Marshall left to get his own gear together. Alex put on his tactical vest and grabbed his weapons while Joanne changed in the bathroom. Less than a minute later she reappeared in the black robe with a scarf covering her dark curls. Her face was pale but her eyes burned with conviction.Hold that thought, sweetheart. She was going to need every last bit of the fire burning in her gut to see this through. Shit he admired her. He held out another vest for her. “Put this on under your robe.”She did, paling a little at the stark reminder of the danger ahead. Wrapping his fingers around hers when she finished, he squeezed tight in reassurance and led her out to the parking lot. Sean and Duke were already standing next to the first of the two SUVs, both engines running.“Marshall brought us up to speed. We following you?” Sean asked.“With Marshall, and just until we hit the outskirts of Marianao,” Alex answered. “No idea what’s goin

Joanne’s heart clattered against her ribs as Alex finally slowed to a walk.“Stand tall and look straight ahead, like you belong here,” he whispered.God, she was having trouble catching her breath, and he wasn’t even breathing hard. It went against every instinct to do as he said instead of constantly looking around to scan for threats, but she knew he was right. Giving off that sort of nervous energy would only look suspicious and make her stand out more. Right now the only things giving her the courage to see this through were having Alex right next to her and feeling the strength of his hand around hers. Wanting justice for her father and putting her own life on the line to see it done were two very different things.The map on her phone showed the address as being just a few blocks from where they stood. Here amongst the back alleys and quieter residential streets the night seemed hushed and ominous. The narrow street they were on was d

Alex kept a hand braced on Joanne’s back as Marshall took a sharp right and floored it. He anchored her to stop her from sliding across the seat, felt her shuddering with the force of her sobs. Those heartbroken sounds cut straight through him, all the more unbearable because she was trying so hard to hold them back.Ah, shit. Just…shit. With Marshall in the vehicle they had no privacy but he couldn’t take watching her hurt like this. Alex rubbed a soothing hand over her back in a gentle circle, not knowing what to say. There was nothing he could say to make this any easier on her.At his touch she curled further into herself and turned her face away, burying it in her arms to hide from him, as though ashamed of him seeing her crying. Something sharp twisted in his chest and a burning pressure took hold of his lungs.Wedging his hip close to hers, he slid his hands beneath her shoulders and pulled her upward. She resisted, flinging one arm out and attempting to scut

Face buried in Joanne’s neck, Alex fought to slow his thundering heart.He’d never experienced anything like that in his life. He loved sex, always had, but this was so much more than sex it had rocked him to his core.Sweet Jesus. Whatever this emotional and physical connection between them was, he wanted more of it with Joanne. As much as he could have before he put her on that plane in a few hours. Being with her was the only thing that truly eased the constant bombardment of guilt and restlessness he’d felt since the night Scottie died.She was still wound around him, holding him deep inside her and he didn’t want to break the connection. But her legs and arms were trembling with fatigue and he didn’t want her to be uncomfortable for even a moment longer.He eased out of her and gently unwound her legs from his waist, noting the wince she tried to cover when he set her feet on the shower floor. He paused again to stroke his hands through her damp hair that c