Chapter 31

Ash paced insidethe circle of the veteran’s memorial near Pack Square Park. Not far from where he’d first spotted Kayla at a picnic table, packing baskets for a generation often forgotten or who found themselves alone in a sea of unfamiliar faces.

He thought of Grams, of how long it had been since his last visit, and vowed to see her on his next day off.

Checking the clock on his phone, he groaned. Minutes ticked by with all the speed of a slug race.

An inner monologue revved up until it became a hammer inside his head. This was a mistake. This was a mistake. This was a mistake.

Two women watching over a clutch of barefooted children romping through a geiser-like splash fountain eyed him with more and more wariness. He knew he should sit down, be calm, and stop frightening the park users, but a nervous energy had taken over his movements and he couldn’t seem to regain control.

He’d had more finesse in middle school, asking Mindy Wyatt to the school dance, than he had smoothing things over with the lobbyist after their explosive kiss and his cutting words.

What had gotten into him? Special agents don’t get involved with witnesses. Yet he’d crossed the line. Hell, he’d leaped over it headfirst.

Eighteen hours later, and he still couldn’t muster a proper apology or an appropriate amount of regret for the kiss. His shitty comment was another story.

The best outcome he could hope for was Kayla agreeing to forming a platonic, noncombative working relationship, until he—or one of his colleagues—tracked down the killer.

“I didn’t realize they allowed tigers in the park,” a flat female voice said from behind him.

Ash stopped his prowling and turned to face Kayla. Even dressed in a no-nonsense business pantsuit, she looked amazing.

Kissable.

Beddable.

He blinked the get-your-ass-in-trouble thoughts away and nodded at Wade, who stood sentinel several yards away, before addressing the lobbyist. “Thank you for agreeing to a last-minute meeting.”

“It’s a last-minute kind of day.” She sat on a granite bench and clasped her hands loosely in her lap. “Do you have news to share? Or are you about to attempt another non-excuse for kissing me?” Her eyes dug into his. “Or an apology?”

He grasped the base of his skull as if he could squeeze out the right words. “All three, I guess.”

A blond eyebrow rose. “You guess?”

His hand dropped back to his side. “All, dammit.”

“How about I knock the list down for you.”

“By all means.”

“As with last night, I have no interest in hearing your apologies or assurances that you won’t kiss me again.” Her mouth curved into a secretive smile. “You know as well as I do that we’ve been circling each other since we first met and, if an opportunity presents itself, we’ll be naked and consumed.”

Ash went hard and aching, in an instant. If they’d been alone, he would have ensured her prediction came true. He buttoned his suit jacket, despite the warm March day. “You cannot say shit like that with little kids around.”

Her gaze flicked down to watch his movements and her smile widened. “I noticed you didn’t disagree with my assessment.”

“You know how much I enjoyed our kiss?” He moved closer. Lowered his voice. “How badly I want it to happen again?” Her amusement dimmed, and he took unbelievable pleasure in the effect his words had on her. “What it did to me last night as I lay in bed with nothing but the memory to keep me company?”

She swallowed and sat straighter.

“For now, I’ll keep it professional,” he continued, having no intention of doing so. She’d opened Pandora’s box, and he was keen to see what was inside. To hell with the Bureau’s code of conduct. “But I do want to apologize for lashing out at you last night. No excuses. I lost my head for a second.”

“Apology accepted.”

He raised a brow. “That’s it?”

“What did you expect? That I would hurt you in kind? Make you grovel to win my forgiveness?”

“I’m sorry, Kayla. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She nodded, then glanced down at her clasped hands before meeting his eyes again.

He tilted his head, allowed a teasing note to enter his voice. “I thought I’d have to work a little harder.”

Her features softened, a little. “We’re both adults, Ash. Neither of us have time for teenage games.”

Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, lingered there long enough to pull her honey-vanilla scent into his chest. “Thank you,” he whispered.

He brushed a finger over the spot where his sidearm injured her. “Still painful?”

“A bit tender.”

Guilt stabbed through him as he straightened and shoved his hands into his pockets.

She cleared her throat. “Since we’re clearing the air, I should tell you that I asked my mother if she was missing a pearl stud earring.”

Ash gritted his teeth. “We haven’t released that information to?—”

She raised a hand. “My mother would never jeopardize your case by discussing it with anyone. She understands the value of some secrets.”

“All it takes is one misplaced word to the wrong person.”

“She wore her studs two days ago, after Vicky’s murder.”

“What about yours?”

“I don’t own studs, exactly, but the pearls I have are still in my jewelry case.”

He lifted his chin, stretching the tension from his neck, as he stared at the sky. “We got a hit on the earring.”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘hit’?”

Lowering his gaze, he said, “Patsy located a record for an ex-con who liked to break into his target’s home, steal a piece of jewelry, and place it at the hit site a day or two before he killed his target. If anyone found the jewelry before the hit, he took it as a sign from God to abort the mission.”

“It’s plausible he could have stolen the pearl earring from Vicky and planted it before the benefit.”

“The task force hasn’t been able to verify if the governor was missing an earring.”

“What’s the ex-con’s name?”

Ash hesitated a moment, then recalled the scanned newspaper articles Patsy had shown him. Knowing the lobbyist, she’d just google the details he’d already shared with her and come up with a name. “Seb Grimball. Familiar?”

She shook her head. “How many missions did he abort?”

“Zero.”

“You think this man is Vicky’s’ shooter?”

“Anything is possible. According to Patsy, he was released from prison a year ago after spending the last three decades behind bars. Maybe something triggered him and he went back to killing.”

“Thirty years? How old is he?”

“Sixty-one.”

“Wouldn’t he have lost his . . . skillset after being dormant for so long?”

“He’s had a year to hone it back into shape.”

She didn’t look convinced. and, frankly, neither was he, but it was the only lead they had at the moment.

“Why Vicky?”

“That’s what I need to find out.”

“You?”

“Tracking down bad guys is what I do.”

“Who’s your backup?”

“I’m going to feel out Grimball first, before I get the task force involved.”

“No, sir, you’re not. That’s why there’s a task force. Safety in numbers. Many minds avert disaster, and all that.”

He fished his phone out of his pocket to check the time. “I have to go.”

“To talk to the ex-con?”

“Come on. I’ll walk with you to Wade.”

She stood. A resolute expression on her beautiful face. “I’m going with you.”

“The hell you are.”

“I’m not letting you go alone.” She started toward Wade. “And besides, I want to hear what this guy has to say.”

He set his jaw and followed, regretting the bone he’d thrown her after his harsh treatment. “And I’m not allowing you to accompany me while I talk to Seb Grimball.”

“I’ll have Mason follow you.”

The bodyguard glanced between them, tension radiating through the veteran. “Need me to grab the car, Ms. Krowne?”

Kayla looked up at Ash, raised a brow. His gaze flicked between her and Wade. The last thing he needed was an emotionally-compromised civilian sitting in on his interview with Grimball.

But he had no doubt that she’d follow up on her threat to have Wade track his vehicle. Then he’d have an Army Ranger of unknown background and temperament in the mix.

“Fine,” Ash growled. “But the bodyguard stays.”

Wade shifted closer to Kayla. She put a hand on his bicep as if to forestall violence. “Agreed.”

The Ranger’s hard gaze swiveled toward his employer. “I go where you go.”

“Not this time.” She nodded toward Ash. “I’ll be perfectly safe.”

A muscle worked in the Ranger’s jaw before he stepped back. He locked eyes with Ash. “If anything happens to her, I’m coming for you, Feeb.”