Deadly Deception (SCVC Taskforce) (37 page)

“Will Adam be cleared?”

“Already is. Cooper and Director Dupé will give you a full report tomorrow if you’re up for it.”

A sigh of relief escaped her lips. “Thanks for this. And the coffee.”

The female agent’s blue eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled. “I’m sorry about the other day. At the meeting. Thomas and Nelson are always telling me I’m too gruff. It’s tough to be the only female on the taskforce. I’d like to stay on, help with more cases, but apparently, I’m overcompensating.”

“Easy to do,” Ronni said. “I’ve fallen into the same trap myself lately.”

“Are you joining the taskforce permanently?”

“Maybe.” God, she hoped so. She wanted to stay in San Diego. See her brother. Explore her relationship with Thomas. “If Dupé will have me.”

Bianca nodded. “One more thing that wasn’t in the file…Jacob had an old army buddy inside the Bureau. I did some digging, found communications between them. The agent kept tabs on you and sent information on your cases to Jacob.”

The inside leak
. “Adam had a list of my cases in a scrapbook. I wondered how he knew about them.”

“My guess is Jacob figured—and rightly so—that
if
the Bureau decided to investigate Adam, they’d send you. He was hoping he’d have a heads-up before you arrived and could hide his criminal endeavors or pull out.”

“So why
didn’t
he know I was coming?”

“Dupé’s taskforce has a special designation under Homeland Security, and the information about cases and the members working those cases requires a formal security clearance. Jacob’s buddy didn’t have that.”

Thomas emerged from the room across the hall, spotted Ronni. He looked…on edge. “You’re up, Punto.”

At least he hadn’t called her some stupid nickname. Ronni handed Bianca the file, took her coffee, and headed for her debriefing. As she passed Thomas, they exchanged a look.

She could see in his eyes, he felt guilty about the fact she’d been injured.

God, not again.

“Stop it,” she said, dropping the coffee cup in the wastebasket. “You strapped on your Boy Scout cape and saved the day. I’m still here, and so are you, and so is Adam. I couldn’t be more grateful for what you did.”

“You mean it?”

“Of course, I mean it.” She punched his shoulder. “Stop beating yourself up.”

“Ahem,” Cooper fake coughed from the doorway. “Save it for later, you two.”

Thomas grinned. “Are we on for later, buttercup?”

She kicked him in the shin. He grunted, releasing her and grabbing his injured leg. “Hey! What was that for?”

She marched into the room and Cooper shut the door.

He walked her through what had happened, start to finish, recording her statement. When she was done, he turned off the recorder. “Agent Mann tells me you had a soft spot for your brother that could have interfered with the resolution of this case. Is that true?”

Ronni’s shoulder blades twitched. “I’m sorry. What did he say?”

“It’s understandable, Punto, but I need to know. Did your emotional involvement jeopardize the case?”

How could Thomas say that?
Cooper and Dupé would never give her a permanent position on the taskforce if they didn’t think she could handle her emotions.

She needed to say something, defend her actions. But all she could think about was Adam and his quest for the truth. How much her gut instincts had given him the benefit of the doubt over and over again. Taskforce or not, she had to face the facts. “It’s true, sir.”

“Mann also said that your belief in your brother’s innocence was right on target. That you have what it takes to work undercover in special cases like this.”

Ronni straightened. “Sir?”

“Our taskforce normally deals with drug cartels, gangs, terrorists—the usual violent criminals threatening national security.” Cooper watched her closely. “But we also have more unique cases like the one with your brother. The taskforce could use someone with your profiling skills and a fresh face the narco-terrorists haven’t seen.”

Narco-terrorism was Thomas’s territory, not hers. Still, Ronni held her breath. Was Cooper offering her a job?

“In fact.” he shifted in the hospital chair, which was much too small for his bulk. “Dupé handed me the bones for Project Bliss yesterday. Thomas says you’re perfect for it.”

The desire to kill her partner morphed into the desire to hug him. “What exactly is Project Bliss?”

“A crackdown against manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of synthetic designer drugs. There’s a manufacturer here in San Diego, but the operation spans at least twenty states. We’ve got tobacco shops and convenience stores selling the stuff over the counter right in our backyard. We need someone who can get inside, figure out where this stuff is originating from. You interested?”

She almost fell on her knees and begged. “Absolutely.”

“Good.” He jetted out of the chair, leaned on the door handle. “One more thing. As you know, I don’t look favorably on agents inside my taskforce forming…intimate relationships.”

Oh, God. Tell me we’re not going there
. She stood, meeting his direct gaze without flinching. “Yes, sir. Thomas and I…well, it wasn’t planned. We were undercover, and things sort of…”

Cooper lifted a hand to stop her. “Mann already offered to turn in his resignation. You’re more important to him than the job, I guess. And that’s saying a lot for him.”

Oh, no. She couldn’t let him do that. “Agent Harris…I can’t accept the position on the taskforce if it costs Thomas his job.”

“Thomas is a seasoned agent, and a friend. I don’t want to lose him.”

So much for her future in San Diego. “I understand.”

He exhaled sharply. “Exceptions are occasionally made. In this case, after speaking to you, I’ve decided to keep you both on the taskforce. As partners. For now.”

Her heart lifted.

“However, at any time, if I feel your relationship is jeopardizing, or may jeopardize a case, I’ll reassign you. Clear?”

“Yes, sir.” She tried to keep the grin off her face. Failed. “Completely clear.”

Outside in the waiting room, Celina had arrived with a bag of clean clothes for Ronni and a giant hug. “My God, you have to stop scaring me like this.”

Ronni returned the hug. “It’s my job.”

“Is it?” Thomas asked. He was slouched, arms crossed, by the window. “You staying on?”

“Did you think you’d get rid of me that easily?”

“Looks like congratulations are in order. I’m glad it worked out.”

He’d given up his job for her…or so he thought. Was it wrong that she wanted to needle him a bit? “It hasn’t quite worked out for you yet. You owe me a traditional date—dinner, a movie, the whole works. And then we have to get to work on Project Bliss.”

His brows creased in confusion. Celina glanced back and forth, the realization Ronni and Thomas had something going lifting the corners of her mouth. “You two are a couple?” She squealed and grabbed Ronni in another bear hug.

Bianca rolled her eyes but laughed. “I knew there was something going on between you two at that first meeting.”

Cooper, stealing Ronni’s fun, filled him in. “Agent Mann, meet your new,
permanent
partner, Agent Roanna Punto.”

Celina smiled at Cooper, but spoke to Ronni. “The spare room at our house is yours until you find your own place.”

“Wait…” Thomas straightened, attention darting from Cooper to Ronni and back to his boss. “You said no office romances.”

Cooper cut his eyes to Celina. “I’m making an exception.”

Celina patted his arm. “Of course, he is. What could be better than our two best friends being partners on and off the field? You’ll be fine. I know you will.”

Ronni meandered toward Thomas. “So what do you say, partner? Do I need Cooper and Celina’s spare room?”

“I don’t know. Are you going to poke fun at my Blu-Ray collection and leave your girly hair products all over the bathroom?”

“Probably.”

He grinned. “Then I’d say we have a deal, my sweet buttercup.”

His quick reflexes kept her from connecting her foot to his shin again, but everyone laughed as he danced out of range.

“Agent Punto?” A nurse stuck her head into the waiting room.

“Yes?”

“Your brother’s out of surgery and doing fine in recovery. He’s groggy but you can see him now.”

“Thank you.”

Everyone but Thomas said their goodbyes, and Ronni followed the nurse to the recovery room, Thomas by her side.

Adam opened his eyes as they entered and he smiled up at Ronni. “I had a dream about us.”

A dream, not a nightmare. She took his hand. “Oh, yeah? Was it a good one?”

“We were in the orchard. We were happy.”

Thomas pulled up a chair for her. She sat next to the bed, keeping her hold on Adam’s hand. Would he go back to the farm? Would his believers accept him? She didn’t know why not, once they learned the truth about Melanie. “I love the farm and the orchard.”

“Me, too.” His eyes drifted closed. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thank you for protecting me when Melanie pulled the gun.”

His smile was loopy from the drugs. “We have to take care of each other.”

Yes, we do
. “No leaving the hospital on your own this time, okay? When the doctors give you the all-clear, Thomas and I will take you home. For now, just rest.”

“Okay, Sis. Will you stay until I fall asleep?”

He was nearly asleep now. “Of course.”

Even after he was snoring, Ronni sat and held his hand. Thomas didn’t say a word.

Finally, when her chin was hitting her chest and she couldn’t keep her own eyes open, he took her home to his place.

Chapter Thirty-nine

Thomas was happy.

Ronni was asleep with her head in his lap. A stack of movies sat on the coffee table, along with half a dozen now-empty take-out containers.
The Replacements
was in the Blu-ray player.

He’d helped wash the blood out of her hair and scrubbed her back in the shower, careful to avoid her bandaged arm. She’d laughed as he’d teased her about her sissy wound, and she’d criticized his skills with the soap and washcloth until he’d used them on her perfect breasts.

Now she smelled like his soap and she was wearing an old Army T-shirt of his as the trauma of the day drained away.

She woke and stretched, tantalizing him with her curves under the shirt. “What are you watching?”

“Something far beneath your brilliant intellect.”

“Good. I can’t handle anything too cerebral tonight.” On screen, Keanu Reeves’s character got tackled by one of his own guys. “Hey, did you dig this out just for me?”

Of course he did. “Nah, it was on the top of the pile.”

She gingerly touched her arm. “Think I’ll have a scar?”

“Yep.”

“At least I’ll be able to see this one without looking in a mirror. And this one I
can
hold over your head.”

He turned down the volume. “Wait, I thought you were grateful to me for saving your life.”

She looked up, eyes dancing with mischief. “I am, but I still plan to use this scar as a weapon to get my way whenever necessary.”

As if he could resist her with or without the scar. “Is that so?”

“Absolutely. Like right now, I’m thinking a massage would be nice.”

This angle had advantages. “A pain killer might do you more good.”

“I’d like
you
to be my pain killer. Got any honey?”

He laughed. “I’m think I’m going to enjoy being your emo boyfriend, Miss Fabulous But Irritating.”

“Fabulous but irritating?”

“F-B-I. Get it?”

“Good thing you didn’t call me that earlier.” She climbed into his lap, pressed her breasts against his chest. “I like the Boy Scout side of you, but the alpha bad boy ain’t bad either.”

“I’ll tell you a secret I’ve never told anyone else.”

“What?”

“I was a total momma’s boy growing up. I had it all over Keanu Reeves in the emo department. Dad enrolled me in football, basketball, soccer, you name it. Before the drugs got to him, he took me camping and fishing and taught me to swim. I didn’t hate it, but what I really loved was going to the movies with my mom. Being someone else for an hour or two. Living crazy lives through the characters. That’s what I enjoyed the most.”

“And you’re good at your job because of it. Working undercover comes naturally to you. Like an actor taking on a role in a film.”

“Guess I hadn’t thought about it that way.”

“My turn.” She did a hip grind, making his cock harden. “I’ll tell you something I’ve never told anyone.”

This should be good. “Lay it on me, pork chop.”

She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “I’m totally, completely, one-hundred percent in love with you.”

“You’ve never told someone you love them before?”