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“What?” I breathed out the word, struggling to comprehend this weird twist. “But I saw you … ” I accused Killian. I didn’t want to say what I’d seen in case we were being recorded.
His nostrils flared. “I need to make it look good, Tris. Otherwise, how would they believe I live the lifestyle?”
Judd explained. “There wasn’t supposed to be anyone else on board besides Killian when our team swept the boat after it docked. We thought we’d given enough time for everyone to exit. You were a snag we didn’t expect.”
Killian braced his palms on the table leaning in toward Judd. “What the fuck happened tonight? You were supposed to monitor us, and track them. Not blow this out of the water with our first major deal.”
Judd let out a defeated sigh. “I tried to call you. You didn’t answer. Someone fucked up. By the time I realized what was happening, I couldn’t stop them.”
“Couldn’t stop them?” Killian straightened and swept his arm toward me. “She could’ve gotten hurt tonight. Or worse.”
The warm sensation I felt when I saw the anguish in his eyes quickly evaporated when he turned his fury on me. “What the hell were you thinking, Tris?” he growled. “I told you this party wasn’t for you.”
I rubbed my hands over my arms as another chill swept my body. He was right. I never should’ve been there, but I wasn’tentirely sorry I had been. Killian’s life was smoke and mirrors and I was finally getting a glimpse at what lay beyond them.
The silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken words and years of history. I looked at Killian; really looked at him. The tension in his jaw, the worry lines around his eyes, the fear that hadn’t been there before.
What had this undercover work cost him?
Judd cleared his throat. “We need to debrief and figure out how to handle this complication.”
I bristled at being called a ‘complication,’ but the fight had drained out of me. “What happens now?” I asked, my voice small.
Killian’s eyes softened for a moment. “We’ll keep you safe, Tink. That’s what happens now. You get to walk away from this, and no one needs to know you were there.”
Safe? From what? The drug dealers?
Or from him?
As Judd started explaining the next steps, I couldn’t help but wonder how I’d gone from wanting Killian to be my love coach to being caught up in a dangerous undercover operation.
My animosity at Killian warred with the relief of knowing he wasn’t involved in dealing drugs. But that relief was quickly overshadowed by a new fear. If he was undercover, that meant he was in danger. The thought of losing him just when he’d come back into my life sent a fresh wave of panic through me.
The night wasn’t nearly over, yet I felt things were about to become much more complicated. As Judd continued talking, my gaze was drawn to Killian. Our eyes met, and for a brief second, I saw a flicker of the boy I used to know. It was enough to make my heart skip a beat, even as my mind warned me to be cautious.
I was in way over my head, caught between my past and present, between anger and love.
And I had no idea how to find my way out.
Chapter Twelve
KILLIAN
“Is everything all set?” I leaned against the wall of the nondescript office Judd had borrowed, crossing my arms over my chest. I’d had enough sitting while Judd and I discussed the next steps.
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting harsh shadows over Judd’s face as he sat at a desk, shuffling through papers, the scrape of each sheet on the metal surface grating on my nerves.
He looked up, his eyes tired. “Yeah, we’re good. The big fish took the bait. We arrested him on the smaller boat after he left your yacht. The small-time dealers were caught unloading the product from your vessel.”
A muscle ticked in my jaw. “And Tris?”
“As far as anyone knows, she wasn’t there. We’ve released her, no record, no questions asked.”
I nodded. “Good. She doesn’t need to be mixed up in this shit.” I’d placed a call to Max to make sure she got home safe and asked him to stay at her building overnight to make sure the paparazzi didn’t catch wind of her involvement this evening.
I didn’t like the thought of her finding her own way home. She had to be shaken after everything that happened and all the secrets that Judd and I revealed. If I didn’t have to stay here to keep my cover intact, I’d have escorted her home myself.
Judd shifted in his chair, his perceptive eyes never leaving my face. I kept my expression neutral so I didn’t encourage any comment he was about to make. “It’s okay if you still feel something for her, Killian.”