Ree pulled over to the side of the road and waved at Quint to pull beside her. She rarely lost her temper, but her last button had been pushed, and she refused to have the same argument with Preston that had ended every attempt to have a relationship. This was history repeating itself. She should have known better. Losing her temper was right up there with epic bad ideas, but she’d done it anyway. Then there was her mother to consider. Ree would have to circle back and make peace. She also made a mental note to skip Sundays at the ranch when this next case was behind her.
“My house is about a mile from here. Want to go there and have a cup of coffee?” she asked, figuring they could go over the details of the assignment there. Plus, she could pack.
“Lead the way” was all he said.
Her heart thundered at the thought of Quint in her personal space. She shook it off, focusing instead on the work ahead. Another assignment, this time even more dangerous. Not that she minded. All it made her realize was that she wanted to be that much more prepared. The recent Greenlight Restaurant and Bar sting had blown wide open faster than expected. This case might follow in its footsteps.
She wanted to be as prepared as possible. Although, to be fair, these operations took on a life of their own in the heat of the moment. All the preparation in the world couldn’t stop unknowns from coming into play.
Ree parked on the pad beside her two-bedroom bungalow. She waved for Quint to park behind her car. There was no reason for him not to hem her in, considering the next time she left would likely be with him.
Rather than wait around for him, she walked to her front door and unlocked it. Leaving it open behind her, she set down her purse and keys on the console table lining the hallway. Coffee would help clear her mind after the encounter with her family. Preston had been a jerk to Quint, but that wasn’t the main reason she felt so put out. Being on bad terms with her mother always put her on edge, and it seemed like there was nothing she could do to stop the woman from worrying.
A quick knock sounded from the next room before she heard Quint’s boots shuffle across the tile floor.
“I’m in the kitchen” was all she said.
Having him in her home sent a thrill of awareness skittering across her skin. Awareness of his masculine presence. Awareness of his strength. Awareness of his spicy male scent as he stepped into her small kitchen. A file folder was tucked underneath his left arm. She figured it contained the details of their next assignment.
She made quick work of fixing two cups of coffee, handing one over as steam billowed.
“Thank you,” he said before taking a sip. “Can’t say it’s better than the beer you handed me a while ago, but it certainly keeps the mind sharper.”
She smiled at his offhanded remark as he winked.
“Let’s have a seat at the table.” She motioned toward the adjacent room that had a round table with two chairs, realizing her furniture was meant for regular-sized people and not those with the kind of height and rippled muscles on Quint.
He made it work, figuring out a way to fit and look comfortable in the process. But that was just Quint. He could make just about anything work and look good doing it.
After setting his coffee mug down, he placed the folder on top of the table. Using his index fingers, he pushed it to her side. This folder was something that could be bought at a corner drugstore.
“This doesn’t look like a work file.” She took a sip of fresh brew, enjoying the burn on her throat.
“Nope. It’s personal.”
“Information you’ve put together on your own?” she asked, not liking where this conversation was headed.
“Yes and no. I have gathered some of the intel from work.” He shot a look because he must realize she could turn him in.
“What exactly are you getting me into, Quint?” she asked, wondering how many lines he’d be willing to cross if it meant catching the man responsible for Tessa’s death. “What if we don’t catch Dumitru this time?”
Quint stared at the rim of his coffee mug for a long moment. When he looked up, he said, “I’m going the distance on this one, Ree. You can decide what you want to do at any time. You’re not locked in. If it gets uncomfortable, you can walk. No harm, no foul.”
“Those sure are pretty words,” she said right back. “We both know I won’t walk away from an assignment and leave you vulnerable. If you’re supposed to walk in there with a wife, I’m not going to ditch you when it gets rough.”
“Fair enough.” He gave a slight nod.
There was no way he would leave her stranded in the middle of a case, and he had to know the reverse was true.
“Let’s see what’s inside this file.” She opened it. There was a rudimentary tree drawing with branches. Some had labels. Others didn’t. At the top was Dumitru’s name. At the bottom were the names she recognized from Greenlight. “So we don’t know how many layers there are between Greenlight and Dumitru.”
“No, we don’t. All I can say for certain is this ‘transportation’ operation out of Houston is somehow linked to him.” He used his fingers to make air quotes around the word transportation.
“Someone who owns a trucking company would have an easier time hauling weapons,” she stated. “There’s a whole lot of scrutiny on a business like that, though.”
“You’re not wrong,” he said. “Which is why I don’t believe they’re as involved as it looks.”
“A decoy?” she asked.
“Yes. They’re owned by a shell corporation out of the Bahamas.” He pointed to the name, Trux.
“I’m guessing Trux owns other businesses,” she said.
“I’d like to find out if they do. We both know the challenge of tying shell corps to actual businesses,” he said.
“Which is why the trucking operation is most likely real,” she reasoned.
“It could lead us to greener pastures, and that’s why I want to follow through with this investigation.” He picked up his mug and took a sip.
“Okay, just please tell me I don’t have to serve food to anyone else. I’d like to shelve my serving tray, if you know what I mean,” she said on a sigh. Being a waitress at Greenlight had pushed her to the limits of good acting. Not to mention those double shifts that left her feet aching.
When he didn’t speak, she mouthed the word no as she looked up at him.
“There’s no food involved,” he said with the kind of smile that probably broke a lot of hearts.
“Seriously?” she asked. “Again?”
“It’s not my fault restaurants and bars are known hangouts of the kind of people we bust. If they hung out in churches, they probably wouldn’t end up on our list in the first place,” he defended.
“When are you going to be the one to parade around in clothes that leave far too little to the imagination?” she asked, and they both laughed.
“I could, but I doubt anyone would pay to see it.” He smiled as he turned the page from the tree. “Check out the rap sheets on some of these guys.”
Six pages were then turned over one by one, each with a different face and fact sheet to go along with it.
“Since those are from your files, I’m guessing they tie back to Tessa’s case,” she reasoned.
“You would be correct,” he said. “I’m always going to be on the lookout for these men. One of whom is supposedly associated with the gunrunners.”
“Houston, huh?” She shot him a look.
“We have a problem,” he said.
“Okay, you already know I’m on board. There’s one rule. No corny NASA jokes,” she said.
“Does that mean we don’t have a problem?” He laughed at his own witticism. Before she could protest, he added, “I’m just kidding. No more space humor. Scout’s honor.” He did a thing with his hand that was most certainly not the right gesture.
“Somehow I doubt you’ve ever been a Boy Scout,” she muttered under her breath.
QUINT HADN’T KNOWN what the outcome would be when he’d shown up at Ree’s mother’s ranch. One of the last things he expected was to be at her house, discussing the case. He’d shown up on a whim, one that was paying off.
“Thank you,” he said in all sincerity.
“Don’t thank me now,” she stated with more than a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Save it for when we put these jerks behind bars.”
“What about Preston?” He would be a jerk if he didn’t help her see what she might be giving up for this life. “He seems like a nice guy, Ree.”
Shock stamped her features.
“I caught you off guard. Sorry about that,” he said.
“No. Don’t be.” She blinked a couple of times, like that might somehow help her switch topics.
“I wasn’t trying to ambush you, Ree. I promise,” he stated.
“Do you seriously want to talk to me about my relationship with Preston?” Her cheeks flamed, making her even more beautiful. And, no, he didn’t want to discuss her ex-boyfriend, but she needed to.
“I’ve been around the block a few times while working this job,” he began. “If you look at our fellow agents, the divorce rate gets pretty high.”
“Meaning?” She studied him.
“This job isn’t easy on spouses, let alone new relationships,” he continued, treading lightly. “I do realize it isn’t my place to tell you one way or the other how to handle your personal life.”
“You’re right about one thing,” she stated. “Okay, maybe two. The divorce rate is high. This job isn’t easy on new relationships. But Preston and I aren’t exactly new to each other, and I’m not seeing him. He’s my brother’s best friend, and I’m pretty certain my mom is responsible for him showing up at Sunday barbecue. I can say with one hundred percent honesty that I had nothing to do with it. So why the lecture?”
“It’s not. Take away what you will from this conversation. All I’m trying to tell you is that a good person is worth slowing down for. Because if you spend all your time invested in work, that’s all you’ll have at the end of the day.” There. He’d said his piece. He would leave it at that.
“You sound like my mother,” she said. The blow struck hard in the center of his chest.
“I believe in your work and think you’re a damn fine agent,” he said by way of defense.
“Good. Because marriage and family aren’t everything they’re cracked up to be, you know,” she said. “Some people don’t even want children.”
“Seriously?” He couldn’t hide the shock in his voice.
“Not you, too.” She rolled her eyes and smacked her flat palm against the table.
“I already told you that I’m not some macho jerk who believes women should be chained to the kitchen,” he said. “I just thought that since you came from a big family you might like to have the same thing for yourself one of these days.”
“You were just at my mother’s house, right?” Her voice sounded incredulous.
“Yes,” he said.
“And you were witness to how frustrating a big family is,” she stated. And then she seemed to catch herself, remembering that he’d had just the opposite growing up. “Right. Sorry. I know our upbringings were very different.”
“When I first walked up, the place looked like a Norman Rockwell painting,” he stated.
“You do realize that’s the fantasy. The ‘real’ involves fighting and people constantly sticking their noses in your business,” she stated.
“Having people who care whether or not you live or die doesn’t seem like such a hardship,” he admitted. In truth, he didn’t dwell on the past. There were few people he’d ever talked to about the school liaison officer Quint credited with saving his life. He’d told Ree the whole story, figuring they needed to know each other’s backgrounds in order to sell the newlywed concept. And yet he’d been on similar assignments before without divulging so many details from his past. The only person who knew about his background was his best friend, Tessa Kind. And she was dead.
The tension in Ree’s facial muscles softened.
“I’m sorry” was all she said. Those two words washed over him. Not because she said them but because of the compassion in her eyes and in her voice while she spoke.
“I know,” he said, and meant it. There was something special about Ree that he didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time analyzing. The few kisses they’d shared still haunted him as the best he’d ever experienced. Going there while on an assignment seemed like the quickest way to let everything get out of hand.
Besides, he’d gotten what he came for. She’d agreed to take the case. They would head out to Houston to continue the marriage cover story as he moved on a man named Constantin, who was another step closer to Dumitru. Quint’s growing feelings for her would only help him stay sharp. And moving forward, he would need to be as much on his game as he ever had been.
“I better pack so we can get on the road,” Ree said.
“Sounds like a plan,” he stated. “I’ll give Agent Grappell a call to get us set up for the night.” Grappell was the desk agent assigned to the case. He worked with them on the Cricket Creek case as well, and would be an asset to the team in Houston.
Maybe with Ree on board he could finally find justice for Tessa.