Page 47 of Girl Betrayed

Jake shook his head. “And I don’t expect much now that DOJ took over. I put some calls into my contacts over there. I got a guy keeping his ears to the ground for me, but I know how they operate. By the time they give up any information this case will be cold.”

Dana pressed her palms to her eyes. “Another cold case. Perfect.”

“Hey, we’re not working this case. And until we are, I say we let it go.”

“And do what? I can’t just sit around here staring at the walls with these kinds of thoughts running loose in my head. I need a distraction.”

“I’ve got a few ideas.” Jake caught Dana around the waist and pulled her closer, but she stiffened in his arms.

“I was thinking more along the lines of what Claire meant when she brought up New Orleans and your father.”

Nothing could kill the mood faster for Jake than the mention of his father. His desire was dowsed like a flame in an ice bath.

32

Dana hadn’t meantto wield the question like a weapon, but she could see it wounded Jake just the same. The heat blossoming between them instantly dissipated, replaced with a palpable tension. Hoping to ease it, Dana placed a hand on Jake’s chest, letting it rest over the dog tags he wore beneath his shirt.

It was no secret he wore them. When they’d first met, Jake carried three names close to his heart. He’d since let go of Ramirez, but two silver tags remained. She knew one was in honor of Wade Shepard, the man who’d raised Jake, but Dana had long wondered about the third tag.

She’d glimpsed the worn silver letters enough times to suss out his name and had all but confirmed its significance to Jake.

Adam Miller.

Father to Jake Miller Shepard.

“Is that why you went to Nevada?” Dana questioned. “To see your father?”

Agitation radiated from Jake’s exhale. He pushed off the wall and away from Dana. She’d expected him to end the conversation and leave the room like he always did when things got too personal, but instead he leaned over her bathroom sinkand stared at his reflection in the mirror. She caught his eye in his reflection but made no move to rush him.

Finally, he scrubbed a hand over his tired features and turned to face her. Leaning against the counter he folded his arms over his broad chest. “I went to Nevada because I thought my mother needed me. Turns out my father’s the only one she wants.”

“So, you’re looking for him?”

“Wade thinks it’s what’s best, so yeah, I guess I am.”

“And Claire’s helping you?”

“At first I thought it’d be a good distraction for her, but she’s scary good at finding things on the black market.”

Dana couldn’t keep the pride from her voice. “She’s always been a brilliant researcher. Is that what she meant by New Orleans? Did you find ties to your father there?”

Jake huffed a soft laugh. “No, that was me trying to make up for crashing into your lives and throwing everything off course.”

“What do you mean?”

“Claire told me about New Orleans and the research invitation you passed up to work with me and the FBI. I thought maybe now would be a good time to follow up on that. The three of us getting out of town might not be the worst idea considering.”

Dana hated the guilt lacing Jake’s voice. She stepped closer, reaching a hand up to caress the thick stubble that was threatening to become a full-blown beard. “Jake, you don’t have anything to make up for. I don’t regret working with you. I’m glad you’re in my life.”

“Me too. But I regret the pain it’s caused you.” His hand automatically found the scar on her shoulder where his bullet had torn through. Whenever he touched her there, she felt something other than pain and scar tissue. A piece of him hadbeen knitted to her the day he shot her and whenever he was close to her like this, she could feel him underneath her skin.

The possession of his touch took hold of her, and she let him pull her closer, until his lips pressed against her scar. He kissed a path from her shoulder to her throat before she managed to tear herself away.

“Jake,” she panted. “We can’t do this right now.”

He pushed off the counter closing the distance she’d put between them until her back was against the wall. “Why not?” he asked, blue eyes dark with desire.

“There’s something else I need to tell you.”