I have to work hard not to react to her last statement. I’m lying to her every day, but I can’t jeopardize the investigation. Hell, I’ve done that enough already by being involved with her. I have to maintain this identity or everything that we’ve been through, everything that I’ve worked on will be for nothing. I can’t risk blowing this mission. Not even for her. I hope she’ll forgive me and know that my feelings for her are the same.

“You’ll have all of those things. I promise.” I cup her face in my hand and she leans into my touch.

“I hope so. I’ve felt so lonely my whole life, and everything that has happened has really highlighted how empty my life truly is. It’s depressing when I think about it. I’m almost thirty years old and I don’t have any real relationships.”

“Yes you do, Elizabeth. You have me.” She leans in and kisses me softly on the lips. My heart beats loudly in my chest at the tenderness she shows in this one small gesture. And, because I can’t resist when I’m around her, I deepen the kiss and spend the rest of our evening showing her how real our connection is and how much I worship her.

WE’RE IN THE car switching motels again when my cell phone starts ringing. Turner usually waits for me to call him, so I’m a little unsettled that he’s reaching out to me. Glancing at Elizabeth, I answer it. “Hello?”

“Are you alone?”

“No, just driving,” I reply nonchalantly, trying not to give anything away.

“I understand. Watch your back. The judge granted the warrant this morning. Cal’s bound to hear about it soon. Depending on the cartel’s involvement, Cal might not be the only one looking for you.” Fuck, this just keeps getting better and better.

“Not a problem.”

“Call me when she’s not around,” he orders.

“Will do.” I hang up the phone and resist the urge to throw it at the dash. I’m not a stranger to stressful situations, and normally I thrive on them. The adrenaline rush I usually get isn’t there though and that’s because Elizabeth’s life is at stake. Now that the cartel might be breathing down our necks, the whole game has changed. They’re not going to be content just to see Cal in jail. They’ll want everyone involved dead, and that definitely includes me, especially since I killed two of their guys.

“Who was that?” Elizabeth asks.

“It’s just my friend that’s been helping us out.” I didn’t technically lie, but I’m being purposely vague.

“Let me guess, you really want to tell me why he called, but you can’t,” she snaps at me. I don’t respond. I can’t. The less I say, the less I have to deceive her. “I’m so sick of everyone in my life keeping me out of the loop,” she mutters to herself. When I look over at her, she has her arms crossed over her chest and is staring out of her window. I feel like an asshole. Unfortunately, I get the feeling that things are going to get a lot worse. I just hope I’m prepared and can protect Elizabeth.

“Can I use your phone real quick to call my mother?” Elizabeth asks once we walk into the new motel we found. She’s been a little short with me since Turner called, but I’ve done my best to pretend I don’t notice. I know I sound like a dick, but I don’t want to open up any sort of conversation that will lead her to ask me questions that I can’t answer honestly.

“Sure.” I dig the phone out of my pocket and hand it to her before going to the bathroom to give her a little privacy. Maybe talking to her mom will put her in a better mood. After several minutes, I leave the bathroom and see Elizabeth sitting on the bed staring at the wall.

“Is everything okay?” I ask when she doesn’t look my way as I approach her.

“Oh, uh, sort of.” Looking at me I see the worry written all over her face and I’m instantly on alert.

“What happened?” I rush to her side and sit next to her.

She shakes her head. “Nothing, but Cal stopped by to see my mother yesterday.”

“What the hell did he want?” My voice is louder than I intend, making her jump slightly.

“Me.”

It’s all she says, but that one word has my blood boiling. There’s no way he’s going to get her. He’ll have to kill me before I let him lay a finger on her. “Well he can’t fucking have you,” I say through clenched teeth. “What else did he say? Is your mother okay?”

“She’s fine. A little uneasy and scared, but he didn’t hurt her. She said that he seemed off, desperate even. Like he’d be willing to do whatever it took to get what he wants. I can see the look she was describing so clearly in my head too.” A shiver runs up her body as if she’s remembering the way that asshole used to treat her. I pull her into me for warmth and comfort. “He didn’t believe her when he called that she hadn’t talked to me, so he went to see her to make sure I wasn’t there. He tore through the house and searched all the rooms.”

“Did he make any sort of threats?” My mind starts working in overdrive trying to figure out Cal’s next move.

She shakes her head. “She didn’t mention it. She also said there have been reporters and cops stopping by for questions too.” I knew it was a matter of time before the media circus started. It’s not every day a Senator’s wife goes missing.

“Did she say anything?” I hate that her mom is in this position, but she can’t tell anyone anything.

She shakes her head, pauses for a moment, and says barely above a whisper, “I’m afraid for her, Alex. What if he hurts her? Maybe I should go back.”

I grab the back of her neck and make her look at me. “No. You’re not going back to that piece of shit. I’ll figure something out, okay? But you will never live another day trapped in misery because of him. I promise you that.” She nods and chews on her bottom lip before looking down, betraying just how worried she really is. I rest my forehead against hers and breathe her in while hoping to instill some confidence in her. Confidence that we’ll make it through this. She’ll make it. I’ll see to that.

“I need to make a phone call.” I get up and walk outside, dialing Turner’s number.

“Turner,” he answers on the second ring.

“We’ve got a problem. “ I begin pacing as I explain to him what Elizabeth just told me. “I need you to put someone on her parents to make sure they’re safe.”

“Matthews, you know I can’t do that.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I’ve got all hands on deck working on the actual case. You know, so I can arrest him as quickly as possible. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Yeah, but why can’t you put Tyler on it?” My grip on the phone increases as does my frustration. I wish just once I could request something from my boss and not get a bunch of shit for it.

“Because I’ve got Tyler running surveillance on Cal. We’re serving him with the warrant tomorrow at eight o’clock. I’ll keep you posted.” He doesn’t give me a chance to further argue my point and hangs up on me ending all discussion.

Asshole.

When I walk back into the room, I see Elizabeth gathering her things. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to my mother’s. I can’t have her getting hurt because of me.”

“No, you’re not. You don’t think he has someone watching your mother’s house to see if you come back? That’s the stupidest thing you can do right now!” I shout at her.

“You’re not coming up with any bright ideas. Would you be sitting in this shitty hotel if the roles were reversed and it was your mother?”

Probably not, but I can’t tell her that. I let out a tired sigh. “Please, Elizabeth, don’t do this to me. I’m doing everything in my power to keep you away from him. Don’t make it harder on me,” I plead.

She crumbles to the floor. “What am I supposed to do then?” she asks as she begins to cry.

“You stay here and let me keep you safe. I just got off of the phone with an old buddy and he told me he’d check on her periodically, okay?” I’m lying through my fucking teeth and it makes me feel like shit. My stomach is in knots, twisting tighter and tighter as each word comes out, but I have no choice. She’ll leave if I don’t say something to put her mind at ease.