Page 26 of Girl Between (Dana Gray FBI Mystery Thriller #5)

Jake sipped the ice-cold Arnold Palmer that Jenkins placed in front of him.

The iced tea and lemonade mixture was refreshing after their hike, but he still wished she’d let him spike it with vodka and make it a John Daly.

Jake had stumbled upon the popular cocktail when forced to attend department outings at D.C.

’s many country clubs. He didn’t golf, but the drink almost made him want to learn.

Jenkins joined him at the rusted metal bistro set on Wade’s small back porch.

Each time Jake sat at the table, his arms ended up caked with flaked red paint.

The old, weathered cola symbol was still faintly visible beneath the rust. Jake fully expected the rickety furniture set to give way under his weight, yet somehow it continued to defy the laws of science and nature, so he’d stopped insisting he be allowed to replace it.

He knew it would only be met with Wade’s insistence that, They just don’t make things the way they used to.

Although he despised the ancient piece of tetanus-laden furniture, Jake was inclined to agree with his uncle.

The matching chair Jenkins sat in protested loudly as she scooted closer to the table. She took a sip of her own ice-cold drink, leaving a condensation ring among the rust .

“Still think it would be better with alcohol?” she asked when Jake took another sip of his.

“That’s not a question, Jenks. It’s a fact.”

She chuckled. “And that’s why I poured every last drop into the desert.”

Jake shook his head. “Sinful.”

“Maybe, but you can’t argue with results. Your mom is doing better and so is Wade.”

It was true. His mother’s mental health had improved drastically, and Jake had never seen Wade happier. He knew it was all due to Jenkins being here.

The former FBI badass had adopted the crunchy granola ways of rural Nevada faster than he ever could’ve anticipated. And applying her new holistic agenda to Jake’s mother and uncle might’ve been the best thing that ever happened to them.

Still, it was hard to imagine the ex-FBI bigwig would be happy trading her designer power suits for overalls permanently.

“So, what’s next for you?” Jake asked.

Jenkins set her drink down on the table and smiled as she looked out at the arid landscape. There was nothing but desert and mountains as far as the eye could see. “You’re looking at it,” she said.

“Seriously?” he asked. “You’re not going back to the FBI?”

“Retirement suits me,” she replied.

Jake couldn’t deny that. Honestly, he didn’t want to. He liked seeing his family whole and happy for a change. It’s why he still hadn’t shared what he’d found in Paris with his mother.

Things were going well for her. He didn’t want to disrupt that.

Wade felt differently.

He was on the side of transparency, no matter the cost. Which left them at a stalemate.

Jenkins spoke, pulling Jake from his inner turmoil. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“What’s the next chapter for you? ”

“If Wade and I can ever come to an agreement, I’m on the next flight to New Orleans.”

“To see Dana?”

Jake nodded and Jenkins remained quiet, her face unreadable.

Jenkins and Dana hadn’t parted on the best terms. But that was due to the unfortunate circumstances of Jenkins’ termination. Before that, Jenkins and Dana had been thick as thieves.

Jake had faith the women could restore their relationship. But he had to repair things with Dana first.

“You’re burning through a lot of PTO,” said Jenkins.

“Yeah, well considering my last few years at the bureau, I’d say I earned ‘em.”

“Jake, my replacement isn’t going to be as lenient on you as I was.”

“I can handle the new director.”

“Do you want to?” she asked.

Sighing, he took another sip of his drink, again regretting the absence of alcohol. “Some days I don’t know. Maybe you have the right idea, Jenks.”

Jake looked out at the sparse yet stunning landscape. Nevada was beautiful, but it wasn’t home. It never had been. It was an address, nothing more. But then again, the true idea of home had always been foreign to Jake.

He’d spent his life fighting for freedom in the Army, then justice with the FBI. It was a nomadic, lonely lifestyle. One he thought he was destined for. But then he met Dana, and dammit if she didn’t change everything.

Dana Gray made him want more. The stubborn woman felt the same way, he was sure of it. The trouble was, she was afraid to let herself admit it.

He understood the notion.

Admitting what they wanted meant admitting they had something to lose. And for two people who’d already lost so much, that was terrifying.

“Are you thinking about leaving the FBI?” Jenkins asked .

Jake shrugged. “I think about it all the time, but then I think about how much more there is to be done, how many more lives need saving.”

“There’s always the private sector,” Jenkins suggested. “You might be surprised how much good you could do there without all the bureaucracy.”

“Honestly, I never considered selling out to go private. But after the Reaper case …” he trailed off, momentarily lost in the nightmare that had shattered the life he’d built in D.C.

Jake still couldn’t quite believe how wrong he’d been. Dana was the only one to see the truth. Little good it’d done.

He knew she hadn’t wanted to be right. Being right about their last case was like being right about an earthquake or a hurricane. Truth offered little comfort in the face of catastrophe.

Surviving such a disaster was hard enough. The uphill battle that followed might be even worse. Particularly with the knowledge that their lives would never be the same again.

Jake scrubbed his hand across his face, as though he could wipe away the memories. “I don’t know, Jenks. I always thought justice should be free, but maybe going private is a better way to get things done.”

“Shepard Solutions has a nice ring to it,” she said. “I’d back that in a heartbeat.”

He huffed a dry laugh. “I’ve got enough to figure out at the moment.”

“Just saying it’s something to consider.”

“Maybe. But first we need to discuss Paris.”

“I’ve given my two cents. Whatever you decide is between you and Wade,” Jenkins replied.

“I don’t see what she’ll gain from knowing the truth. What if it sends her into a manic episode?”

“Since when do you deal in ‘what ifs’?”

Jake shook his head. The answer was simple—since Dana entered his life, shattering his world of black and white forever .

The phone in Jake’s pocket rang, saving him from answering Jenkins. He saw Flynn’s name on the caller ID and stood up, excusing himself to answer the call.