B00MV3HMDW_EBOK (35 page)

“See?” Taryn said, pointing her finger in Lauren’s direction to prove her point. “When Ethan gets home tomorrow, we’ll finally be able to have time to ourselves. The things I have to say to him can’t just be thrown out there.”

“You and Ethan,” Jessie exclaimed, shaking her head in awe. Her long natural waves moved against her shoulders. Taryn could truly relate to her friend’s disbelief. There wasn’t an hour that went by that she didn’t wonder how her life had changed so dramatically. She’d even gone over to Ethan’s parents’ house for Sunday dinner, keeping to herself that she and Ethan were more than just friends now. She would never take that moment away from him. “I just can’t wrap my head around it. I always pictured you with someone less…”

“Dominant?” Elle piped up, twirling her glass of wine by the stem. She smirked a little evil grin before continuing. “I’ve seen Ethan at the club and I’ve got to tell you—”

“Enough,” Taryn said with a laugh, grateful that her arm didn’t ache anymore. It was healing nicely and she was no longer wearing the sling. She was glad it wouldn’t be a hindrance when she and Ethan went to bed together tomorrow night. It had been way too long and although they unquestionably needed to talk, she also needed his hands on her body. “He’s…perfect. It’s so hard to explain, but when he took the initiative, regardless of the fact that I was against it at first, it was as if I’d been given everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Taryn looked down at her beer bottle and thought back to when Ethan had kissed her. It had undeniably changed her life. Then to hear the sincerity in his voice when he said that he loved her in such an
Ethan
way…it had taken her aback and everything she’d wanted to say had stuck to the roof of her mouth. She needed more time than what they’d had to tell him how she felt. She wouldn’t be cheated out of that moment.

“…the new job? I know the guys have been complaining without you there.”

Taryn forced herself to listen to the conversation, picking up the last tail of it. Elle was talking to Jessie, who hadn’t seemed like herself since she’d walked in the door. She wasn’t the young naïve girl that Crest had hired years ago. She’d grown into a woman and one who knew what and whom she wanted. Unfortunately the person was Crest and there didn’t seem to be a happy ending at the end of the line. Taryn felt a little guilty for having talked about Ethan for the last hour.

“I’m sure the team is fine,” Jessie replied, getting up from the couch and walking back to where an almost empty bottle of wine sat. She poured the rest of the contents in her glass. “I finally had that interview I wanted with the FBI office here in the city. They were looking for an administrative assistant with experience in forensic accounting. My first week has been good.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Emily asked, motioning for Jessie to come back to join them. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” Jessie said with a small smile as she gulped the little bit of wine that she’d poured into her glass. Taryn shared a look with Lauren. Unfortunately there wasn’t anything any of them could do to give Jessie what she really wanted. “Speaking of jobs, I have to be up early tomorrow.”

“Let me drive you home,” Lauren said, pushing herself off of the floor. “I haven’t had anything to drink and—”

“No worries.” Jessie motioned for Lauren to sit back down. “I walked and a little fresh air will do me good. You know my apartment building is on this side of town.”

Goodnights were said and hugs were given before Jessie headed out the door. No one was worried that their friend was walking home this time of night, because regardless that Jessie didn’t work at CSA anymore they all knew that she had a guard on her. It had been discussed at numerous debriefings. Taryn did feel another ping of guilt at the fact that most of tonight’s conversation was in regards to her and Ethan. The rest of the women all settled back in their seats and it didn’t take long for the question that Taryn knew had been coming all night. No one had wanted to bring it up in front of Jessie due to the fact that she wasn’t with the agency any longer.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?”

“Are you guys?” Taryn countered, swinging her legs back down to the floor. She stood and then took her empty beer bottle into the kitchen. When Crest had gone over his strategy to bring Ryland out of hiding, the team had trouble accepting what that had meant—all of their loved ones in one place, becoming one massive target, in the name of bringing down their most difficult adversary. “We’re asking a lot of all of you.”

“Not really.” Emily unfolded her small frame off of the floor and walked into the kitchen to join Taryn. “Ryland took a contract out on me, and regardless of how you look at it, my choices to become a NOC for the NSA had cost a loss of lives. Jax and I are absolutely on board with this plan if Crest thinks it will draw him out.”

“We’re burying his sister…my sister.” Taryn still had trouble accepting what had happened to Sabrina Bowers and the fact that so many people allowed it to take place. What Sabrina had become was something Taryn couldn’t condone though. Her half-sister had turned out exactly like Ryland, with no conscience about taking a human life for money. Was it greed? Or had something snapped inside of Sabrina that could never have been fixed? No one would ever know. “The funeral starts at ten hundred tomorrow morning. We will all go to the cemetery, although Crest already has men in place and the cemetery will be monitored throughout the night.”

Lauren had taken Jessie’s spot on the couch. She and Elle were turned on the couch, looking at them over the table. It was these two that Taryn was most worried about. Emily had field training and could handle herself. But Elle and Lauren? They were civilians who were caught up in this because of their husbands’ jobs.

“What about you two?”

“We’ll be by the side of our men,” Lauren said with a shrug of her shoulder. Elle nodded her agreement. “We’ll be with family.”

Taryn didn’t know what was happening to her. Ever since she found out her connection with Ryland, her life had changed in a way that she had been unable to control and she’d become overly emotional at the slightest thing. She longed for Ethan to be here and it no longer felt foreign to her. In fact, all she wanted right now was to hear his voice. She glanced at the clock at the exact moment the phone rang.

“That’s our cue to go, ladies.” Emily closed the distance between them and gave Taryn a hug. As goodbyes were being said, Taryn answered the phone and told Ethan to hold on for just a moment while she walked them to the door. “I call shot gun.”

“Bitch,” Elle quipped, causing the others to laugh. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Taryn.”

Taryn finally flipped the deadbolt and put the phone back up to her ear. She announced that the coast was clear and that they were free to talk as she walked back over to her favorite chair, sinking down into the cushions. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sound of Ethan’s voice.

“Hey, Squid. You doing okay?”

“Better now that you called. How are things there?”

“Rudder was found in his cell today—stabbed to death with a shank.” Ethan sounded tired and she didn’t blame him. He’d been gone for days, wrapping things up in Houston with the feds. Those agents weren’t always easy to deal with and even though CSA had informed them that Rudder was a target, they probably weren’t too thrilled they had a mess to clean up. As a matter of fact, from the noise in the background Ethan was still at the station. “Not Ryland’s calling card, but whoever the messenger was got the message through loud and clear. Connor and I are taking the first flight out in the morning.”

“What time do you get in?” Taryn had wanted them to have a moment to themselves before the day got under way. “The funeral is set for ten hundred.”

“We get in at zero nine hundred, so Jax and I will meet you at the cemetery.”

“Ethan,” Taryn said in a soft voice, finally seeing where Emily had been going with her viewpoint. If something happened to Ethan before Taryn could tell him how she felt, guilt would reside in her for the rest of her life. She loved this man more than she would have ever thought possible, and as the days passed, the more she realized that he was her everything. “I do love you. I’d wanted to wait until we had time to ourselves, but if something goes wrong tomorrow—”

“Don’t you say it,” Ethan warned, lowering his voice. “Nothing is going to go wrong tomorrow. I know you love me. I don’t need to hear the words.”

“But I need to say them.” Taryn heard Jax calling Ethan’s name, so she went against her own wishes and kept talking. She couldn’t sit still anymore. Pushing herself off of the chair, she walked back and forth in front of the coffee table as the words came tumbling out. “You’ve been by my side for years, you’ve supported me when I even doubted myself, and you saw us for what we should be. I know I’m not the sweet, flowery type of woman who needs chick-flick romance and I even gave you grief over it last week, but I need you to know that you are perfect for me. I’m very happy that you didn’t give up on me.”

“What the hell is taking you so long?” Jax’s irritated voice came through loud and clear, indicating he was standing directly beside Ethan. “We were supposed to be on our way to the prison five minutes ago.”

“Hold on and don’t get your fucking panties in a wad,” Ethan snapped back, obviously to Jax. Taryn smirked and shook her head at the laughable timing of it all. She put a hand over her heart, her chest expanding with all the love she felt for her best friend…her lover. “Taryn, I promise you that we will eventually get a moment to ourselves. I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you in the morning. I love you.”

“You too.”

Taryn did feel more secure in the fact that Ethan had now heard the shortened version of what she’d wanted to say. It wasn’t
how
she’d wanted it to be expressed, but it would have to do for now. She lowered the phone from her ear and now that the line had disconnected, worry began to settle over her that tomorrow wouldn’t go as planned. She had run an obituary in the newspaper for Sabrina, ensuring that Ryland would notice. According to Fallon, he wouldn’t like that Taryn was making a mockery of their sister’s death. He felt that she’d been dead and buried long ago. The question remained…how angry would this staged event make Ryland?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

T
aryn wore a black fitted pantsuit, enabling her to move better should the occasion arise. Her weapon was holstered on the side of her waistband and her vest was formed properly to her upper body. She hadn’t bothered to go into the office but instead drove straight to the cemetery. Stepping out of her Pathfinder, she scanned the area from behind her sunglasses and spotted several contracted agents throughout the graveyard. Crest had the grounds well and truly covered.

“Any sign of Ryland?” Taryn asked Crest as she joined him. Her superior was wearing an exquisitely tailored suit, not that she could tell which upscale brand name it would be filed under. The black material was a heavy wool blend bereft of a single piece of lint and his white shirt was starched to perfection. She could see that his sunglasses were the ever-present Ray Bans, for the name was visible on the dark frames. “Unlike the last time we were in a cemetery, this one doesn’t really have mausoleums for anyone to hide behind and most of the tombstones are flat brass plaques.”

“Nothing so far, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Ryland made a call to you first.” Crest placed a hand on her back as he escorted her to where a casket awaited to be placed into the ground. Most of the team members and their wives were in attendance, with the exception of Jax and Ethan. “Your phone is being monitored?”

“All set to go. I have one of the agents from the bureau watching for any incoming calls. She’ll keep in contact with you should I be preoccupied with keeping Ryland on the phone for the length of time we need to pin down his location.”

Crest and Taryn had just joined the fray when she heard the rumble of an engine and the gravel cracking under the weight of a vehicle. Turning, she saw Jax and Ethan pull up in his old clunker and park behind her Pathfinder. Despite the ominous feel of the day or the fact that they were feigning this burial for her sister, Taryn smiled at seeing Ethan for the first time in over a week.