Chapter Forty-Nine

Angel didn’t actually think two more times was a realistic goal, but Colton proved her wrong. She’d never been so happy to be mistaken.

Yes, she still had doubts this was the best idea. Certainly, a mental health professional would side with her, that starting a relationship during a life crisis was ill advised. Especially if said life crisis involved going away to prison or running from the law for the rest of one’s life.

“All I’m saying”—she took a dearly needed breath after round three—“is that you have to agree our timing is off.” Was she out of shape? Apparently, her training didn’t prepare her for sex marathons.

For their third time, she did all the work. Riding him to the finish. If it had been a race, they would have tied.

“Babe, our timing was perfect,” he said with a crooked grin on his handsome face. Despite his smile, there was still sadness lurking in his eyes. Sadness she’d caused.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” she said.

“Yeah.” He pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. “Let’s sleep. Things will be better in the morning.”

She doubted that. In her experience, the worst things were revealed when she woke up. It was why she didn’t sleep.

“Rest,” he whispered. “I’m going to go let Pudge out. He and I will keep watch.”

She was exhausted. Maybe she could actually sleep for a few hours.

When she awoke, it was still dark and Colton was pressed against her back. Pudge was lying across her feet at the bottom the bed. No doubt, he’d jumped up there after Colton fell asleep.

Unable to sleep any longer, but not willing to move, she listened to Colton’s even breathing against her shoulder. His hands twitched occasionally, making her wonder what he might have been dreaming of.

She was starting to drift off again, when his twitches became more aggravated and he murmured in distress. She moved away, ready to wake him from his nightmare.

Suddenly, he jumped up and said her name.

“I’m here. I’m fine. Right here, see?” She reached over to turn on the light to make sure he could see.

He winced and blinked, but put his arms around her and pulled her back down next to him.

“I’m sorry about that,” he murmured against her hair when he had caught his breath.

“Do you want to tell me what it was about?”

“The same thing it’s always about.”

“Viktor?” she guessed.

She felt him nod.

“There’s a lot of cover to keep Viktor from finding my brothers and my mom. But…”

She nodded, glad the DEA had done a good job of protecting him before he’d taken on the Kulakov job.

She’d read his file. Make that, files.

The one where he was Robbie Vanderhook, an ex-marine from Boston who had trouble with authority and had gotten into an issue with the law. That was the one fed to Viktor to get Colton into his circle.

After the shooting, when Viktor’s men were rooting around to make sure Colton—Robbie—was really dead, they were told the truth. Or the next version of it, anyway. Detective Robert Gates was an undercover officer. His wife had died a few years ago and he’d been a mess. He’d taken the Kulakov job because he had nothing to lose. No other family. Not even a dog. He’d been shot six times in the chest and died of his injuries.

It was Robert Gates’s funeral that had been attended by Frank “Butch” Seaver, one of Viktor’s men. Angel had watched the man from behind her dark glasses, wondering if he’d been the one to pull the trigger six times before leaving Colton to die on the floor in an empty marina.

The backstory and the funeral had been enough to satisfy Viktor. There hadn’t been a need to look any deeper. Of course, if he had, there were other layers of protection between Viktor and Colton’s real life. And his family.

New identities for his four brothers, their wives, girlfriends, children, and his mother would have been a nightmare. Thus the reason for the extra coverage on his true identity.

Colton had survived, kept his family safe, and managed to stay clear of Viktor.

Now she was here, putting all of his efforts in danger. If she was caught here, he would be implicated and his face would be plastered all over television along with hers. It wouldn’t take long for Viktor to see it and start digging again.

She slipped out of bed while Colton slept, and felt the guilt wash over her, as it had every night since she showed up at his door.

The longer she stayed, the more danger he was in.

Damn it. She shouldn’t have come here.