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Tyler’s brow lifted slightly, but he didn’t lower his weapon. The suspicion didn’t leave his face. “You could be lying.”
“I’m not. I can prove it.” Moving slowly, Ellie removed the glasses from her face and lifted off the wig. She deposited them both in the chair before raising her shirt to reveal the gunshot wound in her abdomen. The skin was mottled and white. “This is where I was shot. A few transients found me bleeding out in the warehouse and called 911, which saved my life. By the time I came out of surgery, the Iron Fist had put a price on my head. Going back to my normal life wasn’t possible, so the FBI gave me a new identity. For the last three years, I’ve been living as Ellie Brooks in a small town close to here called Silver Creek.”
She lowered her shirt. Her heart beat a rapid tempo as Tyler studied her face intently. Recognition dawned across his features, and he lowered his gun slightly, although he didn't relax his stance. Ellie nodded. “You know who I am.”
“I’ve seen photos.”
“Daniel has his Texas Ranger badge in the front pocket of his shirt. Can I reach for it to show you?”
Tyler gave a sharp nod. Ellie kept her movements slow as she turned. Daniel didn’t take his eyes off Tyler, but as she removed his Ranger badge with her left hand, his fingers brushed against her right wrist. A light touch, one easily missed, but it had the weight of all the words he couldn’t say.
Be careful. I love you.
Ellie’s chest tightened momentarily. She drew in a steadying breath and placed the badge on the desk in front of Tyler. “Daniel is a Texas Ranger. He’s been protecting me since the first attack.”
“Why aren’t you here with the FBI?”
“Long story short, there’s a leak in the FBI. They can’t be trusted.”
“And you can?” Tyler countered.
She held his gaze. “Lena trusted me.”
“And Lena ended up dead!” he shouted. Grief creased his features, but he locked it away and inhaled sharply. “How do I know you didn’t kill her?”
“Because she was my friend,” Ellie said softly. “She told me things, Tyler. About you. About the dog you rescued from the gas station and the silly way you used to put cheese puffs in her jacket pockets when she had a rough day. She said leaving you was the biggest mistake she ever made.”
Tyler studied her for a long moment. His expression was unreadable, his breathing uneven. He was a man backed into a corner on the cusp of a decision. Ellie wasn’t sure which way he would go. From the way Daniel shifted his body weight to the balls of his feet, readying himself to tackle Tyler if necessary, neither was he.
She held her breath, praying Tyler would make the right decision. “You and I are the only people Lena trusted completely. She sent the evidence to you, but she gave me the passcode to open it. Put the gun down. Let’s work together to finish what she started.”
He hesitated for one more second, then lowered his gun.
Ellie released a shaky sigh of relief. “Where is the evidence?”
He didn’t move. “Did Lena really say that leaving me was the biggest mistake she ever made?”
Tears shimmered in his eyes, and they gut-punched Ellie hard, undoing the lock on her own grief. She felt her lip tremble as she fought back the emotion and nodded. “Yes. She loved you, Tyler. I’m sorry you both didn’t get a second chance to set things right.”
“So am I.” He blew out a breath and holstered the weapon. “Sorry about holding y’all at gunpoint. Lena told me I could trust you, Agent Conway, but I’ve had a lot of strange things happen over the last three years and it’s made me cautious.”
“What things?” Daniel asked.
“My house and the bar were both broken into. Searched. It felt like people were watching me, off and on. Recently, there haven’t been any incidents, but I’ve grown paranoid, especially since Lena’s letter instructed me not to trust anyone, including the cops.”
“The Iron Fist was looking for the evidence.” Ellie glanced over her shoulder, and although the office door was closed, she could hear country music and the sound of laughter. A chill walked down her spine. Had the Iron Fist hired locals to monitor Tyler? Or was she becoming like him… paranoid and jumpy? She shot a worried look toward Daniel before focusing back on Tyler. “That’s why they broke in. Why they’ve been watching you.”
“That’s what I figured.” He marched over to a series of giant filing cabinets and pushed on the last one. It scraped against the concrete floor.
“Let me help you.” Daniel joined him, and together, they shifted the heavy cabinet aside. Then they had to move the one next to it as well before a small safe hidden in the floor became visible.
Tyler bent down and rapidly typed in a code on the front panel. The safe popped open. He reached in and pulled out a single flash drive. “This is what Lena sent me.”
Ellie’s heart pounded against her rib cage. She rounded the corner of the desk and accepted the flash drive from Tyler. All this time… all the threats… there was a small piece of Ellie that hadn’t truly believed she would ever find the evidence. Holding it in her hands was both a relief and a burden. They needed to get whatever was on this flash drive into the right hands ASAP.
Her gaze shot back to the desk. “Can I use your laptop?”
“Of course.”