Chapter 7

It tookeverything in Angelo not to pull Teresa close and hold her. Was she even aware of the emotions running across her face?

Did she know she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth? Or was she aware that her eyes darted left and right as if cataloguing the thoughts zooming through her mind?

No, he suspected she didn’t.

If this was how she was when she was undercover, how on earth hadn’t she been caught? Anyone with any observation skills would pick up on her tells and expressions.

Or was her guard down around him, and she felt safe letting him see all that she was thinking?

What Angelo wouldn’t let her do was go back to her apartment. No way was she setting foot in there until he and one of his work colleagues went over her place with a fine-toothed comb to ensure there were no bugs or other types of recording devices. Even if it turned up clean, he didn’t want Teresa there by herself.

“Nope, not taking you to your apartment. If you want to head to my work without having a shower, then let’s go.”

Teresa’s eyes narrowed, and she clenched her hands. “Why are you being so unreasonable? I don’t want to wear the same clothes I had on yesterday. Seriously, we’d be in and out in fifteen minutes. Twenty max. I can also call in and see if Phillip is home, or if he’s still at the hospital.”

Angelo understood her need to change into fresh clothes, but he didn’t like the idea of her checking on her neighbor. Then again, she wouldn’t be alone. He’d be right there beside her.

Was he contemplating giving in to her request?

Yes. Maybe a little.

So much for not letting Teresa set foot in her apartment until he’d cleared it. The only reason he considered it was because of the look of disgust on her face about wearing the same clothes again.

A feeling he’d been very familiar with when he’d been on a mission. There weren’t many working bathrooms with indoor plumbing in the middle of the jungle. Or the deserts of Afghanistan. Not that the showers at some of the bases were anything to write home about. Whenever Angelo had returned, he’d stand under the shower head until the water ran from blistering hot to freezing cold.

He understood where Teresa was coming from.

“If—and that’s a big if—I change my mind and take you there, you can’t say anything out of the ordinary. Anything you say has to be generic. Don’t even mention going to visit Phillip.”

Her eyes widened.

Had she forgotten they’d had this discussion last night?

“Oh. Right. The reason I’m here in the first place.” She paused, then shook her head. “I can’t believe I forgot.”

The last bit was said under her breath, as though she didn’t want him to hear it, but he did.

“A lot has happened, and it’s understandable that some things stick and others don’t. Get your bag, and we’ll head off,” Angelo said.

The biggest smile broke out over Teresa’s face, and his breath caught. Every lecture he’d given himself the previous evening about closing down his feelings and keeping her at arm”s length disappeared in a flash of white teeth.

“Thank you. I promise I’ll be quick.” She rushed over and flung her arms around his neck.

His automatically closed around her waist.

God, she felt fucking good in his arms. As though she was made to be in them.

Angelo allowed himself a brief moment of holding her before stepping back, only he didn’t get a chance, because Teresa pushed up and brushed her lips across his cheek.

His fingers tightened around her waist.

Let her go. Step back.

The words rattled around his brain, but it was as if they were in an echo chamber, as his body wouldn’t comply. He wanted to keep her close. Wanted to frame her face and kiss her.

Kiss her until neither one of them could think.

Or breathe.

Fuck, he needed to get a handle on himself.

No matter how good Teresa felt in his arms, he wasn’t going to let himself fall for her.

Giving her waist one last squeeze, Angelo dropped his arms and took a step back, ignoring the sense of loss assaulting him. “Come on, we need to leave now.”

Her smile dimmed a little, and he felt like the asshole she’d called him earlier.

At the time, she’d been right. He was deliberately being an asshole to protect himself and to protect her.

This time though, he hadn’t wanted to step away, but he’d had to because until they got to the bottom of what was going on, Teresa wasn’t safe, and he wanted to give it back to her.

“Good morning, Angelo.”Yolanda’s cheery voice greeted him as he walked through the door.

“Hey, Yo. Is everyone in?” he asked as he kept his hand low on Teresa’s back.

If Yolanda noticed, she didn’t comment, but the fact she didn’t call him out on shortening her name was a fair indication she’d seen how close he was standing to Teresa.

Angelo could swear his cheek still tingled from the brush of her lips, which was totally ridiculous. Brief, tiny kisses like the one Teresa gave him didn’t linger an hour after they happened.

The trip to her apartment had taken longer than he wanted, but as she promised, Teresa was ready in fifteen minutes. The whole time, she talked about random stuff. Like the weather and if it was going to rain. Stupid shit that, whoever was listening, if there were bugs in her apartment, would’ve fallen asleep listening to.

Angelo hadn’t said much. Just the occasional “yes” or “no.”

Phillip hadn’t been home, and a call to LA County had proven to be fruitless, as he’d told Teresa it would be but she’d insisted on making it.

He hadn’t come out and said it, but he was going to get Eveline to look into it. Since she’d joined Alliez, she’d been helping Cass, and her computer hunting skills had improved in the short time she’d been with them.

“Yes, everyone’s here. Do you need something?” Yolanda asked.

“Yeah, I need to meet with them. Can you let everyone know?”

The assistant nodded, her fingers tapping on the keyboard. “Do you or your client want a coffee, tea, or water?”

Angelo took the hint. “Yolanda, this is Teresa Carter.”

“Hello, Ms. Carter, pleasure to meet you.” Yolanda was nothing if not polite, and her friendly demeanor and organizational skills made her an invaluable part of the Alliez family.

Ox had chosen his staff well, and Angelo hoped the new guys who were going to be joining them in a couple of days would fit in just as well as everyone else had.

“Hi, and please call me Teresa.” She moved away, and he had to stop himself from hauling her back.

Yolanda beamed up at Teresa and took her outstretched hand. “You two can head into the conference room. I’ve sent out a meeting call to everyone. Wouldn’t be surprised if most aren’t already waiting for you.”

“Thanks.” Angelo guided Teresa down the hallway, aware of the soft coconut fragrance coming from her—one that he hadn’t noticed on her before. He liked it—a lot—and he had to stop himself from nuzzling her neck to get a stronger whiff.

They entered the room, and as Yolanda had speculated, most of the team were already seated.

Ox looked up, his eyebrows rising in obvious speculation when he noted where Angelo had his hand.

So what if he was touching Teresa? It didn’t mean anything; he was just giving her the reassurance that she wasn’t in this alone.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

Angelo chose to ignore that snarky inner thought. He knew what he was doing, and he was maintaining a professional relationship with Teresa—nothing more.

Teresa was usedto people looking at her. It was nothing new, but the second she stepped into the conference room, and five sets of eyes turned in her direction, a sliver of nervousness crept up her spine.

No way would she say it out loud, but she was infinitely glad to have Angelo’s hand on her lower back. His presence reassured her that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

At least she hoped he wouldn’t.

“Morning, everyone. This is Teresa Carter. She’s an investigative journalist for LA News Daily.” Angelo’s deep voice rumbled next to her.

Did it sound more grumblier than normal?

Teresa pushed the thought aside. The purpose of her being in this room was to explain what was going on and what she’d found out. “Hi.” She smiled as she sat in the chair he pulled out for her.

“Tre, let me tell you who everyone is,” Angelo said. He pointed to the man at the head of the table. “This Ox Matthews. He’s the one who runs this place and brought us all on board.”

“Ox?” Teresa asked. What sort of name was that? Was it short for something else? If that was his given name, what on earth were his parents thinking? In all her travels and jobs, she’d never come across anyone named after an animal.

Beside him, a gorgeous brunette laughed. Her hand rested on Ox’s forearm, and Teresa didn’t miss the glint of a diamond on her finger. “That’s his nickname. His given name is Kyle. He’ll answer to both.”

Ox smiled at the woman, and the love in his eyes wasn’t hard to miss, either.

Interesting that they worked together, but each to their own. Teresa couldn’t work with her significant other. Then again, she’d never had the cause to, so maybe if she had to, she’d be fine with it.

“What Eveline says is true. Whatever you feel comfortable calling me will be fine.” His tone was friendly and open, and handsome in that silver fox way. Teresa immediately relaxed a fraction.

“If you hadn’t worked out, this is Eveline, Ox’s fiancée, and computer guru in training. She works with Cass, who really is a computer genius.” Angelo indicated the woman opposite Eveline.

She wore dark-framed glasses, and her dark hair was up in a ponytail. A computer sat in front of her, and she sent a small smile in Teresa’s direction.

“Good to meet you both, Eveline and Cass,” Teresa said politely, her attention drawn to the man who sat next to Cass. His piercing blue eyes watched her carefully, and Teresa had to stop herself from squirming.

What was up with the scrutiny?

“Irish is next to Cass, and next to him is Growler.” Angelo finished the introductions.

Teresa nodded at both the men. “Hi,” she offered. Damn, was it a requirement that everyone had to be super good looking to work there? These guys could be on the cover of magazines. They were that handsome.

“Hey.” Growler smiled, while Irish just nodded.

Okay then, he was a man of few words.

“I’m guessing this isn’t a social call, Angel,” Ox started. “What’s going on?”

Angel.

Angelo’s nickname made sense, just a shortened version of his name.

Was he angelic? Maybe a fallen one, with his dark good looks and the air of confidence that circled around him.

“Tre, you want to explain to the group what’s happening?”

She was surprised that he’d deferred to her. Then again, everything was happening to her and not to him. “Sure.”

Teresa spent the next ten minutes relaying basically what she’d told Angelo the night before. She didn’t miss that they’d all cursed under their breaths when she mentioned the Ramirez Cartel.

Which shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the business they were in and the reputation the cartel had. Even still, their reaction seemed a little more intense than she would’ve expected.

“I take it you’re familiar with the cartel?” she asked.

“We’ve had some dealings with them,” Growler actually, well, growled.

Maybe that was how he’d gotten his nickname.

“These fuckers keep turning up around us like a wanna-be Hollywood starlet,” Ox grumbled.

“I know. Which is why I knew I had to bring this to everyone,” Angelo said, as he opened his tablet and tapped the screen.

The next moment, doors behind Ox slid open and a large screen lit up.

“Here are the notes I’ve taken. I started a file, so you should all have access,” Angelo said.

“Whoa, that’s some setup.” Teresa glanced from the tablet to the screen. “We could’ve used something like this at the paper.”

“Sorry, I don’t share my intellectual property with anyone. What I create is for Alliez and Alliez alone.” Cass looked over the top of her glasses at Teresa. There was no malice in the other woman’s tone. In fact, she was smiling as she spoke, but Teresa got the underlying message.

“Got it,” she murmured, before turning her attention toward Ox. “What are your thoughts?”

A warm hand landed on her thigh, giving it a squeeze. She glanced sideways at Angelo, sending him a small smile. It was a simple gesture, but she appreciated the silent support he was giving her.

“I think your boss is an asshole for not providing you support and protection after he sent you in. Then to sack you because he got uncomfortable, unforgivable,” Ox said.

Hearing his words felt good.

“Normally he’s very supportive. I’m not sure why he wasn’t this time. He basically freaked out when I confirmed that it was the Ramirez Cartel who Arturo Associates were working with.” Teresa still didn’t understand his reaction. There’d been other stories that her colleagues worked on that had less than savory connections.

“Ramirez’s reach is getting bigger and bigger. His organization has garnered attention from . . .” Growler paused, and it looked like he had to swallow what he wanted to say.

Her journalistic interest was piqued.

“Well, let’s just say, more and more people are aware of him,” Growler finished.

“Did something happen to you that’s related to the cartel?” Teresa was unable to stop the question. Once she sniffed that there was something more going on, she didn’t rest until she found out what she was looking for.

“I have more than a personal interest in making sure Ramirez fucks off and takes his cartel with him.” Clearly, there was more to the story, but the man’s expression hardened, and his arms crossed over his chest in a “do not enter” stance.

Maybe Angelo would shed some light on it, but she’d let it go—for now. The more information Teresa was able to dig up on the cartel, the stronger her story would be.

Although, Growler had said was something she couldn’t ignore. “You said he’d drawn the attention of others. I’ve been wondering if the DEA is involved. Or the FBI. I mean, I’m sure they’ve got people watching just about everyone who’s trying to bring drugs into the country, not to mention other things like human trafficking, etc.”

“No doubt they are. After Growler and Astrid’s run-in with the cartel, I reached out to both organizations, and all I got was that they were aware of what happened and were monitoring it,” Ox said.

Did he know he’d given her a little in on why Growler disliked the cartel? Was Astrid Growler’s partner, or was she a family member?

Teresa glanced at Growler’s left hand, but it was bare.

“There’s no way in hell Ramirez is going to get close to my fiancée again. If he goes back on his word that she’s off limits, he’s going to regret it.” The dark-haired man’s fist landed on the table with a thump.

“I keep telling you, Astrid’s not on their radar,” Cass interjected. “There’s been no mention of her on the dark web or anyone after her since Pedro died. Astrid’s safe, Callum,” the computer genius finished softly.

So Growler’s name was Callum. Teresa locked that piece of information away along with the knowledge that Astrid was Growler’s fiancée.

“I know, Cass. And I appreciate everything you do.” He stood. “I’m going to give Fort a call to see if he’s heard anything recently and let him know what’s going on here.”

“Wait a minute.” Teresa leaned forward in her chair. “Who is Fort, and why would you be calling him? Can he be trusted? Also, I’m not sure I want you passing this information on.”

Angelo’s hand landed on top of hers, his warmth easing the anxiety that coursed through her bloodstream.

“Tre, Growler’s a former SEAL, like me. Fort was his team leader.” He turned his attention to Growler. “Do you want to tell her, or shall I?”

“Tell me what?” she asked, not waiting for Growler to respond.

A flash of indecision crossed Growler’s handsome face before he sat back down again. “I can’t go into the specifics, because a lot is classified, but one of our missions went pear-shaped. One of my former teammates and I almost got killed by a suicide bomber. There could be a connection to that mission and your assignment.”

Teresa read between the lines. The Ramirez cartel had tried to eliminate a SEAL team. “Oh.”

“Yes, ‘oh,”” was all Growler said before he exited the room.

“I’m going to check on a few things too.” This came from Irish. The man hadn’t spoken at all while she’d explained her investigation.

Ox nodded. “Keep me posted.”

Irish gave Ox a chin lift before he left the room.

“I don’t like this, Ox,” Angelo said. “How is it that over the last year everything is leading back to the Cartel?”

“I wish I knew,” their boss said.

So did Teresa.