Page 55 of Crossover
“I’m trying to protectyou. If law enforcement starts poking around about this, I’m not sure what the CIA’s response will be.”
I scoffed. “You said they don’t kill innocent people,” I retorted. “You know, unless one of their own becomes a psycho like Daniel.”
That earned a glower, and I fought the way my heart raced under his piercing gaze.
“Detective Mitchell was already suspicious of Daniel, remember?” I pressed. “When we were at the cabin the second time you tried to kill me?—”
“I didn’t try to kill you that time.”
Oh my God.
“He called and said he didn’t think Steve was his real name.”
“Did he say why?” Grayson pressed.
At the time, no, but when I called him this time, he did explain.
“After the whole garage incident, Detective Mitchell was going through the people in my life with a fine-toothed comb. When a routine background check found no records of Steve prior to two years ago, Detective Mitchell found it odd and dived deeper. He found that the Social Security number with Steve’s identity was issued around the same time he met my mom.”
Daniel was good—I’d give him that. Taking the time to ensure his identity would pass a first-level background check and even having a Social Security number for his fake identity. Anyone doing a typical search of him would not have had suspicions.
“Did you tell Detective Mitchell where we were?”
“No,” I said. “I was careful.” Or so I thought.
Appearing slightly relieved, Grayson rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, exposing the lean lines of his forearms. My traitorous mind flickered back to the way those hands had once roamed my body, igniting a fire within me that I couldn’t seem to extinguish. A stupid flush crept up my neck at the memory.
I mentally chastised myself, trying to push away the unwanted attraction. It was infuriating how my body betrayed me, responding to Grayson’s presence like a moth drawn to a flame.
How dare he sit there, looking all sexy and brooding, when he’s the reason my life is in shambles!The audacity of this man, making me feel things I shouldn’t. Things I couldn’t.
I forced myself to focus on the anger, the pain he’d caused. It was the only way I could keep my sanity.
“The police are not going to be able to take down someone as skilled as Daniel,” Grayson continued. “I told you, Barry and my colleague Seth are working on this.Theyhave the skills to investigate Daniel and find evidence against him.”
“And in the meantime, Daniel is free. I have to believe that the Chicago police can at least help track him down, and if they do, Detective Mitchell can charge him with kidnapping and put him behind barswhilethey prove his other crimes.”
Until Daniel was behind bars, I’d be living in constant fear, and I couldn’t handle this going on for long. I needed to say good night to Mom without fearing it might be her last. I needed to feel the sun warming my face without the threat of a sniper’s gun trained on my skull. And I needed my heart to heal. If that was even possible.
The truth was, I wasn’t just angry at Grayson; I was overwhelmed by it all. How dare Daniel order the death of my father. And what had my dad been thinking, going up against a violent psychopath who’d tried to kidnap me once? I knew he was trying to do the right thing, but he’d been naive, and it endangered us all. Whenever that frustration seeped in, I’d feel like a horrible person, because Dad paid the ultimate price with his life, saving me in the process. I should only feel gratitude and pride, looking back on what Dad did, not frustration.
In any case, Grayson was a visual reminder of it all, one I needed to rid myself of.
“Taking down a CIA leader isn’t easy or quick,” Grayson continued. “Next time, don’t call or do anything without asking me first.”
I stilled. AskingGrayson? “You mean Red,” I clarified.
His forest-deep gaze drifted to me, an unspoken apology swirling in their depths.
“You said you’d be gone by morning,” I reminded him. “So, once we meet up with Red and my mom…” I wouldn’t have to see him anymore.
Grayson’s piercing gaze remained locked with mine, and I battled against the way my traitorous heart raced beneath the intensity of his stare, my skin prickling with a heat I desperately wanted to ignore.
“If you think I’m leaving you to your own devices after that little stunt, you’re sorely mistaken. I’m not going anywhere. Not now.”
My chest plummeted into despair.
A girl could only take so much. Between the threats to my mom and me and mourning my father’s death through a new lens, I didn’t have the strength to be near Grayson.