Page 55

Ava

“Shots fired at NRA Annual Awards Banquet. The shooter is in custody. Sources say the shooter may have been targeting Senator Talbot, who was in the area. Stay tuned as we get more updates.”

I’m snuggled beneath a blanket on a black leather sofa in Jack’s Houston penthouse.

Uncontrollable shivers have wracked me for the last hour.

Jack noticed and insisted we leave. The FBI reluctantly agreed.

If he hadn’t already been working with them, if he had just been a random person shot at in the crowd and who tackled the suspected shooter, I’m not sure they would have let us leave.

The television set is on, and Jack is on the phone, pacing the floor at the end of the room. Fisher is in the kitchen, also on the phone. He’s wearing a holster, and I can’t seem to stop staring at it. The man is always armed, but he hasn’t tried to hide it since the shooting earlier tonight.

The shooting. Holy fuck.

My phone sits out, and I keep waiting for Patrick to call. But he hasn’t. My bet is he’s on a plane headed back to Los Angeles, and he’s completely unaware of the chaos he left behind.

Indie saw the news. She texted, checking on me.

I tried on my fancy outfit for her before flying first class with Patrick to Houston.

So, she knew I was at the event. She told me that TMZ and a few other sites posted pics of me and Jack.

She said everyone is wondering if the eligible billionaire has been snagged.

I haven’t looked. To be honest, it’s disturbing to me that there was a shooting and Jack’s dating status is a headline topic.

Of course, no one died, so why would they care?

If it hadn’t been an NRA event, and if the senator wasn’t present, it probably wouldn’t even have made national news.

The thing is, I don’t remember seeing the senator around us at all. But once the first shot fired, the scene devolved into mayhem. He could have been six feet away and I wouldn’t have noticed.

Jack leaves the room, phone still tucked to his ear.

He called Sophia from the car. She’d been blissfully unaware, hanging out with Lauren and another girlfriend. He put her on speakerphone, and said, “Hey, there’s also someone with me who wants to say hello.”

“Ava?” she squealed.

“Hey, girl.”

“I knew Dad would get his head out of his ass.”

“Sophia.” He reprimanded her with his tone, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

“You didn’t lie, did you? Or if you did, you had a reason, right?”

“I didn’t lie.”

“I knew it! Are you guys coming home tonight?”

“I don’t think we can.” Jack told her. “But tomorrow we should be back.”

His phone beeped with an incoming call.

“Don’t leave the house tonight, okay?”

“Yes, Dad.” I could practically see her rolling her eyes.

“I’ll see you soon, Sophia.” It’s all I could get in before Jack clicked over for another call.

He’s been on endless calls since.

Jack enters the den with Ryan at his side. Both men wear stern expressions. The sofa sinks from Jack’s weight, and he pulls me up against him.

“Still cold?” he asks.

“It’s shock and adrenaline,” Ryan says.

He takes a chair across from us. Fisher joins us, sitting in the chair opposite Ryan.

“The surveillance team is in place. But I have to warn you, what we discover might not be admissible in court.”

“I don’t care. Some people within Sullivan Arms are involved.

This time, I’m not looking for admissible in court.

My cover’s blown. I’m no longer useful to the operation.

It’s time to get the dirty players out of my company.

” Jack speaks to Ryan, but I follow every word. Fisher taps away on his phone.

“Just setting expectations. There’s a good chance any involved will panic in the coming days and slip up. Especially now that Mark Sullivan has been detained.”

Jack doesn’t look like he agrees with Ryan. He confirms my suspicion when he says, “I doubt many of the low-level players know he’s involved.”

“Maybe. But the drug bust earlier today led to a warrant for Victor Morales’ arrest, and thirty minutes ago they picked up Phillip Moore,” Ryan says.

“Phillip Moore?” Jack asks Ryan. He nods, confirming he heard him correctly. “Strong case against him?”

“Unsure. But there are a lot of phone calls between one guy at the drug bust today and Moore. It’s only a matter of time before we locate the financial trail. Only one undercover DEA agent was exposed during the bust. Not a bad day.”

“Is it over?” I ask. The serious countenances clash with what they’re saying.

“My part is.” He brushes his lips across the top of my head.

“My dear uncle screwed up royally when he came after me. With my cover blown, the DEA’s hand was forced, and they had to go ahead and pull the plug on a different op.

It all hit the fan tonight. I wore that wire to catch a senator.

Didn’t catch him, but I’d still call it a win.

” His thumb brushes back and forth against my arm, but his attention centers on the other two men in the room.

I lay my head on his shoulder. “Smuggling contraband? That’ll never be over. But my involvement, that’s ending.”

There’s a niggling part of me that keeps telling me this isn’t real and that I don’t belong with someone like Jack.

But the larger part of me is so shaken by what happened tonight, I can’t question the future.

Jackson Sullivan is a good man, and I care about him.

No, I more than care about him. I love him.

I love his daughter, and I love that she’s excited at the prospect of seeing me again.

This man is dealing with a shitstorm, and yet he is still concerned about me.

He cares about me. Whether or not I deserve it, he cares.

“One agent leaked the guy you tackled is talking. And he hasn’t asked for a lawyer.”

“Thank fuck.” Jack lets out a deep sigh. “They have to be all over him while he’s detained. I don’t trust Senator Talbot, or whoever else is in on this, won’t pull strings to end a potential witness.”

“Let’s hope they learned from Killington’s case,” Ryan says.

The one guy who could have locked away Killington for smuggling ended up committing suicide his first night in jail.

But, given the guards were conveniently sleeping, no one believes it was suicide.

Killington is still going to jail, but for planning Sophia’s abduction.

Jack’s pissed because he should face a life sentence, and instead he’ll be out in ten or fifteen years, possibly earlier on good behavior.

“Have you heard anything about the case against my uncle? I keep thinking about what he said to me, and I could see it winning a search warrant, but it’s not enough to convict.”

“Sounds like he picked the wrong lover to play sniper. If he’s spilling his guts, maybe he’s sharing something good. Guy isn’t trained at all.”

“Well, he did miss,” Jack says with a cocky smirk.

I remember that he himself is a sniper, and I gather the expressions traded between Jack and Ryan are some sort of brotherly macho display.

Ryan grins. “Apparently, he told them where to find records and videos Mark used for blackmail. I know you’re close to him, but I don’t think his lawyers will get him out of this.”

I sit up straighter, not positive I am following the line of conversation. “Wait? Mark’s lover?”

Jack brushes my hair behind my ear. “Apparently, the guy I thought was a nurse is his live-in lover. In Houston.”

“He had someone in Houston?” All those times Patrick told me he wouldn’t risk being seen as a gay man in Texas. Was that all a lie? Was Patrick the other man?

“I don't know how serious they were. You saw him. I’d guess he’s early twenties. I can’t imagine he’s been with my uncle for long.”

Holy shit . “Well, I guess on the bright side, there’s no risk of Patrick going back to him now.”

Jack presses his lips to my temple then maneuvers me back against his shoulder. “I’d say that’s a safe bet.”

“You need anything else?” Ryan asks.

“We’re good,” Jack says. “You two go get some sleep.”

“Will do. You’ve got two security guys out in the hall. Shift change at zero-seven-hundred.”

“And full staff back in San Diego?” Jack asks Fisher, but he says it for confirmation, like he’s already fully aware of status.

“Full staff plus two. We’ll revisit in a week,” Fisher answers. “I don’t want to take any chances.”

“Thank you,” Jack says. The two men exchange a pointed gaze.

Jack appreciates anyone who keeps his daughter safe, and as head of his security detail, he places a tremendous amount of trust and respect at Fisher’s feet. It’s something I suspect Fisher doesn’t take lightly.

“Indie has been in touch,” I tell Ryan as we walk them to the penthouse door. “She knows you’re here and safe.”

He nods. He’s got whisper-light blue eyes, and his facial muscles hardly ever move.

Most of the time, I consider Ryan to be unreadable, but when he says, “Thank you,” I hear his sincerity.

I’m not sure what history lies behind the man and his sister, but addiction casts a shadow.

I’m glad Indie and Ryan seem to be out from under it.

After closing the door on the two men, Jack clicks the lock and drops his forehead to mine.

“Finally. It’s just you and me.”