Arrest wasn’t the right word. There wouldn’t be a fair trial for Levi Green. There would be pain and interrogation, and he might be allowed to live in a prison cell, but it was far more likely the Agency would put him down like a rabid dog.
She liked dogs way more than she liked Levi. Even rabid ones.
She’d sat on the back porch before dinner and thought about Roman playing with a dog. But it hadn’t been Beck’s backyard she’d seen in that happy vision. However, it had been Beck sitting beside her, watching their son play.
It was one more reason she shouldn’t be here. She was getting in way too deep.
Charlotte nodded. “We got word that he was taken into custody about an hour ago. And you got a bunch of flowers after you left work. I put them on your desk. But I brought the card.”
She reached into her pocket and handed her a note.
Glad you picked up the trail, Solo. Hope your second act is happier than your first.
“It isn’t signed.” She stared down at it. It was a typed note. “Do we have any idea where it came from?”
“Turns out the woman Levi was going to marry has a cousin named Drake,” Eve explained. “According to him, she’s one of the only people he can stand in his family.”
“He was in Germany at those meetings with Levi.” Charlotte set her champagne down. “Apparently he’s been looking for a way to take him down without doing it himself. He’d found the Reva connection, but couldn’t locate her. He managed to get a message out, but she refused to take his bait. He was hoping you would have more luck. I think he was also hoping sending you that note would let you know you had a problem on the way.”
Kim frowned. “He could have picked up the freaking phone and called Beck. He could have said hey, heads up, a psycho’s about to take out your ex.”
“I don’t think that’s how spies work,” Eve said. “Also, we can’t know he was certain Levi was coming after you. I wonder if the Agency found you. Alex was on the conference call with Drake. He says he has no idea how Levi found you.”
“I’m worried he’s got eyes on us,” Charlotte admitted. “Ian had the boys do another search, but we couldn’t find anything. Not here. Not at home. I’m going to be nervous until we figure out how he knew where you were.”
“And to look for Ezra. I’m with Beck. There’s no way he simply got pulled over by a cop who has ties to DC. That wasn’t a coincidence.” There were still things to figure out, but if Levi had been taken into custody, she could breathe easier. She also had decisions to make. That office at McKay-Taggart was sitting there waiting for her. She didn’t have to live with Beck after their agreement was up. It was only smart to do it for a while, to let Roman get to know his dad. At some point she would explain that it was time to find their own way.
Would she go back to Malta? Stay here in Dallas? Or start all over again somewhere else? She had the money to do it now that she could get back into her accounts.
The vastness of her options was overwhelming. She had to shove it all down or she would lose it. Quite frankly, it had been easier when she’d had one choice—to stay with Beck and stay alive.
“Are you okay?” Eve asked quietly. “I know you were close to him once. Even if he hurt you later on, he was your friend at one point.”
Did they all think she cared about him? “He was never my friend. I know that now. He was always trying to use me in one way or another. Seven years ago he was willing to take all of my memories to serve his own purpose. He’s a sociopath who doesn’t understand love. He’s only capable of obsession. I hope his corpse is already rotting. What I was feeling earlier was about how hard the job was. I was remembering how it felt to be all alone because I’d gotten burned. I was thinking about how that job that seemed so important to me had almost taken my soul.”
“Which is why it’s awesome you don’t have to go back,” Charlotte said brightly. “You can stay here. No one gets burned here.”
“Charlotte,” Eve said, and they exchanged a look.
Charlotte put a hand up, obviously conceding the lead to her friend. “I should go and finish getting ready. Again, Solo, it’s awesome to have you here. I hope you enjoy yourself. If you’ve got any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Charlotte stood and started for her locker.
“Thanks.” Despite her wariness, she was excited to see Sanctum.
She was also excited to forget about everything for a little while and sink into the role of the submissive. She could enjoy Beck in those moments because they weren’t Beck and Kim. They were other sides of themselves, sides that existed only in this time and in the spaces they chose.
She would “play” with him until it was time for her to go. She would have to think about how to handle it if she decided to stay in Dallas.
If she stayed in Dallas, how long would it be before she was right back where she was in the beginning? Working cases, getting dragged into subterfuge. Falling madly in love with Beck again, and this time when he left her he would be leaving Roman, too.
“Do you have any questions?” Eve asked.
“How did you forgive him?”
