“Having you by my side has made all the difference in the world,” she said.
“I feel the same way about you.”
As she looked into his eyes, she felt like her heart might explode. They were taking things very slowly, but she knew deep inside that Aiden was the man for her. But she wanted to heal as much as she could so she wouldn’t be a burden on him. There was no doubt about her feelings, though. She looked up at him. “Aiden, I love you.”
He brushed her hair behind her ear and then pulled her closer. “I love you too.”
As his lips touched hers, she could feel her heart, which had been so dark and broken, slowly being mended by his love.
CHAPTER
SIX
Hunter sat on the sofa, keeping a healthy distance between him and Layla. When he’d gotten the call from Zane about working on a new assignment, he’d been excited to have another opportunity to work for the DEA. But that had quickly changed once he realized Layla was tied up in this. Her role was still a source of confusion for him, but he’d decided it was best to wait to talk to her when it was just the two of them. He’d gotten the strong impression from Layla that she didn’t want to air their dirty laundry in front of Zane and Cass, and he couldn’t blame her for that.
Hunter decided to jump right in. “Please tell me everything, because I know you well enough to know that you weren’t being totally up-front.”
She scowled. “Don’t assume you know who I am today, Hunter, and let’s start with my questions.”
Ouch. He needed to be more diplomatic, or this was going to end badly and fast. “Understood. Sorry, I shouldn’t have jumped the gun.”
She tucked her foot underneath her on the couch and shifted his direction. “DEA. You work with them a lot?”
At least she was starting with a softball question. “Absolutely. I work with them more than any other agency. I’ve developed some strong relationships there, especially with Zane, and I enjoy the work. They never have enough manpower, and I thrive on the challenge.”
“Why not apply and work full-time with them?”
“I like the flexibility the current arrangement gives me. Being able to take on other work is important to me. It expands my skill set and will ultimately make me a better PI. Plus, the DEA likes that I’m not a full-time employee. It saves them money, but they can use me as they need me. It’s a win-win.”
Layla arched an eyebrow. “I’m just surprised that you chose to work for them.”
“I’m not the only one who has changed.” It was true. He’d done a lot of soul-searching to determine which direction to take his career. That he enjoyed the DEA work so much had been a surprise to him.
“So you’ve been in the field?” she asked.
He nodded. “I’ve seen some action, but it’s never gotten too hot to handle. Since I haven’t gone through all the training, they’ve been careful about how close I get to the danger.”
“And that’s okay with you?”
She seemed skeptical. He hadn’t normally been one to sit on the sidelines, but he understood his value. “For now, yes. I’m still learning a lot, and with time, I’ll figure out how best I want to be used by the team. I have a lot of tech skills that others don’t have, so I’m more useful behind a computer than with a gun on the front lines, if that makes sense. My real value right now is more on the investigative side than operations.”
“It’s good to be self-aware,” she said flatly.
She wasn’t cutting him any slack, and he deserved that response from her, given the past between them. He’d forever damaged their relationship, and he didn’t know if there was any coming back from that. “Do you think we can work together on this?”
“What do you mean?”
He didn’t want to be too pushy, but they had to address the gigantic elephant in the room. “Can we put our personal issues aside and focus on the assignment?”
“Do we have much of a choice? The DEA hired you. They must think you’re the right person for the job. We just need to keep things focused on the work. I want to make it clear that I don’t need you as a babysitter.”
“I never thought that,” he said quickly.
“I’m not the woman you knew in law school.”
He couldn’t help but smile a little. “So you’ve mentioned.” Which led him to another thought. “Why is a CIA Mideast analyst working DEA ops in South America?”
She stared off for a moment before looking at him again. “Because I’m no longer just an analyst.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve started working on the operations side too. Not as a support function from Langley, but actually in the field.”
Then it all came together. Layla didn’t have a desk job anymore. She was a CIA operative.
“It’s not exactly what you’re thinking.” Layla knew she would have to explain, given what Hunter understood about her work.
He frowned. “I’m confused. You were hired at the Agency as an analyst, right? Given your degree and your background, you make the perfect Middle East specialist. And now you’re somehow tied up with the DEA, running drug ops in South America?”
She sighed. She understood Hunter’s confusion. Her father was Lebanese, and she’d gotten her undergrad degree at Georgetown in Arab studies. Given her impeccable Arabic language skills and her subject-matter expertise, she’d been a top recruit for the CIA. “Technically, given the turn of events, I am considered an operations or case officer. Most people outside the Agency call everyone spies or operatives, but we are really CIA officers. It’s a complex situation. It was always about me being an analyst. That’s the work I love to do—connecting the dots and synthesizing tons of complex information. And, of course, being
