Chapter 46

Jake saton the edge of Dana's desk, watching the crowd of reporters through her window. They churned under the streetlights like hungry insects. They were persistent, he'd give them that. He'd been watching them for at least an hour and not one news van had packed up to leave. He'd hoped the footage they got of them entering Dana's home would've been enough to get them to leave, but no such luck.

It had, however, earned him a phone call from his FBI appointed attorney instructing him to stay put or he would be considered an enemy of the state. Jake had to bite his tongue to keep from erupting on the man, but he knew that wouldn't help his case of glorified house arrest.

After spewing a few more infuriating catchphrases like ‘hang tight' and ‘this will blow over' his attorney ended the call, promising to find the source of the article so he could start proving it was nothing but slander.

Dana walked into her office. The sandwich she carried said peace offering, but the determined set of her jaw said otherwise. Jake knew that look. Dana had an agenda, and he wasn't going to like it.

Jake spoke first, figuring offense was the best defense. "I shouldn't have bit your head off in the car."

Dana set the white ceramic plate down in front of him. The smell of toasted bread and melted cheese made his mouth water—comfort food. But it wasn't the remedy he needed. He'd had a pit in his stomach since Jenkins wounded his pride. Stripping him of his badge and gun had been humiliating. But taking that frustration out on Dana was what he was most ashamed of.

Jake's eyes met Dana's. To anyone else her dark amber gaze was unreadable, but Jake could see the hurt she hid behind her impenetrable stare. He stood and rounded the desk to stand in front of her. "I mean it," he implored, stooping to eye level. "You didn't deserve that."

"I know. But now's not the time to have this discussion."

Jake bit down his response, unhappy to add another aspect of their relationship he had to put on hold. But it was a product of his own making. "Okay. What did you come in here to discuss?"

"Claire. She's been texting nonstop with a girl that goes by Betty from Passages. I was starting to tell you about her at your office. I'd feel better if you looked into her."

"Dana, we're basically under house arrest here. If having a friend as an outlet right now is helping Claire, I don't see the harm."

"The harm is we don't know anything about this girl or her involvement in what happened to Hayes."

"First it was Claire, then Dvita, now you think this Betty person is responsible for what happened to Hayes? Make up your mind, Dana."

"That's just it, Jake! I don't have enough evidence to. I don't understand why this doesn't bother you."

"It does, but in case you haven't noticed, I've got a few fires to put out at the moment and no clue how to do it. But if I don't figure it out, every case I've ever worked on is in jeopardy of being torn open and that means criminals are going to walk. Criminals like Vega."

Jake regretted his words the instant they were said, but instead of inciting the fear he'd expected, Dana's gaze narrowed with anger. "Jake, you once told me to focus on the immediate threat. You've spoken to your attorney, there's not much else you can do about your suspension, but the best way to fight these accusations and keep everyone behind bars who belongs there is to figure out who killed Hayes and why. Prove your innocence so you and Jenkins can go back to doing what you do best."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that without a badge?"

"It's never stopped you before."

Jake flinched, recounting all the times he'd disobeyed direct orders or blurred the lines of the law for Dana. Jenkins was right, Dana Gray made him reckless, but he wouldn't change a thing. They'd hunted serial killers, dismantled drug rings, and infiltrated a human trafficking cult together. Without following Dana's gravely accurate intuition, more lives would've been lost.

Jake had taken a vow to protect and serve. As far as he was concerned, he'd done nothing but uphold it. "You're right," he said. "But this time is different. We don't have the FBI to fall back on. We're on our own."

"I'm okay with that," Dana replied.

Jake knew it wasn't a foreign concept for Dana. Orphaned as a child, she'd grown up with only herself to rely on. But for Jake, it was an unsettling notion. His father may have left, but he'd never been without family. Wade, his mother, Jenkins, the Army, the FBI.

Yes, he was a loner, but he was never truly alone.

But with Dana standing resolutely in front of him, he realized she was offering him an olive branch, an opportunity to find a way through this—together.

"What do you need me to do?"