31. She Had It

31

SHE HAD IT

“ W hy did you knock?” Regan asked thirty minutes later. “Just come in.”

“Your door was unlocked?” he asked.

She sighed. “Yes. You said you were on the way.”

“Don’t do that again.”

She wanted to grind her teeth. They hadn’t talked much more about the letter last week and she was annoyed it was coming up now. So much for trying to push it off.

She didn’t want to have to change her entire life over these things.

And though she loved that he was concerned, she didn’t want to be thought of as not being able to care for herself or being an idiot either.

“I filled out the gun permit and filed it this morning before I started work. What more do you want me to do?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just had to see you tonight.”

“Why?” she asked. It was later than normal. Almost time for her to get ready for bed, but he’d texted and she said she’d love to see him. She figured there had to be a reason.

“I went to see Sloane tonight, you know that.”

“I do,” she said. He’d filled her in some of what he was doing for Sloane. Not a big deal. She never said anything and often gave him ideas on a situation.

“What I didn’t tell you was the reason I had to go to Tennessee was that Dane hired me to look into Sloane’s background.”

“Why? Does he not believe or trust her?”

She’d heard about the other Fierce setup and she was starting to realize that they all were just about perfect and there was no way there could be something going on to ruin things. Unless the Fierces were going to finally have their first failure.

“He trusts her. Let’s say she had a rough upbringing. You don’t need to know more. But Dane was concerned that she might be in danger if someone from her past came back. He wanted me to look into it.”

“Oh dear,” she said. “Did you find anything out?”

“I did,” he said. “She’s fine. She should be fine. I explained it all. I hadn’t planned on bringing it up tonight in front of Sloane, but he did.”

“And she got pissed when she found out?” she asked. “I think I would too.”

He sighed and patted the couch next to him and she moved over and sat down. “Yep. She’s pissed and I guarantee they are fighting right now.”

“Does that bother you?” she asked.

“Only that it told me I’m not alone in wanting to protect someone I love. I wanted you to understand that and see where I’m coming from. If the roles were reversed and you were me, wouldn’t you want to protect me?”

“Now you’re going to play dirty and turn things around.”

“I’m just asking a question. I’m not playing any games.”

Her head went back and forth. He wasn’t doing anything she didn’t do with her clients.

“Fine. I understand and maybe agree. But I’d also understand if you told me there was no danger.”

“That’s the thing,” he said. “Since you don’t know who it is, you don’t know that. Statistics are there for a reason, but that doesn’t mean you might not be the one that no one thought of.”

She didn’t like hearing that but couldn’t dispute it either.

“I won’t argue,” she said. “I’m doing what you asked of me, correct?”

“You are and the fact I’m still bothered is my problem. I’m working on it. Maybe you can give me pointers on how to get past that.”

She cupped his cheeks in her hands. “I can show you how much I love you,” she said. “And I can open up to you more and say that I might be a little scared, but if I don’t keep it contained I can’t do my job. I can’t focus. Then I’m no good to anyone. So know that I’m human and feeling this, but there are times only you will know those things. Is that okay to do that, as long as you don’t work me up or wind me up to make me shut down again?”

“You can do that too,” he said. “And thanks for opening up and explaining it. So we can be done talking about it so that you know I understand and appreciate your side of it. You met with Sophia this afternoon?”

What more could she ask for from the man she loved? One that understood every part of her and even listened when she talked!

“Thank you for that. Is this a debriefing now though?” she asked, grinning. “I didn’t know we’d be working this late. I thought we were going to talk about it tomorrow.”

“I’m here, might as well get it all out now, and then we can put it from our minds and go to bed.”

“We can do that,” she said. “Sophia didn’t seem content with the report.”

“Why?” he asked. “I thought Miles was giving it to her. Is that the problem?”

“No,” she said. “She was fine with that. She read it over while she waited for our appointment to start. But then when we met...”

She couldn’t say much more. That her client was distracted. She was upset.

Sophia felt there was more going on and it took Regan a while to get it out of her.

But she had and stood up to go to her purse.

“Something didn’t feel right?” he asked.

“No. It took a while to get her to open up and she gave me this.”

He took the paper and looked it over. “What is it? It’s a copy of something with a bunch of numbers on it.”

“Account numbers,” she said. “She’s fearful to hand this over, but something isn’t adding up. Yes, everything you found showed them on the up and up, but she found another file this week. One that she shouldn’t have seen.”

“Where did she see it?” he asked.

“On the server. The server was having issues and she was the only one there when they came to fix it. She was going through files to make sure her stuff was still there and saw a folder that wasn’t hers but was in her stuff. She opened it and it scared her.”

“Which is this piece of paper with numbers?”

“That was the only document in the file. She didn’t want to move it or save it or copy it. She printed it in her office as quickly as she could and then brought it with her today. I made a copy and she’s got the original. She says that it looks like bank account numbers with large sums and that is a code name next to it.”

“So they might be getting payoffs?” he asked. “I’m not sure where this account could belong, but I can get to work on it. It’s not a lot but could be enough to start.”

“Either payoffs or laundering money. Flip it over?”

“Looks like a ledger of some of the amounts going back out but minus some of it.”

“Ten percent if you do the math,” she said. “She wants to quit her job but then said there could be a logical explanation.”

“What did you tell her to do?” he asked.

“I didn’t tell her to do anything. I can’t do that. I told her if she feels there is something illegal she should go to the police, but she doesn’t want to. She wants to see what you can find first. Though she did say she was going to look for another job.”

“I’ll get to work on this tomorrow. Or have my father or Betsy see if they can track down these numbers anywhere first.”

“Now work is done,” she said. “You can put that away.”

“I can,” he said.

Her hands went to his waist. He’d taken his gun off and set it on the coffee table. He didn’t normally come into the house with it, but now he was.

Regan watched him and said, “Can I be honest and say that maybe there are times I’m worried for you too?”

“You can say that. I’m not used to anyone but my family being worried about me. I’m careful.”

“I know you are. And I trust you.”

“I get it. You’re throwing it back to me,” he said, laughing.

“Yes, I am,” she said. She kissed him on the cheek, then his neck and returned to his cheek and to his lips. “Does it turn you on when I act all strong like I’ve got everything together?”

“It actually does,” he said, his hands going under her shirt and lifting it up over her head.

“Well then, how about I tell you that I went on birth control.”

“I think that is a great piece of news to have,” he said.

She stood up and pushed her sweats down. Nothing sexy on her now even though she knew he liked her in her work clothing at times.

Once she removed all her clothes and he did the same, she straddled his thighs on her couch. It was somewhat dark in her living room and they were away from the windows that had blinds which were closed anyway.

She lined herself up and then sank down, her hands on his thighs behind her, her back arching some.

“That feels good.”

“Different angle,” he said, his mouth moving to her exposed neck. “Why do you always taste so good?”

“I think you do too,” she said, her hands coming around and cupping his face, her mouth lowering to his.

Their mouths opened, their tongues tangling together, her hips rising and lowering.

His hands went to her waist and slowed her movements down. “You’re always in a hurry,” he said.

“I can’t help it,” she said. “You always drag it out of me. No one else ever has.”

“Good,” he said. “Remember that. Everything you do, just remember I’m doing something to you that you do to me.”

His voice was deep and low. All she thought of was how erotic it was they were talking automatically and so raw from deep inside while they were doing this.

All those things she dreamed of with a partner. The things her clients came to her and said they wanted.

She had it.

She never wanted to lose it.

“Zander,” she said. “I love you.”

His hands went to her face and their eyes were locked. “I love you too, Regan. You’re mine. I think I’ve only been waiting for you to come into my life.”

She was still rising up and down on him, building more from the words being said than what she was feeling between her legs.

“Me too,” she said, her voice catching.

“That’s it,” he said. “Let go. I’ll be there for you. I’ll catch you always.”

Her eyes flickered shut and her body just took over as it was meant to do.

She was moving faster and then everything just hit her at once.

She was pulsing and her muscles twitching, Zander’s hips lifting up into her when she stopped moving and then she could feel him coming inside of her.

Her head dropped down on his shoulder and she just held him as he did the same to her.

“I’m done,” she whispered. “Just so done.”

“Me too,” he said back and kissed her on top of her head.

How was it possible that all her dreams that she never thought she had would hit her at once and happen when they were talking about being scared and worried for each other?

Life sure was a crazy ride.