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“They were watching you and Violet.” He pulled her closer to his side, his large hand cradling her waist. “While I don’t blame them, I didn’t like it.”
“You may have to get used to it.”
He stopped and turned to face Teagan. “Why?”
She slipped her phone from her bag, tapped on her screen. After a moment, she turned it around so he could see two side-by-side photos of two men. “Meet Leon Peters and Boyd Richardson.”
CHAPTER NINE
THE NEXT MORNING, Seth circled the hood of Teagan’s SUV and opened the passenger door to assist Teagan to the ground. He lifted her from the seat. Instead of stepping back once her feet were on the ground, he moved into her and palmed her nape. Such soft skin. He wished he had the time and the right simply to touch her.
“Are you okay, Seth?” Her voice came out husky. Rather than fight his hold as he’d expected, Teagan wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her weight against him. Her fingers stroked his hair, her touch gentle. “We don’t have to do this. We can find another way.”
He shook his head. “It’s too late. Your buddy, Zane, was as good as his word. My records and Noah’s have been altered and leaked everywhere, including to the press. My career as a law enforcement officer with Ardmore PD is probably over.”
“How do you know?”
He rested his forehead against hers, his heart aching at the confrontation to come. Didn’t matter that the meeting with the LT was a setup. His reputation and Noah’s were already taking a beating. He and his partner had received texts throughout the night, demanding answers. Neither of them had replied. What could they say? “My parents and brothers sent messages overnight. So did our former partners and squad mates. Trust me. The word is already out and spreading like wildfire. It will only grow worse after the blowup in Burnett’s office.”
“We’ll do our job as quick as possible and fix your reputation. You’ll be able to step back into your career if you want it.”
He squeezed her nape briefly. Although he appreciated her support, Seth suspected this was the end of the line at APD. No matter how many emails and memos were sent to his squad mates, suspicion would linger. “Are you ready?”
Teagan brushed her mouth over his. “We’re already on stage. I feel eyes on us from inside the station. Too late now if I’m not ready.”
“I don’t want to work an undercover op with you caught in the middle,” he murmured against her ear. “My gut says it’s too dangerous to take you inside the compound. I don’t want to lose you to the fake Seth.” And whatever was in her background that haunted Teagan could come back to bite them at an inopportune time.
“And I don’t want to lose you to the fake Teagan. Our roles will be a mixture of falsehoods and reality.” Another light kiss. “We’ll make it work. Who better to watch your back than me? I care about you. Trust me, Seth. This is what we do. Let’s get this done so you can go back to your career.”
Although he nodded, Seth still wasn’t convinced the damage could be fixed. His career and Noah’s might be toast. If they did a good enough job, perhaps Maddox would offer him and his partner employment. But what would that mean for him and Teagan? What if they were deployed during opposite months? He’d never see her.
Heart heavy, he brushed her mouth with another brief kiss and eased away from temptation. “We should go. Noah and Violet are waiting.”
She slipped her hand into his as they walked toward the station house.
Seth felt as though he was seconds away from hurling when he stepped into the lobby and faced the cold gaze of the desksergeant raking over him, the first of many contemptuous looks from his coworkers as he and Noah led the women toward the lieutenant’s office.
Burnett flung open his office door when they were halfway across the bullpen. “Dixon, Mann, I didn’t invite your girlfriends into this meeting. Find a place to park them while we have a little chat.”
Heat poured through Seth’s veins. Keeping the women separated from them wasn’t the plan Burnett had proposed last night. What had changed in the last nine hours?
Teagan’s hand squeezed his. “It’s fine. Violet and I can sit in an empty office or we can go back to the lobby.”
Not in the lobby. He didn’t want Teagan and Violet that far away from them. He knew they were trained operatives capable of protecting themselves. They should be able to trust the men and women in blue.
The circumstances, though, didn’t lend themselves to trusting the safety of his woman and her friend to his coworkers. That realization made him sick to his stomach. He didn’t want to lose the connection with his coworkers, but already they looked at him and Noah with suspicion, anger, and disgust.
Seth looked at his LT. His jaw hardened. No matter what his commanding officer wanted, Seth’s priority was protecting Teagan. “An empty office, sir.”
His boss sneered. “Worried about your little girlfriend?”
The disdain stung, fake though it was. “Yes, sir.”
“Should have thought about that before you brought her for moral support.”
The squad room had gone dead quiet. Even the cuffed perps were silent, watching the drama play out. The only noise to be heard was the ringing of unanswered telephones.
“LT, what about putting the women in O’Hallaran’s office?” Noah asked. “He’s on vacation this week.”