Lifeline
Page 8
JJ stares at me, her face pale and visibly shaken up. I flick the cigarette over the ledge and pull away from her, forcing my body to relax. “There’s no fucking way you’ll ever go undercover while I’m on this team. Got it?”
Lightning sparks in her eyes, and she lifts her chin even higher. “Yes, sir.”
Chapter 3
JJ
Sitting down on the couch with my plate of food, I spear one of the beans. “God, O’Brien let me have it today.”
Lindsay’s eyes dart to me as she drops the remote, deciding not to turn on the TV. “Why? What happened?”
My little sister looks more like our dad, where I take after Mom. When Dad passed, it was almost impossible for Mom to look her in the eye.
Mom got a second chance at love when she met Clive, and last year they moved to Miami. Lindsay had a choice to either stay with me or join them. She chose me, figuring the newly married couple needed their privacy.
Even though my sister’s five years younger than me, she’s my best friend.
I let out a huff, the food now forgotten on my plate. “I just asked about going undercover.” Shaking my head, I widen my eyes. “He was so intense I swear my heart almost leaped out of my chest.”
A mischievous smile forms on my sister’s pretty face. “Ooh, so he gets your heart racing. And?”
I shake my head again. “It’s not like that. He was scary as hell, telling me in detail what would happen to me if I fell into the wrong hands.” With a shiver rushing down my spine, I avoid telling my sister those details, seeing as it’s too gruesome for her. “He made it clear as long as I’m on his team, I’ll never go undercover.” Which is a bummer.
“Sounds like he cares.”
The flicker of hope in Lindsay’s eyes has a frown line forming between my eyes, then I let out a skeptical chuckle. “No, he just doesn’t want it on his conscience if I’m undercover and anything goes wrong.”
“Still,” Lindsay argues.
“I’ve only been at the bureau for two days. O’Brien’s heated reaction has nothing to do with caring about my wellbeing, but everything to do with the fact that he has zero confidence in my skills.” My shoulders drop. “And I can’t blame him after the screw-up yesterday.”
“You’re not going to tell me what you did that was so unforgivable?” my sister asks.
“You know I can’t.” There’s no way I’m telling Lindsay I was involved in a shoot-out between the Albanians and FBI and almost got myself killed.
Lindsay doesn’t push the issue, which I appreciate. We talked about my working for the FBI, and she understands there’s a lot I won’t be able to share with her.
“So… O’Brien.” She wags her eyebrows. “He makes you nervous?”
“You have no idea,” I chuckle, glad I can at least tell her about the explosive emotions he brings out in me. “One minute, he’s a solid iceberg, and the next, it feels like I’m line walking over molten lava.”
“And now you get to spend tonight with him, confined in a car,” she teases me.
I notice the time, then shoot up. “Crap, I have to change for the surveillance.”
“But you haven’t eaten.” Lindsay’s gaze follows me to the kitchen, then there’s a knock at the front door.
My eyes go round as saucers, and I gesture for Lindsay to open before darting down the hallway and into my bedroom.
O’Brien said he’d pick me up at eight. I check the time on my wristwatch and see I still have fifteen minutes.
I strip out of the suit I wore today and quickly pull on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Grabbing my badge that hangs from a chain, I place it around my neck and tuck it beneath the fabric of my shirt while stepping into a pair of comfortable sneakers. As I dart out of the room, I gather my hair and tie it in a low ponytail so it won’t get in the way.
“You still in school?” I hear O’Brien’s deep voice, and when my eyes fall on him, where he’s smiling at Lindsay, an appreciative eyebrow shoots up. He’s dressed in worn boots, a pair of jeans, and a white t-shirt. The casual clothes make him look like the type of guy Mom warned us to stay away from.
“I’m a freshman at NYU… studying nursing,” she tells him, her cheeks a little too flushed.
“Totally different field from JJ,” he mentions. “Eighteen?”
Lindsay nods, and it’s clear she’s already taken with him. I can’t blame her. The man’s good looks will have any female with working hormones drooling over him.
I take hold of Lindsay’s arm and lightly tug her to my side. O’Brien doesn’t miss a damn thing as his eyes go to where I’m holding onto my sister before meeting mine. “Ready?”