Page 30 of The Agent

Something inside her chest dislodged. It took her a moment to figure out what it was—the jagged little pieces of anger and bitterness that had clung to her heart after Caleb had told her the truth.

The shards had disappeared, as an important realization dawned on her.

This man would do anything to protect her. She mattered to him.

Acceptance settled over her like a warm blanket.

Caleb wasn’t a sick voyeur who’d decided to prey on her.

He was a cop on a stakeout, a man trying to avenge his friend’s death.

Could she really hold that against him? He might have lied to her, but now he was doing everything in his power to keep her safe.

“I can do this, Caleb,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “Trust me to do this.”

His shoulders tightened at the word trust. She knew what he was thinking. The question he’d been wanting to ask her since last night. Can you trust me again?

Now she was asking it of him.

And even though she could tell it went against everything he believed in, letting someone else venture into a dangerous situation instead of him, he nodded and said, “I trust you.”

* * *

M ARLEY’S ENTIRE BODY trembled as she shut off the engine of her convertible.

The bungalow she’d grown up in, where her dad and brother still lived, looked so harmless and cozy, but there was nothing harmless about this situation, was there?

Patrick was inside that house, holding her family hostage, all so he could get his greedy hands on some cash.

To flee from the law, to get away with murder.

“I really hope you can hear this,” she muttered.

She didn’t look down at her chest, in case Patrick was watching her from the window, but the transmitter taped inside her bra dug into her skin, reminding her of the danger she was about to walk into.

Caleb’s partner assured her that every word would be recorded and transmitted to the team’s earpieces in real time.

They would know what was going on every second she was in the house.

If she said the panic word, agents would storm the house in less than a minute.

If she convinced Patrick she wanted to leave town with him, she would say the go word and the arrest would be made after Caleb gave her the signal to wrench away from Patrick’s side.

Taking a breath, she picked up her purse, which contained the two hundred thousand dollars. The agents had opted not to tag the money with dye, instead tucking a tiny GPS transmitter into one of the stacks, in case Patrick managed another great escape.

She slung her purse over her shoulder and got out of the car. Her legs shook as she stepped onto the gravel driveway. She took a few more seconds to breathe, to gather her composure, and then she walked up the path to the front door.

Her hand wavered as she knocked on the door. It opened instantly, and for the first time in three months, Marley laid eyes on the man she’d been engaged to marry.

He looked exactly the same. Brown hair cut in a neat, no-nonsense style, wiry body covered with a pair of khakis and a polo shirt. Only his brown eyes looked different. Wilder. Colder.

Patrick looked pleased as he peered past her shoulders and examined the deserted street. He also seemed completely unruffled by the fact that he was pointing a gun at her.

“You came alone. Good girl.”

She yelped as he grabbed her arm and hauled her into the house, closing and locking the door behind them.

“Where’s my dad and brother?” she demanded.

He ignored the question. “Did you bring the money?”

She nodded.

“Give it to me.”

She reached into her purse, pulled out the envelope, and handed it to him. Keeping his gun trained on her, he stuck a hand into the bag and took out the envelope. Opening the flap, he flipped through the thick stacks of bills.

Marley held her breath, praying he wouldn’t stumble across the transmitter. It was smaller than a watch battery, hard to find unless he diligently examined each bill, which he didn’t.

She exhaled slowly. “It’s all there.”

“I can see that,” he replied.

“Can I see my family now?”

“You don’t get to ask me questions.” He leaned closer and jammed the barrel of the gun into her side.

She stared up at him, shocked by the emptiness she saw in his eyes. How could this be the same man she’d fallen in love with? The last time she’d seen Patrick, he’d been playful and loving as he kissed her goodbye and left for a web-design convention that would last all weekend.

There had never been a convention, only an illegal gathering to distribute drugs.

He looked like a total stranger now. Those empty eyes. The effortless way he gripped the gun, as if holding someone at gunpoint was no biggie to him.

Marley blinked back tears. She pressed her lips together, forcing herself not to plead with him. She was anxious to make sure her dad and Sam were alive, but she didn’t want to push him.

Patrick’s hard gaze connected with hers, and the unrestrained anger on his face made her apprehensive. She suspected he might snap at any second, just go ahead and shoot her, but to her surprise, his features crumpled with anguish. “How could you cheat on me?” he asked.

This was it. Her chance to diffuse the situation.

“You slept with that cop,” Patrick continued, bitterness drenching each word. “You couldn’t wait three damn months?”

She tried to speak, but he cut her off, his expression suddenly wistful. “You know, I came back here for you, Marley.”

She feigned surprise. “You did?”

“Yeah.” A faraway note entered his voice. “I had it all planned. We’d head for South America, buy a little house on the beach, spend the rest of our lives lying on the sand, just the two of us.”

Marley was tempted to point out how delusional that sounded—he was a fugitive, for Pete’s sake—but she stayed quiet. She couldn’t blow this. She’d promised Caleb she could handle this, and antagonizing Patrick was not the way to do it.

“That sounds wonderful,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Then why couldn’t you wait for me?” he spat out. “Instead of having faith that I’d come for you, you went out and screwed the first guy you saw.”

She took a deep breath. “I did it for you.”

Patrick’s entire body stiffened. “What did you say?”

“I said I did it for you,” she whispered.

Patrick didn’t speak, but she could swear the pressure of his gun eased up. His dark eyes searched her face. For what seemed like hours. She grew uncomfortable, scared, panicked, under that intense scrutiny. When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she said, “Why are you looking at me?”

“I’m trying to figure out if you’re telling me the truth.”

Her heart raced. “I am.”

“How?” he asked. “How was that for me, you banging another guy?”

She edged closer to him, flinching when the gun dug into her side again. “I missed you so much,” she confessed. “I was so worried, Patrick. I didn’t know where you were, if you were okay… And then this cop showed up, pretending to be my neighbor. I knew right away what he was up to.”

“You did?”

“Of course. I would never go to bed with another man unless I had a good reason. You know that.”

He looked deep into her eyes, a hesitant smile lifting one corner of his mouth. “You got close to him to get information? To protect me?”

“I got close to him so he wouldn’t get close to finding you, ” she replied. “I had to be sure he wasn’t making headway locating you.”

Patrick hesitated, then released a sigh. “I would have done the same thing, babe.”

“Really?” She gave him a pleading look. “Do you forgive me, Patrick? I was only trying to help.”

He lowered the gun and slid closer to her, stroking her cheek with his cold fingers. “Of course I forgive you. I love you, Marley. I’ve been thinking of nothing but you the last three months.”

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth? You know I would have stood by you, no matter what you did for a living.”

He lowered his eyes and shrugged. “I know. I’m sorry. I should have trusted you.”

“Yes,” she agreed in a petulant voice.

“Well, I trust you now.” He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “And I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you.”

He stuck the gun in the waistband of his jeans, every last iota of rage and resentment draining from his face, replaced with pure, delusional joy. Oh, God, he was insane. He seriously believed she was telling the truth. That she’d gotten close to Caleb to find out what the cops were doing.

So she could protect Patrick.

Choking back her disbelief, she said, “Can I really go with you?”

He gave her a warm smile, reminding her of the day she’d met him in the hospital, how charming he’d been. “I want you by my side, sweet pea, and I always will.” He wavered for a moment. “What about your dad? And Sam? Can you leave them? I know how much your family means to you.”

Then why are you holding them hostage? she wanted to scream.

Her nerves began to unravel like an old sweater, and she had to force herself to stay in character. “You mean more,” she said simply.

His entire face lit up, and all of a sudden he was the man she’d been going to marry. Preppy, handsome, easygoing smile.

“We should go then,” he said, urgency lining his tone. “How did you get away from the cops?”

She fed him the story she and Caleb had concocted. “I insisted I wanted to go into work. An agent followed me to the hospital, and then I switched clothes with Gwen and snuck out.”

Patrick sounded surprised. “Gwen helped you?”

“Of course.” Marley smiled. “She knows how much I still love you.”

“God, sweet pea, I missed you so much,” Patrick burst out, taking a step toward her.

His gaze dropped to her mouth and something in his expression shifted. To her dismay, she saw a spark of lust there. Horror gripped her insides as he dipped his head. He was going to kiss her.

There was no way she would be able to kiss him back. The very thought of placing her lips on his repulsed her.

Faking a smile, she pressed her index finger to his mouth and laughed. “Hold that thought. We need to go, remember?” She put on a concerned look. “But first I want to make sure Dad and Sam are okay, and say goodbye to them. Is that okay?”

The reverent expression on his face told he would give her the moon if she asked.

“Okay, you can say your goodbyes,” he conceded. “Let’s get this show on the road before I go crazy with impatience. I want to start our life together, Marley.”

She looked him square in the eye and said, “Me, too.”