“Where’s the fun in that?” Jen asks.
“Ok, forget the heads up,” I say. “How about a little support with the haughty brothers?”
“What?”
“Come on,” I scoff. “It’s like I was asking for permission to take you to the prom.”
“They just want to make sure I’m safe,” she replies, eyeing me as if something was wrong withme.
“And you could have helped me make sure they knew that.”
She scoffs and steps out of the car. “Right.”
“What the hell is your problem?” I ask, stepping out and slamming the door hard.
She turns to look at me with morbid disbelief. “Seriously? You’re angry at me?”
I throw my hands in the air. “You might as well have thrown me in the river with a bag of rocks tied around my waist!”
“I gave you what you wanted, damn it!” she yells at me. “I agreed to do this, didn’t I? What the hell else do you want?”
“Hey, I don’t know,” I mock. “How about a little faith in what I can do? Maybe you don’t have to constantly remind me of how the FBI’s let you down like I run the fucking bureau!”
She walks around the front of the car and points a menacing finger at me. “Fuck you and your bureau. You want faith, show me I can actually trust you.”
“I’ve been trying to,” I shout back.
“Try harder.”
I laugh in disbelief. “You know, I really thought we were making progress here.”
“What? Because I let you sleep on the couch?” she asks. “That’s not progress, that’s me throwing you a line.”
“I don’t need a damn line. I need to know you’ll do what needs to be done.”
“Hey, you came to me. I was doing just fine without all this.” She was shaking in anger, and for a split second, I feel the urge to take her in my arms and calm her down. The thing is, I’m just as bitter, and the exhaustion isn’t helping.
She starts to walk away and I follow. “We’re supposed to be doing something good here!”
“No, you’re just trying to make a mark in your career. I really doubt you care for the greater good.”
Her words hit where it hurts. “Screw you, Jen! You know nothing about me!”
“And here you are asking me to trust you! Go figure!”
“What else do you want me to do?”
“Nothing!”
“Then why can’t you give me a fucking break?”
She turns around suddenly. “Because I’m scared!”
I freeze in my tracks.
“Are you happy now, Matt?” she yells, and it’s only then I see the tears in her eyes. “I’m scared shitless, and I hate feeling this way.”
I reach out to grab her arm, and she pushes me away.