Page 14 of Exposed

“If you ever come near me again, I’ll kill you. Got it?” She spoke through her teeth.

Tony’s head lifted and his eyes flashed. He shot his hand out and circled her ankle. Her foot tore out from under her, but she caught herself on the car before she hit the pavement. Tony got to his feet and his hands closed around her throat. He lifted her to her toes and pressed her back against the car.

“That was a lucky shot, and you’re going to pay for it.” Spit fired through the thin line of his lips.

Fear tickled her spine. She clenched her jaw. As it stood, Tony thought she couldn’t fight. If she overpowered him and broke free, he’d know she was trained.

But she’d be damned if she’d let him touch her.

His knee slid between her legs and a smile slithered over his face. Her blood thundered through her veins with the force of a fire hose. With his leg between hers, her mobility was at a disadvantage.

Nate’s voice rang in her ears.If anything happens, forget the case.

A growl tore through her throat. She raised her right arm over both of his, threw her weight to the side, and broke his hold on her throat, trapping his wrists under her arm. She drove her elbow back and it crunched into his nose. Blood shot out and splattered her driver’s side window.

“Goddamn it!” he yelped. He backed away from her, tripped over his feet, and landed with a thud to the ground.

Her fingers traced her neck where his hold had been. She swallowed and moved her shaking hand to her side. Kicking his ass had put her in more danger. She bent and picked up her keys and purse from the ground and opened the driver’s side door.

“Save yourself the embarrassment and go home, Tony. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Carlos about this. I’m pretty sure he’d fire you, if only for the reason that I just kicked the shit out of you without breaking a sweat.”

She dropped into her seat, closed the door, and punched the lock button. She buckled her seatbelt and peeled out of the parking lot.

Her gaze swung to her rear-view mirror. Tony stood in the parking lot awash in shadows. His hands were clenched in fists at his sides, staring after her. She turned her eyes to the road and focused on her breath. Ever so slowly, her heartrate returned to normal.

She pressed her back against the cool leather seat and turned the air conditioning up. Her throat ached from where his hands had gripped her, and her back throbbed. The streets were dark and quiet. Her gaze flicked to the rear-view mirror again.

Dammit, what kind of car did he drive? Could he be following her? No. She’d gotten a good head start. If he were tailing her, he would’ve had to speed to catch up.

Dryness settled over her eyes, making every blink scratch like sandpaper. She wasn’t used to late nights. Her previous position with the Criminal Investigations Unit had been laid back—and it had been boring as hell.

Years ago, she’d tried out for the FBI, and had made the mistake of telling Ethan. At that time, he’d still been working as an agent and had pulled strings to get her off the list.

Back then, she’d been eager and ready to take on the world. She’d had her criminal justice bachelor’s degree behind her and nearly a year of experience with the Seattle police force… Andafter what she’d encountered in the last week, had she made it into the FBI then, her twenty-four-year-old self probably would have been killed by now. So maybe Ethan had been right to do what he’d done.

But now, four years later, he was wrong and she wouldn’t let him lord over her life.

After the heist against Carlos, she’d try out for the FBI again. Only this time, she’d have a hell of a record after bringing down a drug lord like Carlos Santiago. Excitement bubbled through her.

Ethan and Nate would have to admit that they had been wrong about her. It would be quite the accomplishment, but that wasn’t the only thing that fueled her. Carlos was an evil man and his drug ring had taken the lives of many innocent people. If it weren’t for Carlos, Leila would still be alive. Instead, her best friend’s little sister had died in an alleyway in Miami from a drug overdose—drugs Carlos had provided her. He was the scum of the earth and didn’t care about the young lives he’d stolen.

A few minutes later, she pulled into the parking stall at her apartment building. She darted her gaze around the dark lot.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

She shook her head. She was still on edge. She needed a tall glass of wine and a hot shower. She stepped out of the car, closed the door, and pressed the lock button on her key fob.

Beep, beep, beep.

The soft noise carried on the wind and disappeared into the night. Her breath hitched along with her footsteps as she skirted the short distance to the well-lit front entrance.

Her fear fell away with the darkness as she used her key to get in the door and took the elevator up to the fifth floor. The door dinged open and once again, dead silence greeted her. She strode to the end of the hall, her keys braced in her hand. The apartment building was old, but newly renovated with soaring ceilings and spacious suites.

She stopped at her door and fit the key in the lock. Her spine stiffened and her shoulders tensed, ready to fight. Her hand gripped the smooth steel door handle and her gaze swept through the entryway of her apartment. A warm glow from the lamp on the end table in the living room cast shadows over the room.

Everything was how she’d left it. She took a deep, shaky breath, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. Her fingers trembled on the lock as she snapped it shut. The weight on her chest spread to her shoulder blades. She couldn’t keep this up much longer. Ever since Nate had found the GPS tracking device in her purse, her confidence had faltered. Tony’s encounter hadn’t helped.

She moved her shoulders around until the tension eased, and slid her shoes off. Her fingers still hung in tight fists at her sides. She wouldn’t be able to relax until she’d checked out the entire unit. She moved quickly through the small space, checking every nook and closet.

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