Dangerous Protector (Red Stone Security #14)(31)
The sound of a throat clearing made her jerk back. She hadn’t even heard the office door opening and clearly neither had Aaron. Somehow, she figured that lack of awareness was out of character for him. Good to know he was just as affected as she was.
Carlito stood there, his face neutral. At least he didn’t look like the Grim Reaper. Maybe that meant something good. Like, maybe De Fiore had signed a full confession and apologized for all the pain and suffering he’d caused over the years. She nearly snorted at the ridiculous thought. Yeah, right.
“What’ve you got?” Aaron demanded.
“Good-ish news. Grace is ready to confess to pretty much everything in exchange for immunity.”
Rage surged through Tegan. She started to speak when the detective held up his hand.
“We’re not giving her full immunity. She won’t do jail time but she’ll be under house arrest for a long damn time. I know it’s not what you were hoping for, but the Feds want De Fiore and she’s serving him up on a silver platter. We’re working together on this and”—he spread his hands out apologetically, and by his expression she could tell he truly was sorry—“they’re calling the shots on how it plays out.” That was anger in his voice.
“So she walks?” Tegan asked. “After holding a gun on me, kidnapping me, and knocking out one of your guys? Isn’t that assault on a police officer or something?”
“She’s not walking exactly but…yeah, it f*cking blows.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “But this is the way the system works sometimes. Enzo will go to jail forever. She’s got a lot on him—her backup plan in case she ever got arrested. You won’t be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Grace doesn’t give a shit about you, and all her movements will be monitored by a tracking device. She might not be going to jail but her life will be seriously altered.”
Tegan leaned into Aaron, tension curling through her, tearing at her insides. He hadn’t said anything about the bombing, and as far as she was concerned, De Fiore might not have been behind it.
As if he’d read her mind, Carlito continued. “Grace has been clear that Enzo never meant to hurt you in that car bombing. It was just a scare tactic.”
She blinked in surprise. She hadn’t been expecting De Fiore to be behind it.
“What does De Fiore say?” Aaron asked quietly. His hold around her shoulders tightened.
Carlito’s lips pulled into a thin line. “Not a damn thing. Won’t talk until his lawyer gets here. The guy’s flying in from Chicago, so until then he’s staying silent.”
“We free to go?” Aaron’s tone said that they’d be leaving no matter what Carlito said.
The detective nodded. “We might have more questions.”
“You know where to find us. Tegan’s staying with me tonight.” There was no give in his words or body language.
Yeah, she wasn’t going to argue with that. She released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She was tired of being afraid—tired being a pathetic word to describe anything. It was as if the weight that had been shoving her down for years had finally been lifted. She could breathe normally again for the first time in what felt like forever.
“You guys need an escort?” Carlito asked.
Aaron shook his head. “Red Stone’s sent a security team down here to get us through the media circus. They’ll be waiting at one of the back exits. You ready?” he asked her, not even waiting for Carlito to respond.
All she could do was nod. This nightmare was finally over. Now, maybe, she and Aaron might have a chance at something real. She still wasn’t certain she was ready for a family, wasn’t sure she had the right skills to deal with one, but she didn’t want to let Aaron go.
Chapter 10
“How’s Dillon?” Tegan asked, after sipping the mug of tea he’d set in front of her. Aaron had bought a variety of teas since she’d been staying with him.
“Good. Sleeping.” He wasn’t surprised, not with the stomach bug Dillon had. He set his cell phone on the kitchen counter and drank in the sight of her. “I’m going to let him stay at my parents’ tonight.” It didn’t seem like just this morning he’d taken Dillon to the walk-in clinic to get him checked out. So much had happened since then. They’d spent hours at the police station answering stupid questions from both the police and the FBI. He should be exhausted. Instead he was keyed up. He couldn’t get a read on Tegan, though. It was frustrating.
Lord, the woman in general frustrated him even as he wanted her more than his next breath. He understood her reason for running. Hell, he respected it. She’d wanted to keep him and his son safe. But he’d thought they were starting something amazing together, and now he couldn’t read her at all.
She frowned. “I hate that his schedule has been all messed up because of me.”
Aaron lifted a shoulder. “It hasn’t. Not really. He’s on Christmas break right now and he’s at my parents’ every other day, it seems. If I’m on an out-of-town security detail, he stays with them. Trust me, he’s fine.” That was something he’d learned early on as a parent. Kids were adaptable. More so than adults.
“Oh. Good.” She tapped her finger against the counter, watching him with an unreadable expression.