Page 44 of Montana Freedom

“He already tried that,” Daniel said. “And failed. He’s welcome to try again.”

I stared at the agent, and he stared back. It was clear what he thought of me. He thought if I didn’t put my own life on the line to catch Simon, I was a bad person. And he was going to make sure I knew it.

“I’ll think about it,” I said, directing the words only to Agent Jones. “And I’ll do it without assholes breathing down my neck.”

Before I could question anything, I went back inside, leaving Daniel to get them the hell out of here.

Chapter14

Daniel

“You need to convince her,” Phillips said as soon as the door closed behind her. “She needs to do this, and she listens to you.”

I looked at him and tried to see what was driving this fervor. Nothing came up, but I shook my head. Emma hadn’t reacted badly to helping; she’d reacted badly to Phillips’s attitude and the mention of WITSEC. And for whatever reason, she was far more afraid of going into witness protection than she was of Simon finding her.

“I’m not going to do that. She can make her own decisions, and she will do it without you gaslighting her until she does what you want.”

He stared me down and shrugged. “She’s going to help us one way or another. It’s easier if she says yes now.”

“She’s right. You can’t force her to help.”

“Unfortunately, no,” the man admitted. “I can’tforcesomeone into doing the right thing. But Simon wants her. So whether or not she decides to help, her name is one of the few things that will draw him out, and we can get permission to use it, regardless of Miss Derine’s opinion.”

I shoved my hands into my pockets before the anger currently burning in my chest made me hit this man. I didn’t want to get arrested for assaulting an FBI agent. “We’ll be in touch,” I said. “Now, respectfully, leave Resting Warrior property.”

Jones looked ashamed as he left, and Phillips looked angry. Must be awful to have someone like that for a partner. I felt sorry for the man.

I waited until they drove away before I went back inside, where everyone was intentionally and joyfully ignoring the FBI-shaped elephant in the room. They were all in the process of serving themselves mashed potatoes and gravy and healthy portions of Evelyn’s pot roast—a dish that was coveted at family dinner.

No one said anything about it, not even Emma, though she locked eyes with me when she sat down. Anger simmered below the surface, and I didn’t fucking blame her.

The entire rest of dinner, I couldn’t focus. Instead, I watched Emma to make sure she was okay. She was smiling and laughing, and I loved that she was comfortable enough to do so. But I could tell it was only on the surface. Beneath everything, she was as distracted as I was, and I needed to hear what she was thinking.

I craved listening to her in a way I hadn’t with anyone in a long time. Our lunches every day this week were the highlight of my waking hours, and each day that passed made me realize how much I wanted her, and it killed me.

Rayne had said exactly what I’d expected, which was I was punishing myself too harshly for something that happened too long ago. And if I did deserve to do penance—which she didn’t believe I did—then I had done more than enough.

It felt like I’d blinked through family dinner. Everyone was standing and gathering their things. Noah and Kate were collecting the dishes, and Grace was going to help them. But I couldn’t wait through it. “I’ll do the dishes,” I said. “You guys can leave them.”

“Are you sure?” Grace asked. “There’s a lot of them.”

“I don’t mind. Need to clear my head anyway.”

She smiled. “Next time it’s your turn, we’ll make sure to swap.”

All the dishes were piled in the sink, but I didn’t move from my seat until everyone had gone. Everyone but Emma, who was still sitting in her chair. I knew we would talk, but the dishes still needed to get done.

Rolling up my sleeves, I got to work.

Emma stepped up beside me, drying while I washed, and we fell into a quiet, easy rhythm. But the tension between us was so thick I could feel it, as if the small physical space between us had weight and substance. I sensed every inch.

The last dish passed from my hand to hers, and I leaned on the sink. “Can I ask you something?”

A soft laugh spilled from her lips. “I’ve been waiting for it.”

“Why did you react so strongly to witness protection? Not because I disagree, I just want to understand. More than being used as bait, that’s what made you angry.”

She put down the dish and dried her hands, tossing the towel on the counter. “Because I can’t take it.”

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