Chapter 2

Dana was joltedupright by the ringing of her phone. She tried to quell her disappointment when it wasn't Jake's number on the screen. Just another weather alert warning of freezing rain. Spring in D.C. was never dull.

She silenced the alert, but her distress over Jake was still loud and clear. He'd promised to call her when he'd left for the airport but that was almost a week ago.

Carefully, Dana closed the delicate pages of the mid-fifteenth century Venetian vampirism manuscript she'd been deciphering. She removed her white gloves and cringed at her chewed nails. Her nervous habit had resurfaced thanks to Jake's disappearance and now she was too distracted to concentrate on her work.

She looked around her empty office and tried not to take offense at the cavernous silence that echoed back at her.

Normally, she preferred the solitude the Smithsonian offered. But she'd grown so accustomed to having Claire and Jake fill the space, that without them, her normally structured world was off kilter.

She didn't know what to think of the radio silence between Jake and herself, but she was beginning to worry. He hadn't returned any of her calls or texts. She knew his uncle would never call Jake home if whatever was going on wasn't serious, especially after what Jake had just been through.

After the Vega case, Jake deserved a break. They both did.

Dana had even let herself envision the Key West vacation Jake suggested shortly before he'd pressed her against the wall outside his bedroom and kissed her breath away. Instead, Jake had gotten devastating news about his mother.

Dana didn't know much about the woman. Jake wasn't big on sharing information, but parts of their personal lives had inadvertently bled into the three intense FBI cases they'd worked together. Parts that had introduced Dana to Jake's Uncle Wade, and cemented Jake as someone she could rely on.

That's why the silence was so disturbing. Even during the worst of their cases, Jake always checked in with Dana. She didn't want to intrude on what was possibly a delicate family crisis, but if the worst had happened, she didn't want Jake to think she didn't care.

She never would've survived finding out the truth about her parents or being betrayed by her best friend without Jake. He'd been there for her, and she wanted to return the favor.

That is, if he wants me to.

Dana tried to silence her doubts. She thought of herself as a confident woman, but she also couldn't help wondering if Jake regretted their passionate interlude. It had been leading to what was sure to be a night to remember before Wade called. But maybe Jake had welcomed the interruption. It would be understandable if he'd just gotten carried away, swept up in the emotions after everything they'd been through.

Did the time away make him see things differently?

See her differently?

For once, Dana thought she and Jake were finally on the same page.

But maybe not.

Maybe ignoring her calls was his way of letting her down easy.

She'd be lying if she said the rejection wouldn't hurt, but maybe it would be the smart move.

She and Jake … they were completely implausible. As cliché as the jock and the geek living happily ever after. Yet, she couldn't stop her mind from reliving those few minutes of blissful passion every time she closed her eyes.

Jake's stubbled jawline, rough against the delicate skin of her neck as he kissed his way down her throat to her chest, stripping away layers of clothes as he went. Heat zapped through her like an electric current as she remembered the feel of him against her.

Blushing despite being alone, Dana stood, forcing the vivid memory away. She shoved her glasses into her hair and stretched. Her back popped and her stomach growled. She frowned when she looked at her watch. It wasn't unusual for Dana to work late, but the uneasy feeling that now accompanied her late nights was new and unnerving.

She despised weakness, but this fresh fear that slithered into her gut during D.C.'s nocturnal hours was something she didn't know how to remedy. Neither home nor office felt safe to Dana. And with Jake and Claire both out of reach, it was too easy for Dana to let her mind wander to more sinister matters.

Given her field of expertise it wasn't that uncommon for Dana to seek answers in the darkness. It's where she lived most of her life. But her experience with Jake had only made her relationship with death more up-close and personal. And their last case had even drawn her intern into the line of fire.

Dana reminded herself that Claire was safe at one of D.C.'s best rehab facilities. As for Jake, she knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself. It was a trait Dana admired, and one she strived for in her own life. Yet if her liaisons with the FBI taught Dana anything, it was that occasionally, it was nice to have the right people in your corner.

She just hoped Jake knew she was in his.