Witness in the Dark (Love Under Fire #1)(54)

But at the moment, he was incredibly happy. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy, and he decided to enjoy it while it lasted.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last all that long.

His phone vibrated.

He didn’t need to look to know it was Thorne.

With some effort, he slid out from under Sam’s bare arm and answered. She was sleeping with a smile on her face, her hair a mess. He wished he could stay next to her forever.

Instead, he padded to the door as quietly as possible and slipped outside.

“Yeah?”

“You moved the girl,” his boss snapped.

“Yeah, I moved the girl. We were ambushed. If we had stayed, we’d both be dead right now.”

Thorne was silent for a long second. “What happened?” he demanded.

“A bunch of Howe’s men showed up at the cabin. I sent Sam away to hide, but apparently she was never taught to follow orders. She came back and shot them all while I bled out on the floor.”

There was another long silence. Then Thorne said ominously, “I think it’s time.”

Everything in Garrett rebelled against what he was hearing. What he’d known must happen sooner or later. But it spelled the end for him. He wasn’t ready for that.

“No. Not yet,” he said.

“Why not?” Thorne asked.

Because he wanted more time with her. “Look, she’s already rattled, I think—”

“What does it matter if she’s rattled? Do you think she won’t be rattled when this all goes down? There’s no easy way around it,” Thorne said.

“Right. I know.” He really, really hated his job at that moment.

“Bring her to me.”

Garrett took a deep breath and thought over his answer. How it would affect his job, and his life.

“I’m sorry, boss. I can’t do that right now. We have a plan, let’s stick to it.”

Before Supervisory Deputy United States Marshal Josiah Thorne could yell at him, Garrett disconnected the call.

“Shit.”

Now he’d really gone and done it.





Chapter Forty-Two


Sam woke up feeling like she’d accomplished some monumental task the night before. Like the day after college graduation, or the day after she’d moved to her apartment in D.C.

A milestone had been reached.

Except this milestone was more of the emotional kind.

She watched Garrett while he slept, wishing she could tell him how she felt without scaring the hell out of him.

His left hand was draped across his chest and the right one lay at his side. The wedding ring shimmered in the sunlight coming through the crack in the drapes. The ribbon of light stretched across his face, causing his lashes to make dark shadows on his cheeks.

He was magnificent. And…he was waking up.

He blinked a few times and his gaze met hers. “Hey,” he said with a crooked grin. “How are you this morning?” He was still grinning, but there was a note of nervousness to the question.

“I’m very well. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m very well, too.” He smiled as he looked up at the ceiling. “Very, very well.” He grinned at her and winked. “With the exception of the gash in my arm that hurts like hell.” He shifted stiffly.

“Can I get you something?” Not that he would trust any pill she might offer.

“Come here,” he said, and reached for her.

She didn’t make him wait. She crawled on top of him and her lips found his. They kissed for a long time. So long, she thought they were going to start something else, but something on the nightstand rang loudly.

He shut it off. “Alarm,” he informed her. “We have to get on the road.”

She let out a disappointed sigh, and he smiled as his fingers trailed down her cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay with all of this?”

“Trust me, I’m more than okay.” She laughed as she got out of bed, looking for her clothes.

He didn’t get up right away. Instead, he watched her with a predatory smirk on his face.

“How are you dealing with doing the right thing?” she asked him.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him, kissing her again. “I don’t think anything has ever felt more right in my entire life.” He paused, then laughed, looking slightly embarrassed. “God. We’d better get going before I make a complete ass out of myself.”

They got dressed, smiling at each other like idiots. She did the honors of wiping the room down for prints while he supervised, though it seemed like he was actually watching her instead of what she was doing.

He stepped up behind her and breathed in her ear, “I wish we could stay a little longer.” He let out a slow breath. “But we need to go.”

She smiled. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. For once in her life, she felt the power other women must feel when it came to sex. Garrett truly wanted her. Maybe all this time it hadn’t been her fault Lance wasn’t content with their sex life.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm, what?” he asked as they got in the car.

She shook her head, letting all the negativity and insecurities of her past relationships flow away. After all, she was starting a new life. Why not start it with a positive outlook? “Just happy.”