Page 77 of Girl Betrayed

“Were you going somewhere?” she accused, eyeing the FBI field jacket he’d donned shortly before she’d arrived.

It was useless to deny it. Jake could feel it coming. The moment his lips left Dana’s he’d landed in an argument. Or maybe picked up where the last one ended. It was getting harder to tell. “I didn’t know where you were,” he answered defensively.

She crossed her arms. “So, you were going to disobey a direct order to drive around D.C. aimlessly?”

“If that’s what it takes, yeah. I thought you were in danger!”

Dana’s gaze softened but her arms remained crossed. “Jake, we have to break this cycle.”

“Of you chasing down danger on your own? Yeah, I agree.”

“I didn’t chase anything. Hartwell called me to the crime scene, you know that. Just like you also know I’d rather not be there, especially without you.”

“Yeah, well that’s the situation we’re in, isn’t it?” he said, bitterly.

“Because you don’t trust me to take care of myself.”

“Trust has nothing to do with it! In the past two years you’ve been shot, kidnapped, and hospitalized. So, excuse me for worrying when you disappear in the middle of a phone call.”

Dana exhaled slowly, the fight leaving with her breath. She closed the space between them, laying her hand on Jake’scheek. “I’m sorry I worried you. If the situation were reversed, I probably would’ve done the same thing.”

Jake smirked. “Rushed after me and landed yourself in even more trouble?”

“Yes, but that’s what I mean. We have to break this cycle. We have to trust in each other enough to know we can handle whatever situation we find ourselves in.”

“Dana, I know you’re right and I can ‘yes ma’am’ you all day long, but the bottom line is if you’re in trouble, I’m going to do everything in my power to get you out of it. That’s just how I’m wired.”

It was her turn to fight a smile. “Like a stubborn soldier.”

He pulled her closer, arms encircling her waist. “A stubborn soldier who’s in love with you.”

Dana’s eyes widened. “Jake …”

He held up a hand to stop her objection. “Can we table this argument? We have a bigger problem.”

63

Dana hadtrouble hearing over the whoosh of her own heartbeat. Jake had just dropped the L word and then changed the subject in the same breath. She blinked through the sensation of whiplash, trying to focus on what he was saying about Claire.

“Where is she?” Dana asked, struggling to regain her composure.

“I’m right here,” Claire answered, walking into the room.

Jake whirled around. “Where the hell have you been?”

“I thought you said she was in her room?” Dana interjected.

“I was,” Claire insisted, but something in Jake’s intimidating stance suddenly made her change her tune. “I mean, I was, but I just had to get some air.”

Dana looked from Claire to Jake. The bulging vein in his neck was hard to miss, and it was enough to make anyone spill their secrets. But all Claire offered was a meek apology. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Jake stalked closer to Claire, his frame towering over her. She trembled in his presence, and rightly so. Dana had never seen Jake treat Claire with anything but kid gloves. But now,seeing him flip off his humanity and go full FBI interrogator on her raised an unexpected protectiveness in Dana.

She crossed the room to stand next to Claire in a show of solidarity. She didn’t know what was going on between Claire and Jake, but whatever it was, she wanted everyone to remember they were on the same team.

“Hey,” Dana interjected softly. “Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”

Claire looked nervously at Jake, who gave an eventual nod.