“I just want answers, Neely. I’ve worked with Agent Ellis for a long time. He’s professional, and I can’t see him approaching Cosmo about something so personal, especially on duty.”
“That’s where you are wrong. He’s been here… inside my house twice, trying to hit on Cosmo.”
“My guess is you didn’t like that, did you? It’s useless to deny what’s happening here under your roof. His personal items were in your bedroom.”
“I’m not denying it.”
“You’d risk your career this way? What kind of hold does he have over you?”
“We’re straying from what’s important here.”
“Right. I’ve got to say, Hunter, don’t you find it strange that the shooter got killed by a single bullet to the head?”
I closed my eyes and leaned into the wall. Shit. He’d picked up on my mistake. How much would it cost me?
“What are you implying?”
“You know. All our victims died from a single bullet wound to the head, just like him.”
“Except Agent Ellis shot the perp today.”
“Or did he?”
“Come on, Gavin, this is low, even for you. In your quest to get him out of my life, you’re clutching at straws.”
“I’m not. You’re just too blinded by lust to see what’s in front of you, but I’ll find out the truth eventually.”
I’d heard enough. I pushed off the wall and made enough noise to alert them to my presence. Both men turned to me as I walked into the kitchen.
“Is something wrong?” I wrung my hands.
“Besides what happened today?” Knight said. “You and Hunter need to be relocated immediately, somewhere remote, until we can figure out who tried to kill you.”
“I have somewhere we can go,” Hunter said. “Petra and I used to vacation in a cabin up in Rushfort that belonged to her parents. We should be safe there for a few days. We need a decoy vehicle and to travel alone.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“No one knows about the cabin.”
Knight nodded reluctantly. “I’ll handle it.” His phone vibrated, and he fished it out of his coat pocket. “Excuse me a sec.”
He moved off to speak on his phone, and Hunter came over to me.
“How are you holding up?” he asked, rubbing my bare arms.
“I don’t know. I think I’m still in shock. That was so close.”
“Too close for comfort.” He crushed me to his chest. “I couldn’t handle losing you, Cosmo, so you better do exactly as I say while we’re alone in that cabin. I swear I’ll protect you with my life if it comes to that, so you don’t need to be afraid.”
The warmth of his love made me tear up. He was such a good man. What the hell was I doing, making his life a living hell? But I’d sunken my claws into him already, and I loved the way he bled too much for me to unfasten them. I needed to keep him taloned to me.
“That was an agent who went to the hospital,” Knight announced, his tone grim. “Agent Ellis died while undergoing surgery.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into Hunter as a wave of relief mingled with sadness flooded me. I had never wanted him to die, but anything or anyone that could threaten to take Hunter away from me had to go. Had Agent Ellis survived, they would have found out he hadn’t killed the shooter.