Page 104 of Forged in Steele

“Then what’s the plan?”

“I’d hoped to have the element of surprise on our side so I honestly don’t know.” He took another look at the building hunkered down in dark shadows. “We could slip in a window.”

“None on the sides. We’ll have to circle round back.”

Jared lamented the A-frame style building. “Then we go to the back. We use hand signals from now on.”

Reed nodded, and Jared started down the drive, but came to a sudden stop. He pointed ahead where a male body lay on the ground next to the truck. Jared signaled for Reed to have his back. He stepped closer, his weapon raised.

Jared dropped down to check for a pulse. “Dead, but still warm. Don’t recognize him.”

“What do you want to do?” Reed asked.

“We keep moving, but be even more careful.” Jared prayed for everyone’s safety, then eased closer until the front door was flung open, the moon coming out from behind clouds and bathing the area.

Jared jerked his rifle in that direction.

Bristol stepped onto the porch, Reya Isaacs’s arm slung around Bristol’s neck and a handgun to her head.

Jared had to stifle a gasp, and it took all his effort to keep his gun raised when his arms suddenly felt like gelatin.

“If you’ve come to try to steal my daughter, go away,” Reya shouted. “I’ll kill this woman if you try.”

Jared and Reed remained quiet and in the shadows.

“Show yourselves or I kill her.” Reya jammed the gun into Bristol’s head. “I mean it. Step out now or she hits the porch just like the man in the driveway.”

Hoping Reya didn’t know there were two of them, Jared signaled for Reed to hold his position, and Jared stepped out. “I’m over here. Please don’t hurt Bristol. You could take me instead and let her go.”

“No.”

“That’s Jared Wolfe,” Bristol said calmly. “He’s an FBI agent, and the man I love.”

“Love.” Reya flashed her eyes wide.

Jared was equally as shocked. Not just by her confession, but why she felt a need to say it now.

“I actually met him when I was in college. We worked at a middle school camp that summer. Fell in love. But he’d already joined the Navy and had to go serve our country, so we couldn’t be together.”

Bristol took a long breath and locked gazes with him. “Now we reconnected, and I would really like the chance to find out if he’s the man for me.”

Reya simply grunted.

“Remember when you fell in love with your husband?” Bristol asked. “Wouldn’t you have wanted to do just about anything to be with him? To have his child?”

Reya’s expression softened, and her arm loosened a bit. Likely Bristol’s plan. Make herself and him more human to Reya. Not law enforcement officers bent on ruining her dream, but a couple in love.

Was that Bristol’s only goal, or was she trying to tell him she loved him in case Reya killed her?

No.He wouldn’t let that happen. Not as long as he had breath in his body.

“Do you remember the feeling, Reya?” Bristol asked.

“Yes.” Reya’s voice was barely loud enough for Jared to hear her. “I remember. But it ended. Now we only fight and blame, so we had to break up.”

Reya seemed distracted. Jared took a step forward.

“Stop!” Reya waved her gun at him.

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