Jeremy nodded.

"You know a Cecelia Caprice?"

He nodded again.

Denton's eyes narrowed to slits showing no patience. "Do you know where she is?"

"Depends. Why do you want to know?" Jeremy wasn't handing her over without finding out what the FBI wanted.

"That's none of your business."

Jeremy crossed his arms. "Then I can't be of any help."

"Maybe you'll be more helpful when we haul you downtown and book you for obstructing an investigation." Quincy glanced past Jeremy, searching.

Jeremy would go with them and make one call to Retter, BAD's lead agent, who would hopefully find a creative way to spring him. "Hopefully" because getting busted by law enforcement for BAD was part of Jeremy's job description in most missions. This was a bit outside the parameters, but he'd gladly do it to keep CeCe out of the picture until he could figure out what the h.e.l.l was going on.

Jeremy maintained a bored stance. "What investigation?"

"You're just begging to spend time in jail today, aren't you?" Denton threatened.

"I'm right here," CeCe said from behind Jeremy. "What do you want?"

Jeremy sighed. He had no doubt what the next words out of Denton's mouth would be and the agent didn't disappoint him.

"I'm with the FBI, Miss Caprice. We have a search warrant for your house."

"Why?" Jeremy asked since CeCe had gone rigid.

"Because she's a Canadian citizen and doesn't have a gun permit."

h.e.l.l, Jeremy had no choice. Besides he took the dive under the bus for everyone else, he might as well take it for CeCe. "She doesn't have a gun. I had the gun last night."

"But he didn't shoot it so is that a big deal?" she asked.

Denton smiled. "That's something we'll discuss downtown."

Jeremy turned to her. "Go home and wait until you hear from me."

"Actually," Denton interjected. "She's coming with us to answer questions about the man found in her house last night."

Six.

So this was what an interrogation room looked like? The movies got the blank off-white walls and sterile feel right.

CeCe took a deep breath and wished she hadn't. A lingering odor of despair and fear clung to everything in the room.

Or maybe the fear was all hers.

She continued to sit with her hands folded in front of her, glancing from time to time at the two-way gla.s.s.

When the door finally opened, in came Special Agent Al Denton, the wiry man with no personality. His dark suit was stereotypical of what she'd imagine FBI agents wore, but that was only a guess on her part. The FBI was a U.S. agency and her family had always been in Ontario, except Vinny who moved to D.C. after receiving his law degree several years back. But he swore his work here was all completely legal so she hoped this didn't create any problems for him.

How could it since she hadn't done anything wrong?

"Can I get you anything, Miss Caprice?" Denton's hair had been black at one time, but the short tufts were peppered with gray. Nicotine clung to his clothes, wafting through the room when he closed the door and leaned against it.

She shook her head. "No thanks. Why am I here when someone broke into my home?"

"What do you know about Sam the Man?"

She frowned, wondering where this was going. "Never heard of him."

"What about Dorvan or Starface?"

"Nope." Her family had always said less was more. She wanted to ask who these men were, but Vinny said never show an interest in anything. The minute he got back to Atlanta and found out about this he'd want her packed and moved to Ontario before the end of the week.

No more. She was getting through this and staying put. Jeremy hadn't said it in so many words, but she could tell he cared about her. More than as a friend or neighbor. She wasn't letting her family run off the man she wanted to see every morning she woke up.

"So you're claiming Dorvan was just breaking and entering?" Denton pressed.

"Is that the name of the guy who threatened to kill me in my living room last night?" She'd asked that in as sarcastic a voice as she could muster but clenched her hands together in her lap to hide her nervousness. She'd learned how to verbally fence with the best of them after listening to Vinny over the years. But Denton's insinuation that Dorvan might know her raised the hair along her arms. Was he suggesting that Dorvan might be more than a sicko who had entered her home only to attack her?

As if that wasn't terrifying enough.

"Yes, that was the man arrested." Denton stood away from the door and crossed his arms. "And you didn't have any photos or videotapes he wanted?"

Photos and videotapes? "What are you insinuating?" She sat forward in the chair, hands balled into fists. "That I do some kind of p.o.r.n work?"

Denton's eyebrows snapped down over a confused look, then he relaxed and shook his head. "Don't get cute with me."

"I'm not. What kind of photos?"

He studied her with a flat gaze before his mouth curved in a wry smile. "Okay, let's pretend you don't know. A memory card with photos and a video of two men talking, making a deal to join forces for a criminal... operation."

CeCe leaned back. Please don't let her family be connected to any of this. The DeMitris were no longer a major underworld operation since her brothers had started shifting into legal ventures years back, but dear old dad still had contacts and operated illegal gambling venues in Ontario.

She asked in a calmer voice, "Why do you think I have anything to do with this Dorvan character other than his breaking into my house?"

"Because of your consorting with a prior felon, for one reason."

"What? Who?" Her throat closed up. But she guessed where he was going with this.

"Your boyfriend, Jeremy Sunn." The federal agent lifted away from where he'd been leaning and took a step toward the table between them.

CeCe said silent thanks that Jeremy had shared his past with her. His honesty outweighed having a record as a teen and it was in that moment when he told her the truth that she realized how much she cared for him.

Her first thought upon waking up in his arms this morning was to rush home before Vinny came back.

But her second thought squelched that urge.

She was in love with Jeremy and she didn't love halfway. He'd stepped between her and danger last night. She'd protect him just as fiercely, even if it meant going up against her family she'd started explaining about this morning. As soon as she had a chance to talk to Vinny, CeCe intended to tell Jeremy everything. He deserved honesty too.

Giving the FBI agent what she hoped was a stony stare, CeCe said, "I know about Jeremy. He told me he boosted cars as a teenager and that he did his time. Don't turn him into some bad guy just because of that."

"Boosting cars?" Denton's eyebrows shot up. He belly laughed for a minute then stopped chuckling and stared at her. His eyebrows lowered in a sober glance. "You're serious?"

"Of course I am." Her stomach flipped over at the incredulous look in his eyes.

"Jeremy Sunn has a rap sheet as long as my leg." Denton was clearly not joking now.

"Jeremy has a record, like an adult criminal record?"

"h.e.l.l, yes. Not a secret since it's public record."

What? She couldn't catch her breath. Had Jeremy lied to her the same way her stepfather had lied to her mother when he omitted a few simple facts, such as that he ran illegal operations? Sure, her stepfather turned out to be a wonderful man who had adored her mother, but he still married her mother without telling her what he did for a living.

CeCe's mother had loved her stepfather but warned CeCe to not make the same mistake. She apologized for exposing a child to this life even if the DeMitri men had always taken good care of them. Her mother had made her promise to start fresh in a new place. Away from illegal operations.

I fell in love with a criminal? Pain squeezed her heart. CeCe wanted to pitch a screaming fit, but now was not the time. Pain squeezed her heart. CeCe wanted to pitch a screaming fit, but now was not the time.

She had to talk to Vinny and find out if he knew anything about all of this. For now, her brother's tutorials on law enforcement kicked in. "Are you charging me with anything?"

"Not yet."

"What about..." She had to consider the implication of asking about Jeremy.

Denton's gaze sharpened, but he said nothing, playing the silent bit, which was supposed to make her blather everything she knew. He had a long wait coming.

She shouldn't care what happened to Jeremy, but he wouldn't have been in this spot if she hadn't invited him over to dinner and he hadn't protected her. He'd stepped into danger without a second thought last night, which had made her wonder for just a moment if he'd had law enforcement experience.

Actually, he had. From the wrong side of the badge.

And, blast it all, she had to find out what they were going to do with Jeremy because she loved him and couldn't just turn off her feelings. He was the man she'd wanted to spend the rest of her life with up until a few minutes ago.

She'd deal with this new revelation once they got out of here. Jeremy had questions to answer.

"What about Jeremy?" she finally asked.

After a slow rise and fall of a deep breath, Denton answered her. "We're booking Sunn on felony possession of a firearm."

She stood up. "You can't do that. He didn't do anything wrong." Other than get involved with her and crush her dreams.

"Oh, yes, I can. This conviction could send him back to prison. And if we don't get that memory card with the photos, not even your stepfather and his sons in Canada will be safe from the underworld genocide planned by two powerful mob families, Miss Cecelia Caprice DeMitri."

JEREMY SLOUCHED IN the interrogation room's metal chair, giving the feds on the other side of the two-way mirror his usual don't-give-a-s.h.i.t expression. the interrogation room's metal chair, giving the feds on the other side of the two-way mirror his usual don't-give-a-s.h.i.t expression.

The feds had come after CeCe for the firearm permit when they knew Jeremy had been the one with the weapon. That had been an excuse to bring her down here until he admitted having the gun. Why bring her down once they got what they wanted?

Something didn't make sense, but Jeremy couldn't put his finger on it.

Denton had surprised him when he told Jeremy the guy who broke into CeCe's home was Dorvan, a bone breaker. That's when Jeremy realized he did did know Dorvan, an enforcer who had teamed up with Starface several years ago. know Dorvan, an enforcer who had teamed up with Starface several years ago. I'll keep that little discovery to myself I'll keep that little discovery to myself.

Starface and Jeremy had been in the same penitentiary four years back when Jeremy had gone undercover to find the person inside who was behind a string of witness deaths on the outside. He should have recognized Dorvan last night, but he'd seen the brute only once during the six weeks he'd spent locked up.

Why had Dorvan broken into CeCe's house?

Denton tried to feed Jeremy some c.r.a.p about CeCe knowing about photos on a memory card. What photos? Some pile of bulls.h.i.t Dorvan was shoveling at the FBI?

Jeremy had a bad feeling Dorvan was trying to pull him into this mess, but he couldn't figure out why. The feds were playing a game, acting as though CeCe had some secret ident.i.ty and was hiding information the FBI needed. That was c.r.a.p. She'd been living in Canada before she moved here. How could she possibly be involved in this mess? Dorvan had to be p.i.s.sed Jeremy had busted him and was trying to use Jeremy's prison record against him, claim some criminal a.s.sociation.

The FBI probably believed Dorvan and now they were trying to convince Jeremy that CeCe was involved to put pressure on him. But for what reason?

He refused to play their game. He stuck with what he knew, that CeCe worked for Double Take and practiced yoga at his gym.

Even if she was involved, which was impossible, Jeremy would never pa.s.s judgment without giving her a chance to explain first.

Too many people had done that to him over the years.

One of those who hadn't was the director of BAD, Joe Q. Public. The minute Jeremy landed in jail for this, Joe would have him moved to another facility and Retter would spring Jeremy during the transfer. As long as Joe and Retter believed he had only been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Plus, the rap sheet BAD had created over the past nine years was as much at fault as anything for sending him away.

Jeremy would give the feds enough to draw their attention away from CeCe to buy her time to get in touch with her brother.

He'd fall on the blade for her as an apology for what she hadn't known about him. Everyone he'd been arrested with had thrown him to the wolves at one time or another so he was used to being the scapegoat. He wouldn't blame her for turning her back on him and agreeing to anything that would get her out of here since he knew full well Special Agent Denton had told CeCe about his prison record by now.

That this trumped-up charge might land him back in prison.

But she'd give him a chance to explain, right?

He had more problems to deal with first. He thought he'd planned ahead for a worst-case scenario by keeping several text messages in his cell phone draft file. When he'd walked to the bedroom to get a shirt while the agents had waited in his living room, he'd sent a text to Blade to come down and bond him out as soon as he got booked to avoid contacting BAD.

That was before Denton made it clear Jeremy would have a better chance of winning the lottery than being turned loose. Once Jeremy could get a new message to Blade, he'd tell him to forget the bond, to pick up CeCe's fibergla.s.s base out of Jeremy's garage, repair it, and return the base to her.

The more he thought on it, CeCe probably wouldn't want to see his face again. The picture of her disgust would gut him worse than mere anger. He couldn't dwell on that right now with no idea what they were going to throw at him.

Denton entered, flipping the door wide with a bang. "You're free to go." He wasn't happy about it.

Jeremy sat up. "What?"

"Your hearing bad?"

"Who sprung me?"