Chapter Fifty-Three

When Justin was seated, and Angel had changed into real clothes, she sat next to Colton and took his hand, ready to support him as he’d done for her so many times through her ordeal.

“He knows?” Colton asked. Two words that needed no explanation. She and Justin both knew what he was asking.

“DEA hasn’t been able to get another agent into his circle as deep as you were. Viktor’s been very cautious. They did have another agent in at a much lower level. He’s been there since before you were taken out.”

It wasn’t unusual to have an overlap. It wasn’t even that strange that Colton wouldn’t have known about the other agent. It would be easier to play his part if he wasn’t looking out for someone else.

“Is the other agent still in?” Angel asked.

“No. His body was found a few days ago. From the looks of it, he’d been tortured.”

The only reason Justin would be sitting on Colton’s sofa telling them this story was if this story had something to do with Colton. She tensed in preparation for bad news.

She wanted to reach for her laptop and look up the file herself. She still had access into the federal network. Through a roundabout way.

“Did the other agent know me?” Colton asked.

“He didn’t know who you were, but he might have known you were planning to testify.” Justin clamped his jaw. “People can’t keep their fucking mouths shut, and people end up hurt.”

“And Viktor knows the only way I’d be able to testify was if I hadn’t been killed when Weller shot me.”

“Correct.”

“So Viktor knows Colton’s alive.” She was the one to say it out loud. They all knew, of course, but it needed spoken.

“There’s been some activity in your cover file,” Justin said, then turned his gaze to Angel. “The DEA did a damn good job of encrypting those files. Kulakov doesn’t have anyone good enough to get through. But he’s been looking. Maybe you’ll want to—”

“Yes. I’ll make sure they’re impenetrable.” She reached for her laptop. This was too important to wait.

“My family,” Colton whispered as his face went pale. She reached out and squeezed his hand.

“I’ll make sure your real information is locked up. We can pile on more layers of protection if we need to. We’ll keep your family safe.” She would make damn sure of it.

“The DEA is also working on it.” Justin turned to Colton. “I just wanted to make sure you are aware of what’s going on. I didn’t want any link from our office to your new identity, which is why I came in person.” He looked over at Angel again. “I don’t need to tell either one of you how important it is for you to keep a low profile right now.”

Meaning, if Colton’s face was spread across the news as her accomplice, he wouldn’t make it to any trial.

“If my profile gets any lower, I really will be dead,” Colton grumbled.

“We have multiple plans in place. If we think he’s too close to figuring out your real identity, we can have every one of your family members to safety within an hour.”

No doubt Justin thought an hour was impressively quick, but Angel knew a lot could happen to a person in an hour. From the frown on Colton’s face, it was clear he didn’t think an hour was good enough, either.

“They’ll keep putting up more walls of protection as fast as he tears them down. I know moving your family isn’t ideal, but if it’s the only way, we won’t hesitate to do whatever’s necessary to protect them.”

Colton nodded and let out a breath. “Thank you.”

Angel had already launched her bore program to locate any fragments of information regarding Colton’s real identity. It would take a little while to run.

Justin stood to leave. “I’ll stay in touch. If it looks like he’s on your trail, we’re ready to move you again, too. Stay alert.”

“We’ve been on alert for the last few weeks,” Colton said.

Justin glanced over at Angel with a look of annoyance. “Right.” He pointed to the back door. “Angel? Can I talk to you for a moment in private?”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip as she followed him out to the backyard. She had a pretty good idea what he was going to say, and she had no defense. Justin was a huge guy. The only way she’d ever been able to best him physically was when she’d figured out he was ticklish.

He spun on her as soon as they were out of the house. “What are you thinking?”

“I needed a place to stay, with someone I could trust.” This was reasonable, but she knew Justin—being Colton’s handler—wouldn’t care about what she needed. His job was to make sure Colton didn’t get exposed.

“And there wasn’t anyone else that fit that description? You had to come here and wreck this guy’s life again?” He crossed his arms over his immense chest and stared down at her.

Ouch.

“I’m not wrecking his life,” she snapped, though she knew that was a lie. She’d known it since the night she first showed up on his back porch.

But she didn’t need Justin’s attitude.

“You weren’t there, remember?” he said. “I was. I was the one sleeping on his sofa the morning he came out expecting to find you. The morning after you ran off and didn’t even leave the guy a fucking note. I’m the one who saw that, and couldn’t do a damn thing. I don’t like to get sucked into the emotional shit, but that guy was broken when you left.”

She swallowed, and opened her mouth to say something, but what was there to say? It was all true. She’d hurt Colton in the worst way, and she was in a situation to do it again, at any moment.

“You and I don’t get to have this, Angel.” He ran his hand over his buzzed hair. “We knew when we signed up we were giving up our families, and a chance at a normal life. I tried to have both, but it doesn’t work. Not for those of us in Phoenix.”

Justin had taken on the role of big brother for the entire team. He was always giving them advice and sharing his wisdom. It might have been annoying if it wasn’t so heartfelt and sincere. And usually right on target.

“When I signed up, I didn’t have a family to give up,” she said. “But now…” She didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

“There is no good way out of this for Colton. Whether you get picked up, or you go back home, he’s still stuck here without you.”

“I know. He knows it, too. He’s not expecting—”

“Bullshit.” Justin walked in a small circle and waved a hand at her. “You think I don’t know what is going on? I’ve had my share of T-shirt-and-panties mornings. Hell, you are getting way too close.”

“I’m not. I’m—”

Oh, hell. She was. She couldn’t lie to Justin. Or to herself.

She let out a breath. “Do you know how many times I’ve almost died, Justin? A lot. There’ve been times when I’ve been alone, wondering why I’m still there. Feeling like maybe none of it was worth it.”

She stepped away when Justin reached for her. She wasn’t done yet.

“When I’m with Colton, I think maybe this is why. And I feel really glad that I lived through all the shit just so I could have a few moments with him. Maybe it’s not fair. And you’re probably right—I am too close, and it’s going to hurt like hell for both of us when the time comes for me to move on. But you know what? It’s a hell of a lot better to have a few moment of happiness than to constantly wonder why I even bother to survive.”

Justin let out a sigh and gave her a grim look. “I just don’t want you to hurt anymore. You’ve already been through enough. The thing with Lucas—”

“This is not like Lucas. I’d lost myself in him. It wasn’t healthy. It’s different with Colton. I’m still me, just better. Happier.”

“I wish this could work out for both of you,” Justin said sadly, and she saw in his eyes he didn’t think it was possible.

“Thank you. But sometimes the good things are worth the hurt.” She hoped this was one of those times she survived.

“I’ll trust you. You know what you’re doing. Just keep his face off the news.”

She nodded. “I will.”

The smirk on Justin’s lips was fair warning. “Just think what the press would say if they knew The Mantis really did kill one of her lovers.”

She smacked him in the arm—it was like hitting a wall. “Lucas Stone wasn’t my lover when I killed him. He wasn’t the person I knew.”

At. All.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Justin pulled her into a hug so tight she thought her ribs touched in the center. “He tricked us all.”

They walked back in the house silently. Justin pulled her into another bone-crushing hug, then gave some last-minute instructions on reaching out if there was any trouble.

“I’ll walk you out,” Colton offered as Justin moved for the door.

Angel took a spot next to Pudge, and they both watched as the two men stepped out into the driveway to talk about her.