“I like being here,” she says on a sigh, laying her cheek against my chest.

I tighten my hold on her. “I like it, too.”

“I have to admit, it’s not what I was imagining.”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I figured it would be more . . . messy.”

“Messy?” I ask incredulously, pretending to be offended. She giggles just a little at my tone. “Oh, you think that’s funny, huh?” She laughs again, so I grab her sides and start to tickle her.

“Okay, okay!” she screams between gasping for air and squirming around. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” My fingers stop moving as I gently grab her arms and pull her up to me. I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face as I look into her eyes. After slowly pushing her hair behind her ear, I lean in and kiss her. We kiss a lot, but every time my lips touch hers, it feels like the first time. And I don’t give a shit if that makes me sound like a pussy. It’s the truth.

Pulling my mouth away from hers, I hold her as she lies on top of me. “There’s something I want to tell you. Something I should’ve said a long time ago.”

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Okay,” she says uncertainly.

I’ve only said this to one other girl, and she broke my fucking heart. I haven’t said it since. I’ve never wanted to. But laying here with her now, I know I can’t go another minute without her knowing exactly how I feel about her. “No one has meant more to me than you, and I want you to know exactly how I feel so there’s no misinterpreting where my heart is. Elizabeth, I lo—”

I’m cut off by a loud bang. Looking over Elizabeth’s head, I see a guy with a mask coming through the now unhinged door. I move to get Elizabeth off of me so I can get up, but I’m just not fast enough. The guy raises a gun and shoots her in the back of the head, her lifeless body collapsing on top of me.

“No! No . . .”

I jump up off the mattress and look around frantically for Elizabeth. My heart is going a million beats a second and I’m covered in sweat. When I realize I’m sitting in this run down room, I breathe out a sigh of relief that it was just a dream. My face rests in my hands as I try to regulate my breathing again.

I’m no stranger to nightmares. I used to get them frequently. But most of the time they’re of shit that’s already happened, making me relive horrible events all over again. This was something completely different, but it still felt just as real. Now I can’t get that image of Elizabeth out of my head. Seeing her like that was crippling. I was unable to do anything but yell out in disbelief.

I spend the rest of the night lying on this dirty ass mattress, staring up at the ceiling until Bruce wakes up. The whole time, I’m carefully planning my next move so my nightmare doesn’t become a reality and I can be with Elizabeth again. Each minute I’m not with her kills me. Being able to hold her and make sure she’s safe is all I can think about. The longer she stays with Cal, the more her life is at risk. I’ve got to get things moving because I might not be able to wait on Turner to bring this all down.

“We’re going to North Carolina. Have your boss get the jet ready,” I say to Bruce.

“What’s the plan?”

“To take out Hutchison.”

Later that day, we’re in North Carolina and I’m dropped off a mile or so away from my target location. I spot a little diner and decide to stop in there to see if they have a phone I can use. Once I’m handed one by the nice, old lady working there, I dial up Turner’s number.

“Turner,” he answers curtly.

“Sir, it’s Matthews.” I look around the empty diner to make sure no one is paying attention to me.

“What’s the latest?”

“I think I’ve got another lead. I need you to find my friend Marshall Burns with the DEA. Tell him I told you to call and need the name of the guy in that file I saw. He’ll know what you’re talking about.” Glancing at my watch, I know I’m running out of time.

“What’s with the guy in the file?” he asks.

“I can’t remember his name, but I know he’s with a cartel. My buddy was working on the case. He’s linked to Cal in some way. I don’t know why or how yet, but there’s definitely a connection.”

“And what makes you think that?”

“Because the guy tied me to a fucking chair and kicked my ass. The only thing he said was that he and his crew hate making bad investments. I’ve got a plate number too.” I dig my wallet out of my back pocket and pull out the little piece of paper I wrote it down on.

“Hold on.” After a few seconds he says, “Go ahead, I’m ready.”

“Tango, Alpha, Whiskey, 6–3-6.”

“Okay, I’ll run these plates and see if anything pops up.”

“Anything on Elizabeth?” I need to know she’s okay. Not being able to look at her with my own eyes and know that she’s okay makes me anxious. No matter what Turner tells me, I know I won’t fully believe it until I can see it.

“I actually have good news on that. This is strictly off the record and I had to pull a few strings to get this done, so you owe me, but did you know there are cameras wired throughout the house?”

“No . . .” I draw out the word.

“There are two cameras in just about every room; the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. We were able to tap into the live feed, and Tyler watches it from his car.”

“Do you know how long the cameras have been there?”

“No, why?”

I shake my head. “Just wondering.” That must be how Cal knew Elizabeth and I had sex. The idea of him watching us like that makes me sick to my stomach.

“How’s she doing?”

“She’s fine as far as I know. You let Tyler worry about her; you focus on your job.” Yeah, easier said than done. She’s all I think about, my sole motivation right now. I tell him I’ll keep him updated and hang up. I have to make one more call before I need to get set up.

There are rows and rows of cars off to the side of the stage in a parking lot, giving me cover. I lie on my stomach under a truck and look through the scope of my rifle I hid in a duffle bag I have with me. With a clear view of the podium, this shot wouldn’t be so bad if I had the right equipment and preparation. Glancing down at my watch, I know we’re getting close.

A slight commotion on stage catches my attention. Secret Service members are quickly leaving their positions and jogging off toward a tent that I’m sure Hutchison is waiting in. I look through the scope on my gun to get a better view of what’s going on. I don’t see anything until a seemingly frazzled woman comes on stage and says, “I’m sorry, but this rally has been canceled due to an emergency. We appreciate everyone who came out and hope to see you again if we get a chance to reschedule. Thank you.”

“Did you get it done?” Bruce asks when I get back in the car.

“Nope,” I reply nonchalantly as I settle into the back seat.

“Why the hell not?” He raises his voice as anger takes over his face.

“Because it was canceled. Some lady announced that it wasn’t happening because of an emergency.” I shrug.

“What the fuck? You better not be bullshitting me.” He’s stern in his warning.

“Look it up if you don’t believe me.” I maintain my cool demeanor, but little do they know I’m the reason the event was canceled. I placed an anonymous tip that there was a bomb. I never planned to assassinate Hutchison, but I need Cal and his guys to think I tried so they get off my ass a little.

“Son of a bitch, he’s telling the truth,” he says to Rodney who’s driving. “So what’s your plan now?” he grumbles.

“I’m back to square one. So tell your boss to lay off a little because it’s going to take some time.”