“I don’t think you can help being a distraction any more than I can help thinking about you.”

“I understand now why you said being friends would be a bad idea.”

Thomas nodded. “I said that three weeks ago, Liis. The situation has changed.”

“Not really.”

“We’re more than friends now, and you know it.”

I looked over at the picture of Thomas and Camille and pointed to it. “She is what scares me, and she is what won’t go away.”

Thomas walked over to the picture and set it down on its face. “It’s just a picture.”

The words I wanted to say caught in my throat.

He took a step toward me.

I pushed away from the doorjamb, holding a hand out. “We have a job to do. Let’s focus on that.”

He couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Good night.”

Chapter Fourteen

THOMAS TOSSED A THICK STACK OF PAPERS onto my desk, his jaw dancing under his skin. He paced back and forth, breathing through his nose.

“What is this?”

“Read it,” he growled.

Just as I opened the file folder, Val rushed in, stopping abruptly between the door and Thomas. “I just heard the news.”

I frowned and skimmed over the words. “The Office of the Inspector General?” I said, looking up.

“Shit,” Val said. “Shit.”

The report was titled A Review of the FBI’s Handling and Oversight of Agent Aristotle Grove.

I looked up at Thomas. “What did you do?”

Val closed the door and approached my desk. “Grove is downstairs. Will they arrest him today?”

“It’s likely,” Thomas said, still fuming.

“I thought you took care of this,” I said, closing the file and pushing it forward.

“Took care of it?” Thomas said, his eyebrows shooting toward his hairline.

I leaned forward, keeping my voice low. “I told you Grove was feeding you bad intel. You sat on it too long.”

“I was compiling evidence against him. That was part of the reason I brought you here. Val was in on it, too.”

I looked to my friend, who stared at the file as if it were on fire.

She was biting her lip. “I didn’t have to speak Japanese to know he was full of shit,” she said. “Wait—are you the language specialist he brought in on this?”

I nodded.

Thomas pointed at her. “That’s confidential, Taber.”

Val nodded, but she seemed uncomfortable that she hadn’t sniffed that one out.

Sawyer blew in, straightening his tie just as the door closed behind him. “I came as soon as I heard. What can I do?” he asked.

Val shrugged. “What you do best.”

Sawyer seemed disappointed. “Seriously? Again? He is my least favorite target. You know if we took a black light Grove’s bedroom room, every inch would be glowing.”

Val covered her mouth, disgusted.