“I bet.”

“That’s the whole thing.”

“And you believe he was also behind the killings of Lori Phillips and Bill Springer?”

“Yes, as well as the orchestration of the assault on Cruz’s girlfriend. He wanted him out of the way when he came at me. And he also knew Cruz would go into the jail to tune up the guy who hit Elin. I’m sure the plan was for Elliott to go to the media about police brutality the minute he was released from jail.”

“He had it all planned out.”

“Yes, and lucky me. I was the big prize.”

“How do you suppose Marissa Springer went from being a housewife to a killer?”

“Rage,” Sam said simply. “She was fueled by rage, and Stahl gave her a chance to get even with the cops who’d killed her precious Billy.”

He could see that she was starting to tire, so he turned off the recorder. “Thank you for taking the time. I’ll write up the report and run it by you before I submit it.”

“Okay.”

Avery unplugged the recorder and stashed it in his bag.

“How’s Shelby?”

“She’s okay. Her knees and hands are a mess from a fall.”

“And she’s furious with all of us.”

“That too.”

“I don’t know what the hell would’ve possessed you to tell her what you did.”

“I care about her, and we’re building something together—something that could be lasting. We can’t have a secret like that between us if we’re going to make this work.”

“Is she ever going to talk to me again?”

“Yes, I believe she’s hoping to check on you in the next day or two.”

“Great. I’ll do what I can to fix the damage you’ve inflicted.”

“I know you’re pissed and you have good reason to be, but I’m not sorry I told her.”

“As long as it’s all good for you.”

“Sam.”

She shook her head. “I told you once and I’ll tell you again—this shit needs to stop. There’s never going to be anything between us except collegial friendship. Unless you want my husband to have you transferred to Siberia, you need it to let it go.”

“Siberia, huh?”

“Unless he can find somewhere farther away from here.”

“I understand, and I’m sorry to have caused you any trouble.”

“You’ve caused more trouble for yourself than you have for me. You’ve got a wonderful woman who is crazy about you. Go home to her, Avery.”

“I’m going as soon as I can.”

After twenty-four hours on duty, handling the paperwork on the resolution of Sam’s kidnapping and assault, Avery drove home the next morning, exhausted and spent. He’d volunteered the FBI’s services on the case since Stahl had deep ties to the MPD and none of them wanted conflicts of interest to derail their slam-dunk case against the disgraced lieutenant.

Stahl had been disgustingly unrepentant in the wake of his arrest, refusing to answer questions until his lawyer was present and even then, stonewalling them every step of the way. Didn’t matter. Sam had lived to testify, and Marissa Springer, while in grave condition, was expected to live as well, so Stahl was screwed every which way to Tuesday and he knew it.

Sam.

Though he’d tried valiantly to hold on to his professional demeanor, the fact that Stahl had slapped and punched and terrorized her made Avery insanely angry.

He wanted to beat Stahl’s portly face to a bloody pulp for daring to lay a hand on her. And yes, he knew it was wildly inappropriate for him to be so fucking furious over what had happened to her.

Once again he had to remind himself he had no right to feel that way about her. None at all. She was home with her husband, and he had Shelby waiting for him at home, possibly pregnant with his child.

The rage had no place in his life, he reminded himself as he pulled up to his house and killed the engine, taking a moment to calm down before he went inside. Before he could use his key in the door it swung open, revealing the tiny sprite of a woman who’d become so important to him.

“You’re home.”

Avery closed the door and leaned against it, exhausted all the way down to his bone marrow. “So I am.”

“Is everything okay? Is Sam...” Her chin quivered. “She’s really okay, right? You’d tell me if she wasn’t?”

“She’s had better days, but she’ll be fine.”

“And you. You’re so tired.”

“I could sleep.”

Shelby bit her bottom lip and glanced up at him. “You look kind of bad through the eyes.”

“It was tough to hear what happened to her.”

Shelby stared at him for a long moment before she took a deep breath. “I’m not sure about this, Avery. I want you. In fact, I probably even love you. But I’m not willing to share you with anyone else, even a woman you want but can’t have.” She took another deep breath. “I need some time to figure out what happens next.”

“How much time?” He stood up straight, suddenly frightened that she was leaving him.

She shouldered her large pink purse. “I don’t know. But I’ll be in touch.”

“Don’t do this, Shelby. I’ve had a hard few hours at work. Don’t hold that against me.”

“I’m not. I promise you I’m not. This is about me, not you. I need to get my head on straight after everything that’s happened this week. And I need to see Sam. I’ll call a cab.”

“I can take you to her if you want.”

“That’s all right. Thank you for everything, especially the last couple of days. You were really nice to me.”

“Shelby, God, you’re breaking my heart. What about the baby?”

She wiped away tears. “We have plenty of time to figure that out.”

“I want to be a father to your child, no matter what.”

“I know, and I love you for that. I really do.” She went up on the very tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. “Take care, Avery.”

He hugged her close for a minute, breathing in the sweet scent of her. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” Avery moved aside so she could walk out the door and then shut it behind her. Closing his eyes, he leaned against the door, filled with regret and anger at himself and the situation in general.

How could his feelings for a woman who’d never been his—and would never be his—totally screw up his life this way? It was time to get his own head on straight and to fix this, once and for all, before he lost the best thing to ever happen to him.

* * *

Shelby managed to hold on to her composure as she walked away from Avery’s house. She kept it together while she hailed a cab and gave the driver Sam and Nick’s Capitol Hill address. But once the car was moving toward the home of her employers, tears began to slide down her cheeks regardless of her efforts to hold them in.

She hadn’t planned to say all that to him when he came home, but she’d seen the agony in his eyes and on his face. What had happened to Sam had set him back, and she couldn’t stay there and hope that one day he’d feel that way about her. He either did or he didn’t.

She’d waited a long time to find someone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, but she’d meant what she’d said to him. She was not going to share him with anyone else—even if that someone else was a woman he loved from afar.

And now she had to deal with Sam and Nick and what they’d kept from her and how she felt about that. The thought of confronting them, especially in light of what they’d been through the last few days, made her sick.

The cab pulled up to the Secret Service checkpoint at the top of Ninth Street.

“I’ll get out here,” she said to the driver as she handed him cash for the fare.

Recognizing her, the Secret Service agents on duty waved her through. As she walked up the ramp to the front door, her heart pounded in her chest and anxiety coursed through her body. During the six months she’d worked for them, and even before when she’d planned their magical wedding, they’d come to matter greatly to her, and she didn’t want to lose their friendship—or the job she loved.

But this conversation had to happen before she could make any decisions.