Page 24

TWENTY

Ellie stared at the message she’d written over and over again in her notebook.

She’d broken the numbers into twos and threes, added them, divided them, even run them through a decoding program.

All to no avail. She knew they meant something but couldn’t figure out the message Lena had left for her.

Maybe she was going about this all wrong.

Picking up her new cell phone, she flipped to a photograph of the letter Lena had sent to the FBI office. She read it again. Something niggled in the back of her brain, just out of reach, but no matter how much she tried to focus, it wouldn’t surface.

A small cough drew her attention to the portable crib in the corner.

Owen lay there, his little brow furrowed in his sleep.

Ellie’s stomach tightened as she set the notebook aside and crossed the room.

She pressed her hand lightly to his forehead.

He felt warm, but not dangerously so. Still, she couldn’t help the automatic surge of worry.

She slipped into the bathroom and returned with the digital forehead thermometer. Kneeling beside the crib, she brushed the device across his temple. It beeped quietly, and she read the number—99.3. A low-grade temperature, but nothing out of the ordinary for a baby who was teething.

Ellie let out a breath. She was being overprotective, a side effect of caring for a child with a heart condition. Every slight cough or runny nose put her on edge. Owen managed so well, especially since his surgery, but an infection could cause complications.

A quiet tap on the doorframe drew her attention. Daniel stood just inside the bedroom, his broad shoulders nearly filling the entrance. He started to say something, but his eyes flicked to the thermometer in her hand. His frown was immediate. “Everything okay?” he whispered.

“Fine.” Crossing the room, she set the thermometer on her nightstand and then gestured for Daniel to step into the hallway.

She followed, pausing only to leave the bedroom door cracked.

Owen was normally a good sleeper, but teething had made him restless.

She wanted to be able to hear him if he stirred.

Daniel waited for her in the hallway, his concern obvious. “What’s up?” she asked softly.

“James is here,” Daniel said. “He needs to talk to you.”

Surprise rippled through her. It had to be nearly 10 o’clock, far too late for a casual visit. She held up a finger to indicate Daniel should wait, then slipped back inside the bedroom to grab the baby monitor. Device in hand, she followed Daniel down the hall to the living room.

James was pacing in front of the full-length balcony doors, the moonlight outlining his rigid form.

He turned at the sound of their footsteps.

Ellie’s eyes swept over him, taking in the sling on his arm, the dark circles beneath his eyes, and the tension in his shoulders.

Despite her concern, it was a relief to see him alive and upright.

“James.” She hugged him carefully, mindful of his injury. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

His lips lifted in a tired smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Sorry to drop by so late, but I got word that you spoke with Maddox.” His gaze shifted to Daniel. “Would you mind giving us a moment alone?”

“No, Daniel, stay.” She turned back to her former boss. “Whatever we discuss, he’ll find out about anyway when I tell him. Might as well let him hear it firsthand.”

James’s mouth tightened in disapproval, but Ellie ignored it. Daniel had more than proven he was trustworthy. She gestured to a chair. “Sit. Can I bring you some tea? Or coffee?”

“Nothing, thanks.” James eased onto the couch, wincing slightly as he adjusted his sling. Then his attention locked on Ellie. “You can’t trust Maddox. No matter what he says, he has ulterior motives.”

Ellie felt Daniel stiffen, but she didn’t look at him, afraid James would pick up on their silent communication. Vincent had warned her against trusting James. Now James was telling her not to trust Vincent. She lowered herself into an armchair. “What makes you think Maddox is untrustworthy?”

James glowered. “Because he’s the reason I had to retire.

Maddox pushed me out to cover his own rear, because I’d grown suspicious that he was leaking information to the Iron Fist.” His eyes turned flint hard.

“Once, I was working an informant who had information that could have brought the Iron Fist’s smuggling operations to their knees.

Maddox was supposed to handle a minor detail.

Surveillance support, nothing more. But within hours of him being looped in, our informant was found dead.

No trace of the documents he’d been carrying.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t prove Maddox was the one who leaked the information. ”

Ellie’s pulse quickened. “Is that why you didn’t tell him about my name change before leaving the FBI?”

“Precisely. I didn’t trust him to keep you safe.”

“Did you try leaking specific information to flush Maddox out as the mole?” Daniel asked.

It was a tactic often used in law enforcement. Feed a suspected leak false intel and see if it reached the wrong hands.

James nodded grimly. “I did. More than once. Each time, it went nowhere. Maddox is careful. If he’s the mole, he’s smart enough to use intermediaries, but every instinct I have tells me he’s dirty.” His gaze skipped from Ellie to Daniel and back again. “You can’t trust him.”

Ellie’s mind whirled. She already didn't trust Vincent, but hearing James say it made her decision feel grounded in logic rather than emotion. “He’s using me to find the evidence.” She quickly recounted the van rescue and the conversation she had with Vincent at the clinic.

“The message in the bracelet looks to be a code, but I can’t tell if it’s a clue leading me to the evidence or the code I use to unlock the flash drive once I find it.

Either way, Maddox insisted I call him the moment I figure out what it means. ”

James exhaled slowly. “He’s a slippery one. If I were you, I’d stick with the rangers. Don’t inform anyone in the FBI of your movements, in case Maddox gets wind of it.”

The advice was solid, but a niggle of worry kept her from fully embracing it. Had James implicated Vincent because he was truly concerned the FBI agent was dirty? Or was he running interference, attempting to disparage someone Ellie might hand over the evidence to before James intercepted it?

She kept these questions to herself, instead choosing to nod in agreement. “Thank you for the warning.”

James hefted himself from the couch. “I’d better get these old bones home.

It’s late.” He pulled Ellie in for a hug and whispered in her ear, too low for Daniel to hear, “Be careful, darlin’.

The Iron Fist has connections everywhere and powerful allies.

Trusting the wrong person will get you killed. ”

He backed up and looked her in the eye. His message was crystal clear.

As much as Ellie relied on Daniel, she would be wise to tread lightly with the ranger team.

It seemed like they had her back… but so did Maddox.

Anxiety swirled in her stomach. Was James trying to help?

Or was he trying to isolate her so she’d lean on him alone?

“If you need anything, I’m always here for you,” James added, his expression earnest. “Day or night.”

“Thank you.” Her voice sounded hollow, even to her own ears. This entire case was making her question everyone, and she hated it.

James shook Daniel’s hand. “Ranger Perez.”

“Sir.” Daniel limped his way to the front door and opened it for James.

Ellie waited until he was gone before collapsing onto the couch, burying her face in her hands as she rubbed her temples. “It’s like being in a pit full of vipers. I don’t know where to turn or who to trust. Everyone is warning me about someone else.”

Daniel gingerly sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You can trust me.”

She leaned into him, the tension draining from her shoulders as she let his presence soothe her.

The soft scent of his cologne and the solid weight of his arm around her chased away some of the worry that had been clawing at her.

She drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.

“Yes, but what happens when we find the evidence? How do we make sure it ends up in the right hands?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

It wasn’t an answer, but for tonight, it was enough.

Ellie sighed and nestled closer to him, resting her head against his chest. The house around them was quiet, so much so she could hear the beat of his heart under her ear.

So strong. So solid. It awakened a longing inside her she hadn’t wanted to admit until now.

She wanted a relationship with this caring man, a partnership that managed the hard times and shared the joyous ones.

Her heart skipped a beat when Daniel threaded his fingers into her hair. She tilted her head up, her breath catching as he leaned down to kiss her. Warmth washed over her, a sweet ache that bloomed deep in her chest. The kiss was tender but laced with heat, a soft pull that left her wanting more.

Daniel pulled away slightly, his breathing uneven. “El…” He lightly kissed her again, before leaning back, revealing the worry buried in the depths of his gorgeous brown eyes. “We should talk. About us… about my past…”

A spike of fear shot through her. Ellie placed a finger over his mouth.

“Don’t. Please.” She lowered her hand to his chest, feeling the quick beat of his heart.

From their kiss? Or from his own fear? She didn’t know.

“I want to hear it, Daniel. I do. But not tonight. Please just… let’s table any conversation about us until after this case is over. ”

Deep in her heart, she knew Daniel was going to end things between them. This sweetness they’d found was only temporary. Pretend. But Ellie didn’t have the strength to face that at the moment. Not with everything else going on.

She wanted to hold on to Daniel—to this romance—just a bit longer.

He searched her face, his expression softening. “El?—”

“Please.” She was close to begging now. At any other time, it would have been embarrassing, but the overwhelming panic at what he might say kept her shame at bay.

He cupped her face, his thumb brushing along her cheek. The callused pad of his thumb was rough against her skin, but his touch was infinitely gentle. “Okay. We’ll deal with us after this case is over.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

His lips lifted in a soft smile. “Well, you’re kind of hard to say no to.”

She managed a faint laugh, relieved that everything would stay the same for now.

Daniel hesitated, and then he kissed her again, soft and sweet, lingering as if he wanted to memorize the moment.

She could feel his reluctance when he finally pulled away.

Ellie rested her head on his chest, soaking in the warmth and quiet strength of him.

She would have stayed like that forever, but exhaustion was catching up to her.

She yawned. “I should go to bed before I fall asleep right here on the couch with you.”

“There wouldn’t be any complaints from me.” Daniel released her, though, and smiled as she rose and extended a hand to help him up. “Really, El? If I use you to lean on, we’ll both fall.”

“I’m stronger than I look. Didn’t I half-carry you down the path after you were shot?”

“Don’t remind me.” He used the arm of the couch as a lever to rise and then glowered at her. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”

She poked him in the stomach. It was like jabbing her finger into concrete. “But I didn’t. So don’t be such a grump.”

They continued to tease each other good-naturedly as they wandered down the hall, their voices hushed whispers to prevent waking up Marta and Owen.

At her door, Ellie kissed Daniel one last time before saying goodnight.

She slipped into her room. The lamp on the nightstand illuminated her rumpled covers and the notebook she’d been working in.

Lena’s message called like a siren, but the exhaustion was pressing down on her muddled brain.

Better to leave it for tomorrow morning.

She started for the adjoining bathroom, casting an automatic glance toward the portable crib. Her steps faltered. Owen’s brow was damp with sweat, his cheeks flushed pink. She hurried to his side, pressed a hand to his forehead, and her heart lurched. He was burning up.

She scooped him into her arms. He whimpered, his tiny body curling against her. She didn’t even bother with the thermometer this time. She knew it was bad. And there wasn’t a second to waste. With Owen’s heart condition, an infection could kill him.

Ellie pushed back into the hallway, her voice urgent. “Daniel!”

He burst out of his bedroom, a toothbrush dangling from his mouth, his eyes wide with concern.

“Owen has a fever. We need to get him to the emergency room. Now.”