea up from day care at one of the town churches, and just drive away forever, never looking back on this godforsaken town.”
His face had fallen into a grim smile as they spoke. “We’re trying to make it safer. It’ll be hell figuring out who’s behind all this, but ADA Aguilar told me that the feds are willing to work with us—or at least me—to figure out who’s behind everything. I think Strickland is the first domino. We’ve gotta figure him out. A year ago, a firm partner’s son told us that he had a brother, but I’ve never been able to find evidence of that.”
“Shoot, if you and your techno-wizardry can’t figure out who his brother is, it’s either not true or some pretty damn powerful people are burying it.”
Wes smirked. “Naomi Ward, did you just compliment me?”
Her cheeks blushed at his appraising look, but she couldn’t hide her smile back. “Maybe… but don’t get used to it.”
Wes laughed. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Anyway, maybe now that Strickland will have some alone time in a jail cell, he’ll consider working with us.”
Naomi cringed. “Sounds a little far-fetched.”
He lifted a shoulder before winking at her. “The best goals are.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, what happens after Strickland?”
“I think we go after the rest of the partners in his firm: Dmitri Rusnak and Andrew Wilton Ascot.”
Naomi nodded, her mind trying to wrap around all the moving parts. But in the silence, Wes seemed to have no problem with watching her. Before long, she felt Wes’s piercing blue eyes along her skin and she started to squirm for relief. Naomi looked around, suddenly realizing they were the only ones in the room, with the door closed. It was just the two of them alone with the words he said two days ago echoing in her head.
“I fucking love that fiery side… that Naomi is intoxicating and I don’t think I’d ever get enough of her.”
Had Dean ever said he loved her fiery side? The one that was so freeing to finally use again? Naomi couldn’t even remember the last time she’d told Dean she loved him. It had to have been months... hell, maybe over a year for all she could remember. She’d long wondered if Dean even believed it himself when he said the words. They’d been staying afloat in their sinking ship of a relationship, hoping she could hang on until Thea turned eighteen. But the day Thea was out of the house, Naomi would be packing her bags with her.
