Chapter 32: Chapter 32

She let out a breath and then blurted out her declaration without allowing herself any time to reconsider. When we were back at the docks, I wished for Randy's death.

Jerome remained motionless and gave the impression of being at a loss for words. "And you blamed me for making you feel that way," you said at the end of the sentence.

"Yes," she mumbled, her chest becoming increasingly constricted. "How did you know?"

"First you looked at me in that way, and then you couldn't look at me in that way."

She mumbled, "I'm sorry," as she felt a stray tear form in the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry." She had never shed a tear, and she had no intention of starting now.

"Anna, that was a human being. An innate drive or urge to endure."

Even though he was only a foot away, he seemed emotionally extremely far away despite the fact that he was so physically close. "I know. Because I was terrified of relapsing into the person I was in those days, I've spent a lot of time attempting to make up for lost time.

"And I scared you," she said. I tread a line that you would rather not tread. You suppose I'll end up changing it, right? Make you like me." His jaw moved in a flexed position. "I get what you mean." The words had a sour taste to them, a sharp edge that cut.

Anna sprang to her feet in a hurry. “No. That's not how it works at all.

"Yes, Anna," I replied. He dithered, the muscles in his jaw tensing. "We are both aware of the boundaries that exist between us. We simply stopped bringing them up in conversation. I don't care what people think of me; I'm not a heartless murderer. If I were, Pedro wouldn't be sitting in jail awaiting trial. But am I willing to take a life to save others? Will I come to a conclusion that you might not believe aligns with your core values? Yes.”

How did things get to this point in the conversation? "You don't strike me as the murderous kind!" She moved closer to him, intent on making things right once and for all.

She came to a halt when he held out his hand in a stopping gesture. He said, "You're going to go back to your perfectly planned life, free of evil influences like myself." I am the one who got you involved in this mess with Randy, and I am the one who will get you out of it. I'll get you your life back. I give you my word that..."

He grabbed the bags and then reached for the door, yanking it open before she could answer and tell him that what she truly wanted was...him. He opened the door before she could tell him that she wanted him.

The majority of the trip to Austin was spent with Jerome in a sour mood, acutely conscious of her every action and every sound. He was driven completely insane by her yearning, his rage, and his frustration. with...an additional component. Something that he did not wish to contemplate further. However, he was unable to reject the fact that he had feelings for Anna, nor was he able to deny how inappropriate he was for her.

He was not the kind of man who adhered to a predetermined system of guidelines in his daily life. In order for Anna to live, she had to establish control, which meant establishing rules. He had not the slightest doubt that she was miserable in that environment, but it made no difference to him either way. He would not live his life as the man who caused her to doubt who she was. His entire life had been filled with peril and gloom, and despite the fact that he had decided to leave the agency, it was unlikely that he would ever change. It was inevitable that he would get into some sort of problems given his history.

Anna was experiencing some distress at the moment, but she knew that she would get over it once she got her life in order. He was well-versed in all of the psych workups. People developed strong feelings of affection for people who guarded them and on whom they could rely. Right now, she would find a way to rationalize the things about him that were not quite right for her society, but later...later, she would see more clearly what was wrong with her world and how it related to him. There was no justification for making either of them struggle with this situation. He had no choice but to get down to business and return to the point from which everything had originated and concluded. It was the appropriate action to do. Right. The question is, why did his intestines have knots as big as Texas?

He gave a street sign a quick glance and determined that they were around one mile away from their destination. After a moment of stillness, he broke it by looking at her from an angle. He stated the information in a matter-of-fact manner, "A team of agents will be ready for our arrival." They have heightened security personnel positioned across the entirety of the top floor of the Four Seasons Hotel. They continue to have no evidence against Randy. He has disappeared.

"Are you planning on being there? Not only this particular FBI team?"

The fact that she sounded hopeful exacerbated the knots that were already there in his stomach. "When I told you that I would help you get through this situation, I meant it 100 percent."

She took a deep breath in and then let it out, her response being icy. "Agent Sandro, I have the highest faith in your competence," the supervisor said.

Oh wow, he really detested that. Even though he knew it was inappropriate, he reached out his hand and whispered, "Anna." I won't go anywhere; you can count on my continued presence in your life. I have no plans to relocate."

She chose not to look at him at all. “Okay.”

You are one filthy son. He was at a loss for what to do in this situation. He intended to soothe and calm her. In all honesty, he desired to have her in his bed. But he was also aware of what was in her best interest and knew that she would thank him in the future for doing this. The question then is, why wasn't this easy?

He quickly grabbed the phone and dialed the front desk, giving the driver of the car instructions to enter the hotel by the side entrance. They were escorted to a private elevator in a matter of minutes after being ushered to a different area. Jerome reached out and gripped Anna's arm, wishing that he could bring her closer to him but settled for simply maintaining his hold on her. They needed to maintain their appearances now, and they had a jury to appease. In addition to that, he was concerned about her safety, and he had no one but himself in mind to guard her. He was following her closely at all times.

She didn't look at him when she was standing next to him and looked up at the flashing show of passing floors, but he could feel her relax and sense the relief she felt at his proximity to her. In the event that he did nothing else for Anna, he ensured that she was protected. At least that accomplished something.

As they entered the hall and made their way to the end of the long corridor, his hand remained steady on her arm the entire time. He didn't let her go until an agent opened the door to the suite they were going to call home while the trial was going on. He entered the room immediately following her.

Agent-in-Charge Phil waited in the middle of the cramped living area that was available. He had his hair trimmed and his outfit was neatly pressed; he had been in the military before.

He showed Jerome the proper amount of deference by nodding to him. "I'm glad to see that you came without any problems." He then turned his focus to Anna and extended his hand to shake with her. "Agent Phil."

During that brief exchange, Anna took his hand in hers. She thanked us for our assistance while we were out there and said "thank you." "How does all of this come together?"

"This house has a total of three bedrooms. I sat you on the seat that is to the left of the door. It's also prettier and more spacious. The papers you need to review were sent to you by your boss. They are on the dresser, where you can find them.

"Okay," she said. “Thanks.”

Phil continued, "We will want you to be in a controlled setting as much as possible, so only your immediate family and those associated to the case will be allowed to visit on a limited basis." I need a list of everyone who has a chance of being let in so that we may conduct background checks on them. They are not permitted entry if their name does not appear on that list. You'll always have three agents at your disposal, including Agent Sandro and the other two." His attention briefly shifted to Jerome. "After everything that went down with Jack, I don't blame him for being wary of everyone," she said. After that, he had a direct conversation with Jerome. We placed him under custody late last night. He has been requesting a conversation with you.

If hell were to freeze over tomorrow, it would be too soon.

"Did he explain the reason why he did it?" Nicola had a question.

"threatened his family," Phil continued, giving her a short look before continuing. "he threatened their safety." "However, we have established protocols to deal with issues of this nature. I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll find out it was more about the money.

She said, "Money is a powerful drug," and Jerome understood from the tone of her voice that she was reflecting on her history at the time. She had explained to him that her father's law practice was only interested in high-billing matters and did not care who they represented as clients. "Would you mind if I went back to my place to collect a few things?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to do that. I can make arrangements for a female agent to retrieve some items for you."

"Thank you." There was a brief pause. "Right now, it would be best for me to get started on those papers that Dean left behind."

The words "let me know if you need anything" were spoken by Phil.

She gave a slight nod but didn't reply, and she didn't even glance at Jerome the whole time. As she exited the room, it took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to follow her with his eyes as she walked out.

He centered his attention on Phil. "What's the holdup with getting Randy?"

"We're making an effort."

"That's not going to cut it. If we are unable to capture him, her safety will never be ensured. To demonstrate his argument, he will go and find her. That he may be able to approach someone whose safety I have been ensuring."

"That he can get to you, and everyone near you, like you did him," Phil answered properly. "That he can get to you like you did him."

He felt a twitch in a muscle in his jaw. “Yes. He won't kill me. Anyone who comes close to me will die. That indicates that she is in a genuine state of peril. Since I'm looking out for her, he'll probably try to murder her to show that he can.

"What happens if you turn your back on her?"