His mouth dried. “You think Claire might be involved in Owen’s kidnapping?”
“I’ve seen people kill for much less than getting revenge for a best friend who never saw justice. Shoving a charm Samantha Perry wore up until her death in the mouth of her killer is personal. It’s sending a message, and it’s possible Claire is the one behind it.” Ana’s voice dropped, almost monotone, as the agent he’d gotten to know over the past few days surfaced. “But if Claire Winston is involved, she’s not working alone. The attacker at the safe house was male. Trained, possibly former military. She’d have an extensive network of possible partners from her unit alone. All she’d have to do is convince one of them to help her get justice for Samantha.”
“Claire killed Harold Wood and hid his body—or what was left of it—on the construction site, and I uncovered the evidence. She knew the charm and motive would link back to her if he was ever found.” He pushed off the bed. Tension bled back into his shoulders and hands as the puzzle pieces started fitting together. “That’s why my son has been kidnapped? So she wouldn’t have to answer for the fact she killed her best friend’s murderer?”
“We don’t know that yet, Benning.” She hauled the black duffel bag always within reach onto the bed, and dumped a box of bullets onto the sheets, and reloaded the magazine to her new service weapon. She was far more comfortable around a weapon than he was, and damn, he was thankful for it now. “We have to get to Claire’s house. There might be something there we can use to prove she’s involved, but we have to go now. The skull you pulled from the wall has been identified. Whoever took your son is going to try to make sure we can’t connect his death back to them.”
Benning studied how quickly she was able to assemble her weapon and holster it, even with a broken trigger finger wrapped in a brace and tape. The air crushed from his lungs as the realization hit. Hell, he loved her. He loved the strong, badass agent who’d protected him and his daughter from a killer, the vulnerable woman who couldn’t forgive herself for her past failures. No matter how hard she tried to bury the side that made her more human, he loved her. Had never stopped loving her. He rounded to her side of the bed. “Ana, wait.”
He’d told her the truth before. He’d tried hating her, tried focusing on making his marriage with Lilly work despite the fact neither of them were interested in anything more than being parents to the kids they’d created. But his heart had always had other ideas. Something deep down understood that what he felt in this moment was real, and certainty clicked into place. He wanted Ana Sofia Ramirez. Wanted her in his life, in his kids’ lives, wanted her when times got hard, when she dropped her guard and especially when she tried to shut him out. He wanted every piece of her, and he didn’t give a damn about how much it might hurt in the long run. Loving her would be easy. The rest of it? They’d just have to figure it out together. As a family. But he had to protect his kids at the same time.
“There’s something I need to say to you first.” His stomach flipped. Would she even want the responsibility of being with a man who had kids? She’d gotten along well enough with Olivia because his daughter was borderline obsessed with what Ana did for a living, but she’d never met Owen. Would the kids want her around, or would they see her as nothing more than a replacement for what they’d lost the day they were born? Would her job put Owen and Olivia at risk? Would she detach herself from them when a case went sideways as she’d done to him all those years ago? This sure as hell wasn’t simple lust, but it was starting to turn more complicated all the same.
“Benning?” Ana maneuvered around the end of the bed, slowly closing the distance between them, and every nerve ending in his body went haywire. For her. Because of her. Handing him her backup weapon grip first, she stared up at him, concern etched into her expression.
“I want you to stay here after we recover Owen. With me,” he said. “With us.”
Her eyes widened, that legendary control failing her, and his heart jerked behind his rib cage at the pure emotion playing across her features. She dropped the weapon she’d offered him to her side as his request settled between them. Hesitation pulled her shoulders back as she prepared to run, but she couldn’t deny the connection between them, what they’d shared since she’d answered his request to work this case. “Benning, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you forgive yourself and that you’ve done enough. Say you’ve saved enough lives to make up for the past, Ana.” His voice grew stronger as he became more sure of himself than he’d ever been before. “You deserve to be with someone who loves you. You deserve a life that doesn’t force you to detach yourself from everyone around you or that puts the people you care about at risk.” He took her free hand in his. “I love you, and I want to build a life with you. I want you to be around for Owen and Olivia, and answer calls from the school and help them learn and grow, but...”
He dropped his chin to his chest as he realized what he had to ask her to do. She’d already sacrificed so much for him and his kids. How could he possibly ask her for more?
Her thumb smoothed over the side of his hand. “But what?”
“I need to know you won’t hurt my kids the way you hurt me.” He forced himself to look
