Beautiful Redemption (The Maddox Brothers, #2)(76)

I picked up the receiver of my landline and hit the first speed-dial button.

“Office of the Assistant Special Agent in Charge. Constance speaking.”

“Agent Lindy for Agent Maddox, please.”

“I’ll put you through,” Constance said.

Her reply took me off guard. She usually at least checked with him first.

“Liis,” Thomas answered. His voice was soft and tinged with surprise.

“I’m listening to these Yakuza recordings. Grove”—I glanced over my shoulder and then away from my open door—“is getting brazen, almost sloppy. He’s falsely identifying locations. I feel like something is getting ready to go down.”

“I’m working on it.”

“We have to remove him before he gets wind of Travis’s recruitment anyway. What are we waiting for?”

“A staged accident. That’s the only way Tarou won’t know we’re onto him and Benny. Otherwise, we could jeopardize the entire operation.”

“I see.”

“What are you doing for lunch?” he asked.

“I, uh…Fuzzy’s with Val.”

“Okay.” He chuckled nervously. “What about dinner?”

I sighed. “I’m playing catch-up. I’ll be working late tonight.”

“Me, too. I’ll take you home, and we can grab take-out on the way.”

I looked out the wall of windows to the squad room. Val was on the phone, having no clue that we now had plans for lunch.

“I’ll let you know,” I said. “The odds of us finishing at the same time are slim.”

“Just let me know,” Thomas said before the line clicked.

I placed the receiver on its base and sank back into my throne.

Once again, the headphones covered my ears, and I pressed Play on the keyboard.

The morning had felt like any other, except I’d felt tired and woken up alone in Thomas’s bed. He had knocked on my door as I was getting dressed for work. When I had opened the door, he’d given me a bagel and cream cheese with a coffee.

The ride to work had been awkward, and my thoughts had led to researching car dealerships and dreading the possibility that I might have to resort to flying back to Chicago and driving my Camry all the way to San Diego.

Just as the recording was getting interesting, my door flew open and then slammed shut. Thomas flicked back the side of his suit jacket and put a hand on his hip, desperately trying to think of something to say.

I yanked off my headphones. “What?” My mind raced with different awful scenarios, all leading back to Thomas’s family.

“You’re avoiding me, and Constance said you were on the phone with a car dealership when she walked by. What’s going on?”

“Uh…I need a car?”

“Why? I drive you to and from work.”

“I do go to other places besides work, Thomas.”

He walked to my desk and put his palms flat on the smooth wood, looking me in the eyes. “Be straight with me.”

“You said you were going to explain more about Camille. How about now?” I asked, crossing my arms.

He looked behind him. “What? Here?”

“The door is closed.”

Thomas sat in a chair. “I’m sorry I called you Camille. We were talking about her, tensions were high, and I could hear her and Trent laughing. It was an honest mistake.”

“You’re right, Jackson. I forgive you.”

Thomas’s cheeks flushed. “I feel terrible.”

“You should.”

“You’re not really done, Liis, not after one stupid mistake.”

“I don’t think we ever really got started, did we?”

“I have some pretty strong feelings here. I think you do, too. I know you don’t like to be out of your comfort zone, but this is just as frightening for me. I assure you.”

“I’m not afraid anymore. I took the leap. You just didn’t go with me.”

His expression changed. He was looking inside of me, into the depths I couldn’t hide. “You’re running. I scare the hell out of you.”

“Stop.”

His jaw muscles danced under his skin. “I won’t chase you, Liis. If you don’t want me, I’ll let you walk.”

“Good,” I said with a relieved smile. “Saves us both a lot of time.”

He begged me with his eyes. “I didn’t say I wanted you to.”

“Thomas,” I said, leaning forward, “I’m busy. Please let me know if you have any questions about my FD-three-oh-two. I’ll leave it with Constance by end of day.”

He stared at me in disbelief and then stood, turning for the door. He twisted the knob but hesitated, looking over his shoulder. “You can still catch a ride with me to and from work until you figure out the car situation.”

“Thank you,” I said. “But I’ve got something worked out with Val.”

He shook his head and blinked, and then he opened the door before closing it behind him. He turned right instead of left toward his office, and I knew he was going to the fitness room.

In the time it took Thomas to clear the security doors, Val scurried into my office and sat down. “That looked ugly.”