Page 52 of No Reason to Trust

“Thank you.” Diana smiled. “I have several people I trust who speak Russian.”

Jake stood up, and so did Livvy. “We’ll both write down our thoughts,” he said. “I’ll get mine to you in the next day or two.”

“And you’ll get mine shortly after I get back to the Blackhawk Security compound,” Livvy said.

“I appreciate that,” Diana said. “I’ll keep you both in the loop about our moles. You deserve to know who they are and what happens to them.”

She leaned closer. “I also instructed Roman Peters, the agent who is assisting Sergei and his wife Elena, to keep you informed of what’s going on with them. He has your email addresses and phone numbers. He’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Livvy said. “We appreciate that.” She smiled. “Naturally, we want to keep track of both Sergei and Elena.”

“Of course you do,” Diana said. “Thank you for arranging that. According to Roman Peters, Sergei is giving him a lot of very valuable information.”

“Great,” Jake said. “I’m glad he and his wife are safe, and that he’ll be able to help the FBI.”

There was a moment of silence, then Jake said, “Livvy has to return to Helena. I’ll get my paperwork done today, because I’m pretty sure Livvy is leaving tomorrow.”

“I am,” Livvy said.

Diana’s gaze settled on Livvy for a long moment. Then she looked at Jake. “I see,” she said.

Jake wanted to know exactly what she saw, but he wasn’t about to ask. “I’ll try to have that paperwork on your desk tomorrow,” he said.

“Thank you both,” she said. She turned her gaze on Livvy. “The door is open anytime you want to return to the FBI,” she said.

Livvy smiled, but Jake didn’t see much joy in it. “Thank you, but I’m very happy at Blackhawk Security,” she said.

Diana nodded. “I personally, as well as the FBI as a whole, thank you both. I’ll look forward to talking with you soon, Jake.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As soon as they walked out of Diana’s office, Jake steered Livvy toward the outside door closest to her office. When she frowned up at him, he said, “We don’t want to run into whoever Nelson and Windsor report to. Don’t know if Alexei has told him yet that they didn’t kill me. I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

Livvy’s mouth turned up in a smile, but again, Jake saw nothing happy in it. It felt strained, as if she couldn’t wait to get away from Washington. And him. “Yeah, nice to keep that in your back pocket.”

They stepped outside and had to walk several blocks to get back to Jake’s car. When they reached his apartment complex, Jake pulled up beside Livvy’s car in the parking lot. When she swiveled as if to get out, he put his hand on hers. He’d be damned if she ran off before he could say his piece.

She looked at his hand covering hers, then slowly raised her eyes to his. Holding her gaze, Jake said, “Before you go, Livvy, I have a few things I want to say.”

It looked as if she recoiled. Drew into herself. Grabbing the handle for the door, she tried to open it. Jake engaged the lock, then leaned a little closer.

“The least you can do is take a few minutes to listen to what I have to say,” he said, holding her gaze. His voice was too sharp, but her attempt to flee pissed him off.

“I think we said all we needed to say last night.” Livvy swallowed, and Jake watched her throat ripple.

“Not everything,” Jake said. He stared at her, and he saw her flinch. As if what she saw in his eyes was painful. Unwelcome.

He didn’t give a damn. He was gonna say his piece anyway. What could she do? Fly farther away than Helena? Three thousand miles should be enough space to make her feel safe.

“I don’t want you to go back to Montana, but I think you already know that, Olivia.” She winced when he used her formal name. “I want to pursue a relationship with you.” He held her gaze and took a deep breath. “I love you, Livvy, and no, it’s not sudden. It’s been building for a while. I was fascinated by you since before you left the Bureau. The last week only confirmed what I felt for you. I want to make a life with you. Marry you. Have a kid or two with you.”

She opened her mouth to speak, and he held up his hand. “You don’t have to say a word. You made your feelings very clear last night. That’s why I’m making mine clear today. I only have one thing left that I want to say. If you change your mind, let me know. Call me. Come to Washington and tell me. Or ask me to come to Helena to see you. Based on what you said last night, I’m not expecting to hear from you, but I’d like to be pleasantly surprised.”

Without waiting for her to answer, he swung out of the car and opened the trunk. Picked up her suitcase and her briefcase and carried them to her car. When she popped the locks with her remote, he put both her briefcase and suitcase in the trunk.

She didn’t look at him as she slid into the driver’s seat. She adjusted the mirrors, which as far as Jake was concerned was an excuse for not looking at him. Who the hell had driven the car since she last did?

Finally she started the engine and looked over at him. He stared back, keeping his face blank. She nodded once, then drove off without looking back. But he saw her staring into the rear-view mirror as she exited the parking lot.

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