Page 45 of Built of Second Chances

When he stood from his chair, Tessa glanced up. He motioned to the door and she pulled off her headphones. He walked over and held out his hand. “They’re here.”

She rolled her lips together and then nodded. Taking his hand, she stood. She didn’t resist when he pulled her into a brief hug. “This is a good step. Come and meet everyone.”

“Hey, Rodeo Man, stop mauling the girl and come on down.”

Tessa’s cheeks pinked, but she laughed with him as they headed down to the conference room.

Sam, Tansy, and Graham were with the new arrivals. Flynn hugged Josie first and then exchanged what he thought of as man-hugs with Joe and Nico.

He introduced Tessa. Her eyes widened when the three of them pulled her into hugs. Josie grinned at her. “So, you’re the one who’s got everyone in a tizzy. Nice to meet you. Who’s going to tell us what the cloak and dagger is all about?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Way to put her on the spot. How about a cup of coffee first? I always forget how cold it is up here.”

Tessa looked at Josie. “It’s a fair question, and I’m definitely the one in the center ring of this particular circus. It’s a long story and there’s no pressure. If it’s too much to ask, that’s okay. No hard feelings if someone isn’t comfortable helping. It’s a lot and I don’t want anyone in danger because of me.”

Her voice started strong, but wobbled a bit by the time she got to the end of her speech. Her eyes dropped to the ground and she turned to the stove. “I’ll heat the kettle, too, if anyone wants tea.”

While her back was turned, Josie turned to him and mouthedSorry. The two men shot him a concerned glance as well.

Graham pulled out some cookies he’d baked along with some fruit and the next few minutes passed with catching up. When they were all seated around the table, Flynn took Tessa’s hand in his. Her icy fingers trembled.

When there was a pause in the conversation, Tessa spoke. “Okay. This is hard for me, so I’m just going to blurt it out. I’m in Wit Sec. Have been since high school when my house exploded with me inside. I’ve since found out my grandfather, Grigor Pavic, is in charge of a criminal organization that may include my father and my uncles.”

She squeezed his hand. “On the day of the explosion, my uncle falsely accused me of betraying the family, producing a journal I’d never seen as proof. I was beaten and tossed in a room for interrogation and possible rape when the house exploded. It was reported that I had died along with my father and uncle. I don’t know if their deaths were faked as well.”

She took a deep breath but didn’t look up. “I spent several months in a coma and several years in a secure hospital recovering. I met Tansy through an FBI consult and I moved here a few months ago.”

She looked at him with a soft smile. “Flynn and I were good friends in high school. It was a bit of shock when we saw each other a few days ago. I believe Pavic would know Flynn has an open file on the family and I believe he would keep track of him.” Her voice wobbled again and she stopped.

Flynn took over. “We want to find a way to keep Tessa safe and here. The only way to do that is to eliminate the threat. Put Pavic in jail and take apart his organization.”

Everyone nodded.

Joe leaned in. “This is the case you’ve been working on since joining the FBI? The one you’ve wanted to clear before joining Midnight Security full-time?”

“It is.”

Joe grinned. “We’re in. What’s the plan?”

Tessa’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Joe, then Nico, then Josie. They all smiled.

When Tessa didn’t say anything, Flynn squeezed her hand again and spoke. “There are no reliable pictures of Martin Blanco or Karlo Pavic online. We’d like Josie to work with Tessa to see if they can come up with a likeness from when Tessa was in high school. Then we’ll input that into facial rec software and see what we find.”

“Are you sure?” Tessa’s question was soft but everyone at the table nodded.

“We’re sure.” Josie grinned. “Taking down the shitheads is fun.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “So eloquent. We’ve got the skills and the team. Show us what you’ve got and we’ll figure out how to divide up tasks from there.”

Tessa’s eyes shone with tears but he watched her battle them back. “Thank you. If it gets too dangerous, I’ll go and then you’ll be safe.”

Josie tilted her head. “Not used to people having your back, are you? Why don’t you catch up everyone with the details and then you and I can get to the fun stuff?”

Flynn grinned and dropped a kiss on Tessa’s head. “Told you they’d be in. Let’s do this.”

Chapter15

Second Set Of Eyes

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