Callie’s face is red and angry, but her scowl softens when she sees me. I give them both wary looks because I really don’t want to get in the middle of them, but I also don’t want to leave Callie to deal with her mother on her own.
I clear my throat, and Senator Longo’s shoulders tighten as she turns to face me.
“Senator,” I say. “Good to see you again.”
She grits her teeth and my stomach sinks at the dark look she sends my way. “You didn’t think it was pertinent to share that my daughter was present at the shooting?”
“I’m fine,” Callie interjects.
“That’s not the point, and you know it,” Longo says.
I splay my hands out in front of me beseechingly. “Booth had a security detail. I had no reason to believe we were at risk.”
“The Denver agents are on point, but they’re still no guarantee. It was reckless of you to drag her into this.”
“To be fair, ma’am, when we met, I had no idea she was your daughter. I didn’t find out until yesterday.” And by then it was way too late for me to turn back.
“And yet you’re still here.” She crosses her arms and stares me down.
I wince and look at Callie. Her mother’s right; I should have put distance between us the second I found out, but I was still too overwhelmed by the fact that we’d found each other, that she knew who I was finally, to have a clear head about what it would mean. Sadly, I don’t think Senator Longo is quite ready for the kind of outpouring of truth that would explain why I’m still here.
Callie squares her shoulders and comes to my rescue. “I asked him to spend the weekend with me, Mom. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me. He’s been up front about everything, so I knew the risks. Besides, I have to fly back to LA tomorrow. It’s just one more night and with the shooters in custody, the danger is handled.”
Longo cuts her eyes toward Callie, then back to me. “He didn’t tell you they weren’t the only ones, did he? Two men fitting the description of Amador’s known associates in the area were found shot in an alley four days ago. There will be more where those came from.”
Callie’s intake of breath makes me glance at her again, and I deflate a little at the look of horror on her face. I shake my head, “I didn’t kill them, and the senator knows it.”
Longo snorts and shakes her head. “No, but now there are members of two cartels tailing you who could start shooting at any moment. Sure, they’re more likely to shoot at each other, but innocent people will get caught in the crossfire.”
I level a pointed stare back at her. “Then I suppose you’d better get a move on with your part of the bargain, Senator. I’ll get out of Denver the second I have something worthwhile to take back to Mexico.”
The senator’s jaw clenches as we stare at each other. In a weary voice, Callie says, “Mom, if that’s all, we really need to get going to the hospital to see Wyatt and Nina.”
At the mention of them, Longo frowns, then turns back to her daughter. “I shouldn’t be surprised Nina’s tangled up in this too, should I? The way she fawned over your brother . . .” She sighs and picks up her mug, heading to the coffeemaker for a refill. “I need to tell you something, sweetheart. Something I probably should have told you a long time ago, but didn’t have the heart to get your hopes up.”
I take the opportunity to move to Callie, who offers me her half-full coffee mug, which I gratefully accept and take a long swallow from.
Sorry, she mouths up at me and I shake my head, then bend to place a kiss against her temple. Longo turns back toward us at that moment, her eyes narrowing at my proximity to her daughter. I slip my arm around Callie’s waist and pull her close. She seems to mold herself against me and a mild buzz creeps through my limbs at the reminder of how well we fit.
Longo looks like she’s about to make a comment about our closeness when Callie snaps, “What is it, Mom? Tell me now or get the hell out.”
“This is my apartment, I’ll remind you . . .”
“Mom!”
Longo sighs and shakes her head, a pained look crossing her face. Then she glances at me, brows furrowing.
“I can go, if this is a private matter,” I offer.
“No. Stay,” Longo says. “You actually have the clearance, unlike my daughter, so this would’ve made it to you eventually.” She settles on a barstool with her steaming mug clutched in both hands and takes a deep breath. “Operation Broken Heart has a secondary purpose besides taking out Amador and dismantling his organization. Only a few people know about it, though.”
“No offense, ma’am, but I’m hoping to be well away from the whole operation by the time you guys get to that point.”
She nods. “I’m aware of that, but your understanding of the intel we’ve gathered so far has been invaluable. I’m hoping you’ll stay on as an analyst, at least until it’s finished. But there’s particular intel we’re hoping to find in the batch Zavala has yet to deliver. You said you’ve seen it already, so you can vouch for its existence. How much of it do you remember?”
“I didn’t get a close enough look to the text files to read them, but the photos Zavala showed me painted a pretty clear picture of what he knows. I saw enough to believe he wasn’t lying about the rest.”
“Did any faces in particular stand out to you in the photos? Any locales?”
I stare down into the empty mug, thinking. Callie takes it from my hand and slips away to pour us both fresh cups while I work through my memory of
