The Trouble With Temptation (Second Service Book 3)(33)

Of course, that was before he’d met Morgan Kincaid.

Now his mind was swimming in circles.

He knew what he should do. He should take her back to the field office, take her statement and then put her into protective custody until he could lock Barinov away forever. Until then the FBI would keep her safe. Hell, he’d put her under his own protection and watch her day and night if he had to.

And knowing Morgan, he’d have to.

Even FBI protection wasn’t foolproof. Ty knew there were leaks in the Bureau. That’s why Ty had fought to keep this undercover investigation so secret. How many more attacks could he fend off before one of Barinov’s men got lucky?

He didn’t even give Morgan twelve hours in a safe house before she’d find a way to get herself back into trouble.

And then they’d be right back where they started.

Or…

He could give her plan a shot. It wasn’t a terrible one, after all. She had access no one in the Bureau had. She seemed confident that she could get the evidence that he needed. If it wasn’t for the part where the West Coast’s most dangerous criminal boss had a hit out on the woman he’d fallen hard for, the plan would have been perfect.

Ty cursed himself for even considering it.

Trust me, she’d said.

And the weird thing was he did. Not her instincts of course…those she’d proven time and again to be terrible. She’d trusted in her brother. She’d thought it was a good idea to confront Barinov face to face. She’d even taken Ty’s cover at face value.

But somehow he trusted her.

Even with all of her mistakes—and God knew there had been a lot of them—none of them had come from a selfish place. The woman was the Queen of Good Intentions. Deep down, Ty knew she’d offered her help because she really wanted to help. She wanted what was best for both him and her brother…no matter the personal cost.

But Ty knew all too well how steep that cost could be. And the truth was he was the one who didn’t want to pay it.

The thought of losing Morgan stabbed at the dead center of his chest. It made his throat tighten. It made the air freeze in his lungs.

He didn’t know anyone with an inner light as brilliant as hers, no one whose sense of joy even came close. If anything happened to her…

No. Nothing was going to happen to Morgan. Nothing. He wouldn’t allow it.

Trust me.

Ty cursed under his breath as he turned another corner and pointed the bike toward Hunter’s Point.

Five minutes later, he pulled up to the address Morgan had given him.

He raised an eyebrow as he looked over the dilapidated warehouse. It was virtually identical to every other run down building along the street—peeling paint, rusted metal doors, twelve-foot high windows, every fourth one broken.

“You’re sure this is the right place?” Ty asked.

“Positive,” Morgan said against his ear as she slid off her seat and onto the sidewalk. She already had her phone out and was texting.

Ty put his feet down on the edge of the sidewalk and watched as Morgan walked up to a sliding door. She gave it a quick rap with her knuckles then turned and gave Ty a wide smile. She rocked back on her heels as she waited. Wherever they were, Morgan was obviously comfortable.

Ty wasn’t so trusting. He kept his hands wrapped tight around the throttle, just in case. He’d already mapped out three possible escape routes from the cul-de-sac. And depending on who was on the other side of that door, he had no qualms about snatching Morgan from where she stood, slinging her across the back of his bike, and getting the hell out of here.

Then he’d come to his senses, take her back to his office and be done.

Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Ty’s fingers had just started to tighten around the grips when the wheels on the door track groaned loudly. The door opened a few feet and a man in cargo shorts and a Batman shirt stepped out.

Michael Silva. The robot builder. Morgan’s ex-boyfriend.

He and Morgan shared a quick hug. He pulled back and looked her up and down. “What’s going on? Your text said it was an emergency.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. But it looks like we’ve fallen into a bit of trouble and we need a place to hide out for a little while.”

Michael’s eyes went wide as he stared at the wrinkled mess of Morgan’s dress…the same one she’d been wearing last night.

“Is that blood?” he asked.

“Probably.” Morgan looked down at her chest. “But don’t worry. It’s not mine.”

Michael’s eyes went wider, but Ty had to give the man credit. He didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, of course. Come on in.” He turned to Ty. “You can park your bike inside.”

Ty nodded and walked it through the door.

It took a second for Ty’s eyes to adjust to the dim light inside, but when they did he was amazed.

The inside could not have been more different than the facade. Far from a rundown junk pile, the interior was clean and modern. The sprawling floor plan was cut into dozens of large topless cubicles made from temporary walls. They branched out from each other, taking up nearly every inch of available space.

Between them potted plants and rugs lined wide corridors. The ceiling towered three stories above the poured concrete floor, making the massive warehouse seem even more spacious. A few industrial-sized lighting fixtures hung from above, but most of the light came from either the windows high above or from ground sources.