he shot out a hand to steady her, his fingers wrapping around the curve of her waist. He bit back a groan at the feel of her, her flesh warm and resilient through the material of the dress she wore.
“Hey, man. You ready to go?”
Sawyer swung his head around as Blackwell came up the wooden steps onto the deck, Evers and Bauer right behind him. “Sure.” He stood, put a foot or two of distance between him and Carmela as he faced her once more. “Was good to see you.”
She gave him a soft smile, all traces of innuendo gone. “You too. If you have some time while you’re here, call me.”
“I will.” He wouldn’t though. And if he was smart, he’d avoid her at all costs until he was safely back in Quantico.
****
Bautista watched from the end of the street as Marisol exited the Cruz’s house. He’d left for a while after she’d gone to the barbecue and come back after his phone call to Perez was done. The next target was confirmed. Bautista was going in tomorrow night to take care of it.
He’d been waiting here for the past hour, waiting for Marisol to come out because he liked to study the people on his list. He’d been thinking a lot about Julia, and what she’d said, had made up his mind to ask her out, when Marisol walked out.
And then Ethan Cruz appeared and followed her out onto the sidewalk.
He mentally cursed and tugged the brim of his ball cap lower on his forehead. He was parked at the far end of the street in the shade of a big palm tree, so neither of them could see his face from that distance.
Marisol didn’t glance his way but Ethan did, his gaze stopping on the Lexus before scanning the rest of the street. It only confirmed what he already knew about the guy, that he’d served in the Corps with MARSOC and now worked for the FBI.
As a kid and teenager, Ethan had run with a rough crowd. Back then it had been all about street cred and reputation in their neighborhood. They hadn’t hung around together or anything, and Bautista sure as hell hadn’t been popular enough to run with Ethan’s crowd. Marisol had always been kind to him though. It was still about reputation, but the stakes for both him and Ethan had changed. Now it was a matter of life and death.
Seeing them together put him in a uniquely sticky situation. A warning tingle in his gut told him a confrontation was inevitable. Only Bautista didn’t have to play by the same rules as Ethan did.
He knew Marisol was working on the Fuentes case. She’d been right that he’d changed a lot since she’d last seen him. In more ways than she could possibly imagine. He wasn’t the same person she’d known back then, not in name or in spirit.
He also knew Ethan was no ordinary Fed. Upon doing some research, he’d learned that the HRT was in town on a joint-training exercise with the DEA. Which was just a cover story for what was really going on.
The truth was the HRT was in town working with the FAST team, waiting to take down Alvarez. While Bautista wouldn’t mind the help in eliminating that particular target, it put him in direct conflict with Ethan. And now maybe Marisol too, because of him.
Bautista watched them walk up the sidewalk to the big black Ford pickup parked at the curb. Ethan stopped as he let her in to scan the road again, ever vigilant. Not an easy man to sneak up on.
This was a complication he hadn’t planned on, but one he needed to plan for. The time may come when he was forced into the position of having to kill one or both of them.
He wouldn’t enjoy doing it, especially in Marisol’s case, but he’d do whatever was necessary to protect himself. He’d never killed a woman before, let alone someone he knew and liked, so he would only do it as a last resort.
The conflict and frustration brewing inside him continued to grow by the second.
She didn’t deserve to die. Did she have any idea what she’d gotten herself into in this case? What she was setting herself up for?
He’d warned her
“Hey, man. You ready to go?”
Sawyer swung his head around as Blackwell came up the wooden steps onto the deck, Evers and Bauer right behind him. “Sure.” He stood, put a foot or two of distance between him and Carmela as he faced her once more. “Was good to see you.”
She gave him a soft smile, all traces of innuendo gone. “You too. If you have some time while you’re here, call me.”
“I will.” He wouldn’t though. And if he was smart, he’d avoid her at all costs until he was safely back in Quantico.
****
Bautista watched from the end of the street as Marisol exited the Cruz’s house. He’d left for a while after she’d gone to the barbecue and come back after his phone call to Perez was done. The next target was confirmed. Bautista was going in tomorrow night to take care of it.
He’d been waiting here for the past hour, waiting for Marisol to come out because he liked to study the people on his list. He’d been thinking a lot about Julia, and what she’d said, had made up his mind to ask her out, when Marisol walked out.
And then Ethan Cruz appeared and followed her out onto the sidewalk.
He mentally cursed and tugged the brim of his ball cap lower on his forehead. He was parked at the far end of the street in the shade of a big palm tree, so neither of them could see his face from that distance.
Marisol didn’t glance his way but Ethan did, his gaze stopping on the Lexus before scanning the rest of the street. It only confirmed what he already knew about the guy, that he’d served in the Corps with MARSOC and now worked for the FBI.
As a kid and teenager, Ethan had run with a rough crowd. Back then it had been all about street cred and reputation in their neighborhood. They hadn’t hung around together or anything, and Bautista sure as hell hadn’t been popular enough to run with Ethan’s crowd. Marisol had always been kind to him though. It was still about reputation, but the stakes for both him and Ethan had changed. Now it was a matter of life and death.
Seeing them together put him in a uniquely sticky situation. A warning tingle in his gut told him a confrontation was inevitable. Only Bautista didn’t have to play by the same rules as Ethan did.
He knew Marisol was working on the Fuentes case. She’d been right that he’d changed a lot since she’d last seen him. In more ways than she could possibly imagine. He wasn’t the same person she’d known back then, not in name or in spirit.
He also knew Ethan was no ordinary Fed. Upon doing some research, he’d learned that the HRT was in town on a joint-training exercise with the DEA. Which was just a cover story for what was really going on.
The truth was the HRT was in town working with the FAST team, waiting to take down Alvarez. While Bautista wouldn’t mind the help in eliminating that particular target, it put him in direct conflict with Ethan. And now maybe Marisol too, because of him.
Bautista watched them walk up the sidewalk to the big black Ford pickup parked at the curb. Ethan stopped as he let her in to scan the road again, ever vigilant. Not an easy man to sneak up on.
This was a complication he hadn’t planned on, but one he needed to plan for. The time may come when he was forced into the position of having to kill one or both of them.
He wouldn’t enjoy doing it, especially in Marisol’s case, but he’d do whatever was necessary to protect himself. He’d never killed a woman before, let alone someone he knew and liked, so he would only do it as a last resort.
The conflict and frustration brewing inside him continued to grow by the second.
She didn’t deserve to die. Did she have any idea what she’d gotten herself into in this case? What she was setting herself up for?
He’d warned her
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