He took a breath and finally asked the question he’d been holding back since he’d first had his government contact run a background check on her. “So how did it happen?”
“I thought you knew.”
“More information redacted. You should see the amount of black highlighter in your file.”
“If I tell you, will you show me that file? I’d be interested to see what Uncle Sam thinks about me.”
“They think you’re amazing. But deal.”
She bit her lip and looked down. “I was transporting a witness from the police station to a safe house. Somehow they found out and attacked the car. I was t-boned while crossing an intersection. They hit the passenger side, which was probably the one thing that saved me. Once the car was incapacitated, they started shooting. The witness was in the backseat, so that’s where most of the fire was aimed. It was a stray bullet that went into my leg. And, for the record, when people call a bullet wound a flesh wound in the movies and then get up and kick ass for the next twenty minutes, that’s not realistic. This flesh wound did some serious damage to the muscle. Took months of physical therapy for me to walk normally again. I’m still limited the amount of running I can do. It’s why there are so many weights in my apartment. I need to keep my muscles strong and working well. At least, if I want to get back.”
“And the witness?”
She shrugged, but he could tell from her somber expression that the whole thing had affected her deeply. “He didn’t make it. I was able to fire off a few rounds. Hit a few of them too, but they were gone just as quick as they came. I think from start to finish, it was over in two minutes. Hard to tell.”
“You’re lucky to be alive.”
“Lucky,” she scoffed. “I hate luck.”
“Sorry. I guess it was bad luck that got you into the whole mess to begin with.”
“No. Luck implies that you’re not in control. Pinned down in the front seat. Unable to move with only twelve rounds of ammo to protect myself with. I don’t like luck.”
“How did they know you were transporting the witness then and there?” he asked, even though he had a feeling he knew the answer.
“Same reason Longineu knew where I was staying. Knew who I was. One of my own people told him.”
“Did you find out who it was?”
Evelyn met his eyes. “Not officially.”
“Unofficially?”
“I had a few of my old coworkers pay him a visit for me.”
“Old coworkers like Jace?”
“Now there’s some luck.” She smiled.
“How so?”
“If I had been well enough to pay the bastard a visit myself, he would’ve gotten a lot worse than one convenient car crash into that tree. But at least I can walk again.”
Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “Remind me not to piss you off.”
Evelyn’s face fell. “Damn. I forgot that you’re normal. Did I just freak you out?”
Luke stood and walked around the table to kneel in front of her. He set his hands on her knees, like he’d done back in his apartment, but this time he raised them higher and ran his palms along the outside of her thighs until one of his hands rested over the now healed bullet wound. “Evelyn,” he breathed. “If anyone tries to hurt you again...FBI, Longineu, cartels, anyone...I’ll kill them myself.”
She set her hand over his. “That’s the scariest and sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” The corner of her mouth twisted up.
“Well, that’s what happens when girls make me pancakes. I become their slave for life.”
“Slave, like normal stuff? Or slave like sex stuff?”
“When it comes to you, I prefer the sex stuff.” He winked.
She stroked a finger down his cheek. “Oh, the things I could do with you.”
“We have time. Make a list and I’ll let you do whatever you want to my body.”
Her eyes darkened with desire and his cock was rock hard. “Evelyn?” he asked.
“Yes?”
“Those pancakes will microwave okay, right?”
“They microwave fantastically.”
He gathered her in his arms and she held on with her arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist.
“Good,” he whispered. “Because I’m suddenly not hungry for food anymore.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“What did you see in Gail’s bank statements?” asked Evelyn, feeling half guilty for even asking the question.
“It was like you thought. There was a ten thousand dollar wire transfer into her account on Friday morning. We’re still trying to track down the source, but that was enough to get a warrant for a wire on her cell phone,” said Hotchins over the phone.