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“I feel it’s my place to ask you the same question, but to answer you, maybe.” Gray turned his attention in my direction, his expression pensive. “You have additional information. Don’t you? Now isn’t the time to lie, Maddox. Neither one of you. This is getting very dangerous.”

After I glanced at Maddox, he nodded, a signal to trust the man. “No fucking kidding,” Maddox huffed.

I’d never felt so lost, but we had to place our trust in someone. “Go ahead and give him the information.”

Maddox pulled the printed paperwork from his back pocket, continuing to hold the papers in his hand. “This is what she was given, but there’s no deal until she’s offered witness protection.”

I jumped up from where I was seated, immediately shaking my head. “I didn’t agree to this.”

“There’s no other choice,” Maddox insisted.

“Bullshit! I’m providing details of potentially massive corruption. That buys me an opportunity to live my way.”

Gray studied his friend before walking toward me.

“If what Maddox has in his hands proves valuable and what you say it is, then you’re in significant danger.

That should be evidenced by what happened a few hours ago.

The information you obtained is obviously explosive but turning it over isn’t going to be the end. ”

“Because they’ll believe I have more.” My tone was full of angst and anger.

The rage wasn’t directed toward anyone but myself.

I’d thought for some stupid reason I could become Nancy Drew while pretending to only care about orphanages.

Which I did. I adored children. I’d always wanted to be a mother, to share in the joys I’d been gifted by a second chance.

But that wasn’t the real reason.

I’d wanted to prove myself, not only to my editor, but to a man I hated more than life itself.

I shot Maddox another look. I’d asked him to keep the drive. The fact he hadn’t offered it easily meant he remained deeply concerned.

He still had the bloody towel Gray had provided hanging around his neck as if he’d just spent an hour in the gym. Not killing six men who’d attacked us, their blood staining his skin.

“Exactly. The question is, Ms. Douglas, do you?” Gray was offering me the opportunity of answering truthfully instead of tossing the ball to his friend.

He wasn’t law enforcement or the FBI so technically, I wasn’t defrauding justice or hindering an investigation. I was simply holding a bargaining chip.

From whom I wasn’t certain.

“That’s what I was handed.” The lie didn’t taste well in my throat. I’d proven myself based on my integrity. “I didn’t have time to look at it before my friends and I were attacked.”

Gray nodded, “I’ll need to look at what you have. I have nothing to do with deciding whether you’re eligible for WITSEC. But I might be able to make an educated guess.”

“That’s not good enough,” Maddox insisted. “You need to go over Agent Wilshire’s head. That idiot knew she’d received previous threats. Now, the question remains. How the fuck were we found?”

“You should have remained at the Marriott. The agents following you had been assigned to keep you safe.”

Maddox burst into laughter. “Right. I’m certain those two idiots could have protected us.

There is a significant leak somewhere, Gray.

There’s no other possibility. Whoever you’re working with must have some pull.

You need to provide her with safety. She’ll need to testify. I know how the game works.”

Testify. I hadn’t thought about that.

“My parents. They’ll be in danger as well.”

Gray sighed and glanced at the paperwork. “What do you think this is?”

“A goddamn list of victims and people who paid Alfaro to handle the exterminations,” Maddox tossed out.

“Plus, my guess is there’s some code than can be tracked providing information about the people really working with Alfaro so he can effectively run his drug trade in the country.

You have people in this country and others helping the bastard gain control of the drug trade.

Now, he’s branching out into sex trafficking while ceremoniously killing anyone who stands in his way. What you have there is a smoking gun.”

He studied the paperwork again, his sigh deeper than before. “Maddox is right. You need to be placed in protective care. I’ll see what I can do, but you’ll need to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.”

“I don’t think I can do that.”

Maddox took two long strides toward me, gripping both arms. “There’s no other choice, Charmaine. None. Can you guarantee her parents will be provided a safe space as well?”

Gray studied Maddox for a few seconds. “I’ll pull a few favors. But you’ll need to agree to testifying. Someone wanted you to have this list. They went to great lengths to try and ensure that happened.”

“Exactly,” Maddox said quietly and cupped my face. “You deserve to live. Please don’t fight me on this.”

My entire body was quivering and not from fear of losing my job or even my life.

From the ugly thought of losing him.

He squeezed my face and I gripped his arm, trying to hold to the passion and connection we’d shared for just a little while longer.

As he lowered his head, pressing his forehead against mine, my body reacted as it always did around him.

The wave of desire was intense, but there was more shared between us this time, a chemistry that was more than just physical.

“Charmaine. Will you let this happen?” he muttered.

A single tear slipped down my cheek and I fought the sobs threatening to expose how deeply I felt about him. When I gripped his other arm, he pulled me even closer.

“Baby. Please. I want you to live.”

His words were heartfelt, husky from worry.

I closed my eyes, rubbing my fingers across his skin.

Then I answered, “Yes.”

And I knew after tonight, I’d never see him again.

Possibly the one true love of my life.