Jackson understood his boss’s concerns, and his determination to protect the life of the woman he loved at all costs. Like Essie said, if their positions were reversed, he’d feel the same way. But damn it, after everything he’d done for the Flint family, he found the lack of faith insulting.
“With all due respect, sir, I’d like to think I’ve earned your trust. From the day I started working here, I’ve done every single thing you ever asked me to do, no matter how dangerous it was. Hell, I could have done hard time in a Mexican prison for the shit we did with Aranza. You guys are family to me. I’dneverdo anything to jeopardize that, or put Nina’s life in harm’s way.” Jackson drew a deep breath and forced his jaw to relax. “Essie didn’t have to come forward with this information. She could have washed her hands and walked away. She chose to do the right thing because that’s the kind of woman she is. And while I’m at it, I’d also like to point out that if Essie intended to kill Nina, she’d already be dead. No offense, ma’am.”
“None taken.”
But there was vulnerability in Nina’s eyes, and he felt like garbage for being the cause of it.
Austin sat beside his wife and took her hand once again, his movements purposefully gentle. He looked torn, a rarity for him. “It’s your call. How do you want to proceed?”
Lips pressed into a thin, white line, Nina didn’t speak right away. Then her whiskey eyes cut to Jackson, and it felt as though she were trying to peer into his soul. “To the best of your knowledge, has Essie ever lied to you?”
Though he didn’t want to, he nodded, because lying wasn’t going to do anybody any good. “Yes, before I knew what she did for a living. That changed when we got together. With the nature of our jobs, there were always things we couldn’t share, but we made a promise to never lie to each other. I kept that promise. I’m pretty sure she did too.”
“Fair enough.” Nina’s expression changed, as if something in his answer had solidified a decision in her mind. She looked to her husband. “I think we should trust her. Hear me out,” she added when Austin muttered a curse. “Jackson’s a good judge of character—you’ve said so yourself on more than one occasion. If he trusts her, even after they got divorced, that carries weight with me. And he’s right; she could have just washed her hands of the situation, or she could have earned a piece of that bounty, but she chose to do the right thing and warn us about the contract.”
The frown lines on Austin’s forehead became even more pronounced. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“I’m sure you will. You’re the best at what you do. There’s no doubt of that in my mind. But I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my natural-born life.” She shifted in her seat and placed one hand over his. “She knows how Vaughn and the Russians operate. That piece of intelligence alone is worth its weight in gold. If she can help us uncover who took out the contract, we can get that target off my back.”
“I still don’t like it,” he nearly growled, but he seemed resigned to the fact.
The hint of a grin warmed Nina’s mouth. “I know, and I love you for it. But you know I’m right about this.”
Austin made a low, rough noise as he rubbed a hand along the side of his bushy beard. “All right, we’ll do it your way.For now. But I reserve the right to pull the plug at any point if I don’t like the way things are going. That part is nonnegotiable, are we clear?”
“Crystal.”
The grin widened to a smile, and the love in Nina’s eyes made Jackson feel like he was intruding on a private moment. He missed having that kind of love in his life, and though this situation had temporarily put his plans on hold, it made him all the more determined to win Essie back.
Austin’s gaze swung back to Jackson. “Better get your ex-wife back in here. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
Chapter 10
“This isn’t a goodidea,” Essie said as Jackson eased his truck into the garage. It was a tight fit for the pickup. Larger wheels or a rack on the roof would have forced him to park it outside. The other half of the garage was currently unoccupied, which meant Navarre wasn’t home, and she wouldn’t have to deal with his crap just yet.
Jackson cut the engine and pressed the remote to close the garage door. “We’ve already been around this block a few times. You need a place to crash, and we got an extra bedroom. It doesn’t make sense to pay for a hotel when you can sleep here for free. Besides, you’ll be a lot safer.”
Those were all valid points, but that didn’t mean Essie had to like them. Yes, it was convenient, as well as better for her budget. Plus she wouldn’t be putting a hotel full of innocent civilians in danger of becoming collateral damage should Vaughn or the Russians pay her a visit. Jackson’s home was equipped with top-of-the-line security and stocked with enough firepower to level a small town. Anyone dumb enough to try to invade the house would have one hell of a fight on their hands.
But staying with Jackson presented its own dangers, mainly to her heart. Though reluctant to admit it, she still cared about her ex, and if she let herself, she could fall hard for him again. She knew exactly where that road led, and she’d rather wake up cold and alone than make the same mistake twice.
Resigned to her fate but hoping for the best, Essie gathered her belongings and followed Jackson into the house, where he punched a code into the keypad in the hall to deactivate the alarm. All the while, she tried not to check out his ass. She failed. Miserably. In her defense, it was a mighty fine ass.
Speaking of asses…“Did you clear this with Navarre?” With everything going on, it hadn’t crossed her mind until now.
“Don’t worry about him.”
That would be a no.
“He won’t have a problem with you being here while we all work together to keep Nina alive.”
When he put it like that, it was hard to let old grudges stand in the way, though she suspected Navarre would be less than thrilled to find her bunking in his house. If he blew a gasket over it, which she considered the most likely scenario, it would give her the excuse she needed to find alternative accommodations.
Essie followed Jackson down the hall to the second door by the bathroom. He pushed the door open, flipped on a light, and gestured for her to enter.
Once upon a time, it may have started out as a bedroom, complete with an actual bed by the window, but now it looked more like the room you searched when you lost something. Stacks of cardboard boxes filled one corner, a cluttered desk occupied another, while the floor in front of the closet was littered with an assortment of camping gear. A camouflage jacket hung over the back of the office chair by the desk, and she recognized the patch from Jackson’s former Army unit.
“Sorry about the mess,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
