Page 89 of Tell Me Your Desires
“Are you done?” Anya asked patiently.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Exasperated by Anya’s nonchalant attitude, Jaime blew out a frustrated breath. “Wait, no. Maybe it’s the morphine, but… did you imply you were working on the case? Or did I?”
“Maybe a little of both. Just to clear up the ambiguity, I am.”
“How long was I asleep?” Jaime scrubbed a hand down her face, trying desperately to make sense of everything. “Okay, so who caught it after Max? Jackson? Jesus, please tell me those fuckers on third shift didn’t get it. Alvo and Blanchard? They couldn’t find their own dicks if they had Sherlock’s magic magnifying glass.”
“Magic magnifying glass?” Anya snorted with laughter as she shook her head. “No, the feds took over.”
“Even worse. Fucking feds!” Jaime narrowed her eyes. “Wait, the same feds that threw you under the bus when you did nothing wrong? How are you working the case then?”
Here goes nothing.“Funny you should ask. We got lucky, I guess. With the Agent in Charge who picked up the case.” Anya hesitated. “She…owed me a favor.”
Jaime may have been hopped up on morphine, but the realization of what Anya was saying hit her like a ton of bricks. She carefully lay her head back, praying the disappointment she felt wouldn’t show in her eyes. “Y-you’re working with your ex.”
“Partner. Yes.” Anya cleared her throat. “Kate gave me access to all the files and resources I needed. Twenty-four hours before her team came in. We were up most of the night going over every single detail of the cases Max found and ours.”
Jaime’s stomach dropped. While she hoped it was the morphine making her feel sick, she knew it wasn’t. Anya hadn’t been here when she woke up…because she was with her ex-lover instead. That knowledge felt like a punch straight to the face. “R-right.”
Anya felt Jaime’s hand go limp in hers. As she reached over and cupped Jaime’s face, she noted the despair. “Why do you torture yourself like that, baby? Why do you villainize me so easily?”
“I-I’m not villainizing you.”
“If you think I could be with Kate while you’re fighting for your life, then you are. Do you really think I would go back to her after what she did to me?” Anya looked pointedly at Jaime. “But most importantly, do you think I would be here right now, holding your hand and kissing you, or telling you that you didn’t fuck things up with me…after just being with her?”
Jaime swallowed as she brought her hand up and placed it against Anya’s. “I’m sorry.”
Anya nodded. “You’re the second person to say those words to me. Hopefully they’re not just words.” She bent down and kissed Jaime carefully on the lips. “Because I’m going to need you to trust me, Jaime.”
“I do,” Jaime whispered against Anya’s lips. “Of course I trust you.”
“No, I mean,reallytrust me.” Anya pulled back enough to look into Jaime’s eyes. “I need you to remember who I am. That I’m not some damsel in need of a savior. Iamthe savior.”
“You know who it is, don’t you? And you’re going to go after him.” Jaime squeezed her eyes shut, her nostrils flaring. “Anya, give it to the fucking feds. Let them?—”
“Jaime?” Anya cut her off suddenly. “I’m asking you to trust me. Yes, I know who it is, but there’s more. I need a confession.” Anya didn’t mention that the confession she needed was about Taylor. “Please?”
“This is bad.” Jaime’s heart rate began to spike when she imagined Anya alone with the killer. Still, shedidhave to trust that Anya knew what she was doing. Without trust, what the hell were they doing together? “I trust the fuck out of you, babe. Idon’t trust your ex-partner to keep you safe, though. Let them beat the fucking confession out of him!”
Anya eyed the machine that monitored Jaime’s heart rate. “The nurses are going to come in here thinking we’re doing something kinky if you don’t calm down.”
Jaime couldn’t help but laugh. God, shewishedthey were doing something kinky instead of her being stuck in a hospital bed while Anya was discussing putting herself in a potentially dangerous situation. “Ow! Shit! Don’t make me laugh, woman. Especially when I’m trying to be upset with you.”
“Why would you be upset with me?Youare the master of hairbrained ideas. I’m just following your lead.” Anya sat back down. She wasn’t quite finished explaining. “My other concern is that if I leave it up to the authorities and they find any videos of a certain detective naked and chained up, those go into evidence. But ifIget to them first, they get erased.”
Jaime didn’t care what they found. Anya was worth far more than Jaime’s career. “Let them find them. I don’t give a fuck. I only care aboutyou.”
“Thentrustthat I know what I’m doing, Jaime. I was an agent for fifteen years. Give me some credit. And if you’re worried about Kate, then I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take Max along asmybackup.” The least she could do was take Max along with her. “He’s the one who caught the link to these cold cases, so he deserves to be there. But you? I swear, Jaime Baros, if you eventhinkabout getting out of this bed to do something stupid, youwillfuck things up with me. Do we understand each other?”
A slow smile spread on Jaime’s mouth. God, this woman was the sexiest woman Jaime had ever had the pleasure of knowing. “Yes, Lady A. You’re pretty fucking hot when you’re bossy.”
Anya rolled her eyes and chuckled. “And you’re a weirdo.”
“Yeah. Can’t argue with that.” Determined to knowsomethingabout what was going on, Jaime decided to chanceher luck one last time. “Are you gonna tell me who the dipshit is? And what the plan is?”
“No, I don’t think I will. And don’t pout.” Anya tapped Jaime’s lips with a fingertip. “I don’t trust you not to do something stupid like sneak out of the hospital and show up.”
Jaime’s brows drew together. “H-hang on!Ihave to trustyou, butyoudon’t trustme?”
