He hadn't intended to say that. And, now the words hung there, and he hated how damn vulnerable he felt. He ran a secret covert operation, and yet he was as nervous as a boy calling a pretty girl for the very first time.
"I miss you, too. I really do. But, Dallas, we can't." He heard the tinge of pain in her voice. "You were right to push away the other night. I should never--I mean, we should never have--"
"No." He rushed to correct her. "I'm not saying we should. When I say I miss you, I mean I miss talking to you. Our friendship." He didn't say sister. He couldn't bring himself to voice what they both already knew so well. And the truth was, they'd come at being siblings by such a convoluted path, with the adoption and without a single drop of shared blood, that she'd always been a friend more than a sister.
He thought about the women in the video. Women he didn't care about. Didn't truly want. "I miss that," he continued. "I need it. I'm tired of polite conversation when we're together. I want to laugh with you again."
"We laugh."
"Dammit, Jane, don't pretend like I'm not making sense. You know what I mean."
"I do. I really do."
"And?"
She took a deep breath. "Are you in town?"
A flicker of hope curled inside him. "South America."
"Oh. Well, come over when you get back. We'll have coffee. Maybe play a game."
"A game?" He couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice.
"That's what friends do. Play games. Watch crappy television."
"Is it? I thought friends went to dinner."
"We don't. Too dangerous. Too much like a date."
"All right then. Resident Evil it is." Killing mutant zombies never sounded so good.
"I was thinking more along the lines of chess. Possibly Yahtzee."
"It'll be fun. I promise."
He could practically see her making a face. She was terrible at videogames.
"Okay," she finally said.
"Okay."
"Say goodbye, Dallas."
"Goodbye, Dallas."
She laughed. And he realized he hadn't felt quite this light in a long, long time.
He was still smiling when Quince stuck his head through the half-open doorway. "Hey, you got a sec?"
"Any progress with Mueller?"
"Bits and pieces. Right now I'm letting him stew. I've been on the phone with Noah going over the specs for the security system on Ortega's property."
"And?"
"And I think we may have a way in." He passed Dallas his phone, open to an image of a gorgeous woman with lush dark hair and deep brown eyes.
Dallas glanced at the image, then looked up at his friend. "I'm listening."