Page 195 of The Darkest Chase

Yet as I strap myself into protective Kevlar, she’s it.

The only thing on my mind.

I can’t tell if what I’m feeling is anticipation, grim determination, or the urgency of the ticking clock. Every second it takes us to prep is another second closer to our window slamming shut, Xavier and the Jacobins slipping through my fingers yet again.

I’d definitely breathe easier if I could see her, feel her soft fingers against my face and have those bright-blue eyes looking at me with the same innocence that saw a better man than I actually am.

I’ve tried.

I’ve tried like hell to tell myself our breakup was for the best.

That it wasn’t real.

I was living a lie, and she was steeped in this fantasy with a man who doesn’t truly exist.

Too bad the heartache tells me that’s the furthest fucking thing from the truth.

Talia saw me.

She accepted me.

And maybe, just maybe, she saw me in a better light than I ever saw myself.

Then I went and fucked it all up.

Hell, once this is over, maybe I can try to undo the damage.

I throw on my tactical gloves and check the spare clips strapped to my bulletproof vest. We’re hoping to get through this without a firefight, but the Jacobins can get a little trigger-happy.

If they’re going to be down at the docks, they’ll probably be packing a little more than old shotguns chock-full of buckshot, too.

Grant clears his throat to get my attention and passes me a Colt M4. “You certified on this thing, Mr. DEA?”

“Very funny. I recertify at the firing range once a year, which is more than you small-town cops do.” I grab the Colt and put it away.

Lucas, looking like a goddamned assassin in his own black tactical gear, flashes me a feral grin. “Watch it, Mikey. We small-timers can outshoot you city boys any day.”

“Let’s hope we don’t have a reason to find out,” Grant says sharply.

“What’s the plan?” Henri asks sharply.

“For now, play it by ear,” the captain responds, adjusting his Kevlar vest. “I’ve called in to Raleigh for backup, but we’ll get there first. We go in quiet, get the lay of the land, see what we’re up against. Then we figure out the rest.” He turns a sardonic hazel eye on me. “If that’s okay with the Feds, of course.”

“You guys are never going to let me live that down, are you?”

Henri smirks. “Not in a million years, mon ami.”

“You know your French accent sucks, right?” I snort.

“Hey!” He jabs a gloved finger at me. “It’s Creole. Technically, the bastard cousin of French, and completely foreign to anyone outside the Atchafalaya Basin.”

“That thing you just said was not a word. I refuse to believe it was,” I retort.

“All right, all right, time’s wasting,” Grant says. “Let’s move, you clowns.”

I’m jonesing to get this shit show over with.

Even if I left broken hearts and damage in my wake, I’ve been waiting for this day for too long.

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