And while that sounded fun and dirty, it meant the world to him. She was letting him be there with her when everything overwhelmed.
After a few minutes, he whispered into her hair. “I’m sorry I sprung Joe on you today. I was trying to keep the added stress away from you, but I know it was a dumb move.”
She moved her hands from where they’d been curled in front of her to wrap around his waist.
“I know I overreacted, so I’m sorry, too.”
He moved his arms over her back and her hair. “It’s been a rough day.”
She nodded against him. “One of the worst. I’m so embarrassed and ashamed.”
Graham had been right. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. None of that. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Tansy snorted into his shirt. “I was a fool. He targeted me because I might be developing something he could use. He had no interest in me as a person, but I couldn’t tell. I fell easily into his plot.”
“People like that have done it before. They’ve perfected their techniques and know exactly how to play on a person’s personality to get what they want. You weren’t supposed to see behind the mask and you didn’t. With Stephens believing his own bullshit, it would have been impossible to see behind it. No shame in that, Tans, no shame in any of it.”
She shook her head.
Sam leaned down to kiss her hair.
“We all get fooled sometimes.”
“Not you.”
A sarcastic laugh slipped out. “Right. Only one of the other reasons I’m not going back to the FBI.”
Tansy shoved back enough to see his face, but she didn’t let go of him. “What happened?”
“This case was a year or so back.” He’d only ever discussed this with his team, but he needed to share it with her.
“The courts had refused this guy access to his daughter. He was an alcoholic and drug user. After the girl disappeared, the first place we went was this guy’s apartment. He opened the door, looking like a regular guy. Clear eyes, clean apartment, good clean clothes, properly horrified that someone had taken his girl.”
Now it was Tansy’s hands that were offering comfort. “But he’d taken her?”
“He had. Spent a week cleaning up his act so that he could get away with it.”
Tansy kissed his chest and tightened her hold.
“We knew something wasn’t right, so we went back, but he was gone. The place was empty. Took us a week to track him down. He was two states away and on his third stolen car.”
He took a deep breath and let Tansy’s hands soothe him. The images still haunted him.
“He hadn’t even locked the motel room door. The baby was on the floor, unconscious. The jerk was passed out on the bed. Vomit and drugs were everywhere.”
“Was the baby alive?”
Sam squeezed her. “Barely.”
“Is she okay now?”
Sam shook his head. “No. The injuries and internal bleeding were too much. She died a few days later without regaining consciousness.” It haunted him. Always would.
His breathing was ragged and he could feel Tansy’s tears on his shirt, his own in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Sam, so very sorry. That’s horrific. That poor little girl. Tell me he’s never getting out of jail.”
“He’s never getting out.”