He sighs. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea, man. Last time you almost got caught in there.”

“I didn’t ask if you thought it was a good idea, now did I?” I ask sternly. My patience is wearing thin and he’d be wise not to push me. He opens his mouth to protest more, but I cut him off. “Look, I’m going to call Turner and give him an update, then I’m going in there to see her. You can choose to kill the feed or not. I don’t give a shit. I need to see her.” My eye contact is unwavering, daring him to argue with me again.

After a few moments, he surrenders and hands me his phone. “This is Turner,” I hear through the receiver.

“Hey, it’s Matthews.”

“Matthews,” he says with a tired sigh, “why are you there?”

“What? I just stopped by to give you an update.” I know he’s not buying my bullshit, but he’s not going to talk me out of this either, so he should save his energy. He lets out a frustrated breath.

“What’s the update?” he asks in a monotone voice.

“Cal stopped by the house I’m staying at. He’s getting a little antsy to get the job done. I have two weeks now.”

“Two weeks? You need to buy us some more time.”

My hand rakes roughly over my face. “I don’t think I can, sir. I’ve done everything I can short of blowing my cover to push this out. They’re not going to buy it anymore. What’s going on with the plane and money? Have you traced any of it back yet?”

“We’re really close to getting a solid lead and connection.”

“What’s the hold up?” My voice rises a bit in frustration over the lack of progress. “You’ve been close every time I talk to you. I’m doing my part and gathering all the info I can to point you in the right direction. The fact that there’s been no definite connection is starting to piss me off.”

“I know. We’ve traced the plane back to a businessman named Henry Williams. The money has been well laundered, so we’re still trying to pinpoint the exact source.”

Henry Williams. For some reason that name sounds familiar. “I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve heard that name before.”

“Well he runs a legit business which is why this just isn’t adding up. We can’t figure out how or to what extent he’s involved with Cal.”

“Hmmm.” I tap my foot on the floor of the car trying to figure out why I know this name. Not having a lot of time to waste, I move on and decide to think on it some more. “Did you talk to my buddy at the DEA?”

“Yep, good call, Matthews. His name is Jose Gonzalez, 34 years of age, and has connections with a group called los Malvados. Translation: The Wicked. The DEA says they can’t pinpoint the leader, Jose is as far up as they’ve gotten in the hierarchy. He’s been watched for a while in hopes he’ll lead them back to the drug lord.”

“So I guess now we have to link this cartel to Cal somehow, right?”

“Yep. Easier said than done, obviously.”

“Do you think the money will go back to the cartel and link them?”

“At this point, that’s what we’re hoping for.”

We end the call and I turn my attention back to Tyler. “Alright, I’m gonna go see my girl now.”

He rolls his eyes. “I didn’t think I’d be able to talk you out of it. I think Cal came home last time because the feed went out. That means he’s either watching it constantly, or has someone else doing it. I recorded her when she was watching TV. She doesn’t move around a lot, so it was perfect. While you’re in there, I’ll stop the live feed and play this in its place. No one should know the difference and hopefully Cal won’t show up.”

I look at Tyler with appreciation. This is really important to me, and I’m thankful he understands that. “Thanks, man.”

“Yeah, yeah, now go.” He waves me off and starts clicking some buttons on his computer.

With a small smile on my face, I feel lighter knowing I’m going to see her in a few seconds. Not able to wait a second longer, I pick up the pace and run toward her house.

WITH MY HAT pulled down low, I run down the street and up the side of the house and around to the back. When I’m in front of the door, I don’t know if I should knock or just walk in. I look around to see if anyone can see me back here and knock. The anticipation of seeing her has me on pins and needles as I rock back and forth on the balls of my feet, waiting for her to greet me. The door opens slowly, and I can’t help the wide smile that spreads across my face when our eyes meet. She looks better than she did the last time I saw her, and that gives me hope.

“Hey,” I say. It’s such a casual statement when our reality is anything but.

She smiles softly at me. “You’re here.” The relief in her voice isn’t lost on me.

“I had to see you. Can I come in?”

“Oh, yes, of course.” She moves out of the way and allows me to enter. I watch her as she closes the door behind us. Her back is to me as she pauses. The hesitation concerns me and makes me wonder if I made a mistake coming here.

“Elizabeth.” My tone is gentle, coercing her to turn and look at me. She complies and the look on her face causes my heart to crumble. The sadness consumes her, but there’s a new emotion there too.

Shame.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” She looks down and shakes her head. I walk over to her and cup her face in both of my hands forcing her to look up at me. “Talk to me.”

She holds her breath and lets it out in a rush. “God, I’m so embarrassed you saw me like that,” she whispers, roughly wiping away the tears that refuse to be held back.

“You shouldn’t feel embarrassed. Do you know how thankful I am that I was here?” My thumbs rub back and forth under her eye. I couldn’t care less how she looked. I’m just glad I was here to stop her.

“It was so stupid of me.” More tears fall from her eyes and run down the back of my hand.

“Hey, it’s okay now.” My arms wrap around her and hold tight. Her body shakes and I feel the sorrow rolling off of her with each shudder, hiccup, tear, and gasp for air. I’ll gladly absorb it. I’ll take every ounce of pain if she’ll let me. “Let’s sit down and talk.” She nods against my chest and I kiss the top of her head before leading her to the couch in the living room.

After we’ve sat down, she lets out a deep sigh. Her fingers rub beneath her eyes to remove the makeup that has streaked her flawless face. “Ugh, I’m such a mess,” she says as she continues to wipe at her cheeks.

“Stop it.” I grab her hands to stop their movement. “Every time I look at you, you steal my breath away.” I lean in and pause, needing her confirmation this is okay. She nods just the slightest bit, and that’s all the acknowledgment I need. My lips connect with hers and it’s like fireworks in the dark of night. One simple touch and I’m lost and home all at once. I’m completely lost in her—to her—and find solace whenever she’s around.

Soon, her lips are parting and I take advantage by slowly sliding my tongue between them. An involuntary groan vibrates in the back of my throat when her tongue reaches out to touch mine. My hand travels up her neck and through her hair where I hold her to me. It’s been so long since I’ve felt her, tasted her that I feel like a starving man. I push back every carnal instinct that’s telling me to lay her down and strip her bare right here, right now. After a minute or so, my restraint is hanging by a thread and ready to snap at any moment. Disconnecting our lips, I place a small kiss to the tip of her nose and rest my forehead against hers. “I think we should talk a bit before we get carried away.”

She nods but then sits up abruptly, startling me. “Oh my God, Alex. The cameras. Cal has cameras in here and can see us. You have to leave.” She gets up and starts pulling on my arm. Her eyes are wide and frantic as she tries to get me to leave.

“Relax, sweetheart. He can’t see us right now.” She stops tugging on my arm and furrows her eyebrows in confusion.