His hand ran over her hair again and again. “I promise, Mia. I’ll find a way out of this or die trying.”
Mia didn’t say another word, but from the wetness seeping into Damien’s shirt, he knew she was crying. He hugged her closer.
Soon, baby. Soon there won’t be any need for tears.
19
MIA
Pacing the hotel room had done nothing to calm her nerves. When Damien told her about her father and his sister, she’d lost it. Her father—the District Attorney—had hired a hit?
It was unbelievable, but Damien was sure. And she trusted him, as crazy as it sounded. But now, because of her, he would probably be going to jail. If he found out she had called the ADA, he would never understand.
He would take one look at her and think she was as dirty as her father. How could she tell him it was to protect him? To protect their baby?
She stared at the full coffee cup in her hands. He’d handed it to her before walking out the door. She couldn’t drink it and couldn’t tell him why.
Keeping the baby a secret wasn’t fair. Damien deserved to know the truth. But she didn’t want it to cloud his judgment. Would he be happy? Angry? Would he look at her the same way he did last night?
Mia closed her eyes and remembered the brutal necessity in his kiss. His rough hands and hard fingers. The way he needed her to unravel. If he knew she carried his child, would he still want her the same way?
Whatever his reaction, he deserved to know the truth. She couldn’t hide behind her lie and everything she had done. He needed to make a choice with his eyes wide open. If he wanted to leave her, she would survive. Somehow.
The door to the hotel room opened and Damien walked in.
She’d never get over the look in his eyes when he saw her. How could smoky gray look so warm?
His wasn’t classically handsome. His nose had been broken at least once. His tattoos hid scars as well as muscles. In another life, before all this, she would have walked by him on the street and not given him a second glance.
But now when she dreamt, she dreamt of him. When she opened her eyes, the first thing wanted to see was his face.
The way he made her laugh without trying. The way he knew just where to kiss and touch. The way he watched her when he thought she didn’t know.
“Are you ready? We need to check out ASAP.”
Mia set the cup on the table and wiped her palms on her jeans. Nerves always made her sweat. She tried to smile. “I’m ready, but I was hoping—”
Damien cut her off. “I called the cops.”
Her mouth fell open. “What?”
“The guy I met the other day, Rick Johnson. He was a beat cop when Melanie and I were on the street. He’s a detective now.”
Mia swallowed.
“He’s setting up a meet. Me and you and some of the good guys. You’ll get your record cleared. I’m going to see if I can get a deal.”
She rushed up to him and grabbed his shirt. “I don’t need a clean record. I need you.”
He smiled, but she knew it was just for show. His eyes were distant, focused on the deal and not on her.
“If this all works out, you’ll get me. Marcelo will get taken down, I’ll get a deal. It’ll all work out.”
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She needed to talk to him first. Tell him about the baby. The ADA. Mia tugged on the cotton in her hands. “You said you couldn’t trust the cops or the DA’s office. What are you doing?”
He trailed his fingers down her cheek and Mia shivered. “I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago. I’m making it right. Melanie didn’t die for nothing.”
Panic edged up Mia’s throat. When she’d called the Assistant District Attorney, she hadn’t been thinking. She’d reacted out of fear and shock. She was pregnant. Damien was wanted for so many things. But now that she knew about her father and how dirty he was…
What if everything Damien said before was true? What if Steven was worse and he was walking into a trap?
“Damien, I need to tell you—”
“Shh.” He kissed her lips quickly and pulled back. “Don’t worry, Mia. Everything will work out. It has to.”
“No, you need to listen. I—”
He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Whatever it is you have to say can wait. We’ve got to go.”
“No. Damien, please—”
“It can wait, Mia.” He tugged her toward the door and dread washed over her. How had it all gone so terribly wrong? There was no way the meet could be legit. The cops had to be dirty. With her phone call and the ADA waiting for her…
Oh, God. Damien might never make it out alive.
She was supposed to be the optimistic one. She wore the rose-colored glasses in this relationship, not Damien. He had to know it wouldn’t be easy.