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How ironic that Jake had encouraged Eric to spend tiht the Miller fauru, and their two kids Jake believed Frankie would be a good influence on his troubled, grieving brother He had no idea that her dad had been a hacker, herin between

It’d broken her heart not to clue hi heavily on her mind So many secrets between them Too many

They sat down for dinner and Jake sliced the pot roast with quick efficiency

"How’s Eric doing?" she asked hio to graduate school or join the military He’s a smart kid and he works hard when he’s motivated When he’s not, he doesn’t apply hiot the same problem Lots of potential, too little drive I’m afraid he’s been a bad influence on your brother"

Jake slid a slice of pot roast off the end of the carving knife and onto her plate "Are you kidding? Before Frankie ca, Eric was in and out of trouble all the tied all that"

"Frankie just taught Eric to be shed at the skeptical look he shot her Like many cops, Jake couldn’t believe anyone could pull the wool over his eyes, especially not his own brother But there weren’t rifters like her parents, and both she and Frankie had learned their lessons well

He took a drink of his wine and asked, "So you’re passing through on a job? You still doing investigative work for insurance companies?"

"Most of the ti doels taken during a heist, including a valuable tiara set with pink dia take?"

"Approxiet for the recovery?"

"Five percent" She watched him do the math

"Jesus, Ana Up to twothis a while"

"Long enough I guess it pays to think like a criminal"

Jake looked down at his plate They ate quietly for a while, each of theood cook, sweetheart"

"Thank you" She s take-out all the ti someone to share home-cooked meals with is a lonely life" He took a bite and cheatching her thoughtfully "Is theher meat "Not the money, no"

"Were you that unhappy here?"

"Jake" Ana set her fork and knife down and s you don’t know aboutI don’t know about you, Anastasia And nothing you don’t know about et caught or not?" She knehat his ansould be already Jake had fully supported the local authorities when Eric had been caught co a crime Eric suffered the same punishments as anyone else in toould

"Of course"

"Well, then I’ood, honest cop like you can’t spend his life with a woman who skates the line and occasionally falls over it"

He picked up his wine and sat back then, studying her with those cool cop’s eyes "I have no idea what you’re talking about, but let me ask you this: What the hell do you expect me to do if you’re the only woman I’ll ever want? Be alone? You can’t be that cruel, Ana"

"And you can’t compromise your principles for me Eventually, it’ll ruin e have"

"What do we have? Two lonely, miserable lives? I’d love to fuckin’ ruin that" He took a drink and held her gaze over the riht at the fiery look in his eyes

"And by the way," he went on, "not a news flash that PI’s don’t toe the line Cops switch to private investigative work because they find the line confining I know that At the end of the day, you’re still doing the right thing"

"What if I told you that I don’t care if the perps get caught? I just want the take In fact, there are times when I’ve deliberately not pulled on a thread because I aluts it took to et aith it, if they do" She sat back "I ht now slip away, Jake, after I get the gems What do you think about that? Think you can slide into bed at night with a woaze narrowed "Ana--"

"It doesn’t rabbed their plates "I decided years ago that it’s a question you’re never going to have to answer"