My head was swimming, and all I wanted to do was go home.
Or maybe not home. Maybe somewhere I could just have Ash hold me.
Except I had a bad feeling I wouldn't be heading home, or anywhere with Ash, anytime soon. In the past two hours, I’d been questioned by the cops, by the FBI then more cops. Now the FBI was taking its turn again.
I hadn’t seen Ash yet, but I wasn’t surprised.
My experience with cops might have been limited to what happened with Vic and then my addiction to crime shows, but one thing I knew to be accurate was that they were pretty big on not letting the people they were questioning have time to talk. Once they’d let the EMTs look us over, Ash and I had been separated. He hadn’t been happy about it, either.
He’d actually argued the point for several minutes before I'd gotten him to listen to me. I'd known he could've called in some favors, but I hadn't wanted special treatment simply because Ash had money and friends in high places. Not even when it would benefit me.
Marcum must've been with Ash the last time the FBI had questioned me, because I'd spoken to an agent whose name I couldn't remember. Now, she was sitting across from me, and the expression on her face said there was a good chance Ash had done something to piss her off even more.
Placing my hands on the surface of the desk, I blew out a slow breath and then said in a soft voice, “Agent Marcum, look. I’m not trying to bullshit you and I’m not trying to stonewall you, either. Ash and I weren’t expecting to find anything.”
“Then why did you go?” she demanded. “And how the hell did you find Trask?”
I kept it simple. “We figured it out.”
“You figured it out.” Marcum crossed her arms. “You want to expound on that?”
Not particularly.
I didn't say that though. I was tired, not stupid. So, for the third time in two hours, I gave her the story, telling her about how Isadora figured out that there was a connection to her parents, how we'd gone through old photos and albums looking for clues.
And how we'd found one.
Then about Lily, and how Ash had started putting things together. Including the possibility that Trask and his associates were at the apartment building. When I finished, I fell silent and waited for more questions. It didn’t matter what she asked or how she asked it, my story wouldn't change.
“Why didn't you call me with it? I told you I was looking into it, that I had a lead. Do you have issues trusting law enforcement?”
“Well...yeah.” Shrugging, I crossed my legs and started to swing my foot. “But that's not the point. We didn't want to give you a false lead. Ash didn't think...”
A part of me insisted I be quiet now, but holding something back never went over well with cops. Marcum wouldn’t be any different.
“Ash didn't think we should say anything until we were sure. And, well, you obviously know there was a dirty cop, so...”
“So he didn't want to risk it,” she finished my sentence.
I nodded.
“But he trusted me.” She gave me a questioning look. “Why?”
“That’s personal.”
“Nothing’s personal if it involves an investigation of mine.” Marcum shook her head. “You two interfered with a federal investigation. I could throw both of you in jail. So...just give me a reason, Toni. Or in this case...don’t give me one.”
“He called because of me,” I said after another few seconds of internal debate. “Ash wanted to wait a few days, try to see if he couldn’t figure more out on his own, but I was too angry. They’d involved my family.” Tears burned my eyes now, and it took more effort than I liked to keep them back. I was so tired. “I told him if he wouldn’t do something, then I’d do it.”
Marcum’s ran her tongue across the inside of her teeth as she cocked her head, leaning closer as though that would give her a better view. “So he called. Just like that. Because you threatened to if he didn't?”
“Not exactly.” I drew in another breath and curled my hands into fists. “He saw me with my suitcase. I told him I'd leave too. That I'd never come back. That's why he agreed.”
The door swung open before she could ask anything else. A tall, thin black man with a silver-edged mustache peered in at us before beckoning to her. She nodded at me and then I was left alone.
Exhausted, I lowered my head to my arms.
I wanted this done. Even if they arrested me, as long as I had a flat surface so I could sleep, I'd be happy.
***
“For the record,” Marcum said, her voice flat. “I don’t want us crossing paths like this again. Ever.”
My head still spinning, I nodded at her. She gave a short nod in reply, and then leveled a glare over my shoulder. Turning to look at the object of her disdain, I didn’t notice her leaving. Then I just didn’t care because it was Ash.
I practically collapsed into his arms, relief and something much deeper flowing through me.
He cupped my face in his hands, studying my face. “Are you hurt? You’re not hurt?” he demanded, craning my chin to the right, then the left.
“I’m fine,” I told him. “You were there when the EMTs checked me out.”
I kissed him, rising on my toes to reach his lips.
He kissed me back, sliding his hands down my shoulders, then my arms and wrists and fingers. I broke the kiss as his fingers explored. There was little eroticism to the touch, and I knew he was searching for injuries I hadn’t told him about.
I leaned into him. “Take me home.”
“I will. Just...” He held me more tightly, clutching me to his chest. “I’m sorry, Toni. Dammit, I’m sorry. I was stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m so sorry. I put you at risk...”
“Just take me home.”
He nodded and kissed me again. Then again, each more frantic than the last.
After the fourth one, I tore away from him and caught his hand. “Home,” I said, squeezing him.
It wasn’t until we got there that I realized I hadn’t really specified what I'd meant by home. But I was okay with his choice, so long as it meant I got to fall asleep in his arms. Preferably sooner rather than later.
But as soon as we walked in, Isadora was there with Colton, flinging herself at her brother while a blank-faced uniformed officer stood behind them, watching the reunion.
“You’re all right!” She hugged Ash, then me, and then Ash again. “I was so scared. The news said there'd been a gunshot reported, but nothing else.”
“It's okay,” he said, pushing her curls back from her face. “They got Trask and the men who were working with him. You're safe.”
She sniffled, and then turned away as she started to cry. Colton came up to her and wrapped her in his arms, guiding her away as he spoke softly to her.
Envy curled through me. And then Ash came up to stand behind me, his hands on my shoulders. He slid them down, then around my waist to pull me back up against him. I went willingly, craving his warmth and strength.
“It’s over,” I said quietly.
“Yeah. It is.”
A breath shuddered out of me.
In the circle of his arms, I turned to face Ash.
Cradling his cheek, I rose on my toes and pressed my lips to his. He responded by parting his lips and sliding his tongue across the seam of my mouth. The sensation sent a ripple through me as I opened my mouth, my arms sliding around his neck. And then, a moment later, I was gasping because Ash was picking me up, his hands cupping my ass. I wrapped my legs around his waist, groaning as his denim-clad cock rubbed against my core.