The door opens and Jess slides in, looking at me with a well-founded wariness. Bebe slides in right behind her as Griff puts their luggage in the back.
“Dozer,” Jess whispers, apology heavy in her tone.
I hold up a hand. “Don’t speak to me right now. I don’t feel like having our first major fight in front of other people.”
Her mouth shuts, and I turn my attention to look out the window. If I dare look at her again, I’ll probably kiss her rather than throttle her, and I can’t do that until I have my chance to vent my anger. From the corner of my eye, I see Bebe reach over and pat Jess on the leg.
Bebe’s going to get a piece of my mind, too, but for now, I’ll let her fiancé handle her.
Griff gets in the front passenger seat, and the FBI agent behind the wheel takes off. They both scan the area as we pull out from the private area behind the hangar, through the parking lot and onto the roadway. A constant check of the rearview mirrors and me craning my neck to look behind us for several minutes, and we’re confident we’re not being followed.
Bebe leans forward, puts her hand on Griff’s shoulder, and squeezes. “Are we taking Jess to a hotel?”
He doesn’t acknowledge her touch. He’s pissed, but he answers. “To Dozer’s dad’s house.”
Yeah… I called my dad and asked for a favor. He would never say no to taking Jess in and using his muscle to protect her, but he had to agree to let FBI agents inside the grounds on the perimeter as added security. To his credit, he didn’t hesitate at all, but I’m sure there’s been a mad scramble to make sure anything illegal at his compound is removed before our arrival.
Bebe settles back in the seat and asks, “How did the press conference go?”
It was supposed to be at noon today. I was going to stand up there with the special agent in charge as he gave an update on the manhunt for Ivan Borovsky. I was going to be introduced by my real name, the camera focused in on me closely, and I was going to appeal to the public for any leads for the capture of Borovsky. I was also going to taunt him, carefully crafted words we came up with to ensure the message would get to him. We’re hoping his ego is sufficiently intact after prison that he’ll send men after me.
But that didn’t happen because Jess decided to come without invitation and that messed up our well-laid plans.
I’m not ready to talk to Jess yet, but I answer Bebe’s question. “It got postponed so we could come to the airport and get you two.”
The harsh tone in my voice causes Jess to shrink away from me, and I feel like shit for scaring her so bad.
But goddamn it… I’m not only pissed but now I’m also terrified for her safety. A jumble of fucking nerves and emotions, and I don’t want to say the wrong thing, so I turn my attention back out the window.
It’s a quiet, tense drive to my dad’s. The agent driving doesn’t take a direct route but rather a series of circuitous turns meant to reveal if anyone is following us.
By the time we arrive at the iron gate, he’s confident there is no tail.
My father is waiting, and the gate opens before we even come to a full stop. One of his men stands there, directing us down the driveway.
Another picks us up before we reach the circular portion in front of the house and directs us to the side.
Yet another formidable-looking man points us into an open stall of the five-car garage. We pull in, and the door rolls slowly closed behind us.
Leaning forward, I clap the agent driving on the shoulder. “I need you to stay out here. This won’t take long.”
“Sure thing,” he replies.
I do this in deference to my father who was adamant he doesn’t want any cops in his house. Those were his words, and I guess that includes FBI agents as he was well aware it was the FBI taking me to the airport to retrieve Jess.
But I didn’t ask Griff to stay because although he’s FBI, he’s not dressed like one and would never pose a threat to my father. My dad will assume he’s part of the Jameson team, and I’m not going to disabuse him of that.
I want Griff to come in because he’s going to need to handle Bebe.
We exit the car, and I move through the garage to the door leading into a large mudroom. Jess walks through first, and I see my father ahead waiting in the kitchen. Without preamble, he moves to her and hugs her tightly. “How you doing, pretty lady?” he asks gently.