It was a ridiculous idea to bring a civilian on a federal case. So much potential for a career-ending mistake, but no amount of brainstorming brought Ryan to a better alternative. Felix was being pursued by wanted men, and if they suspected she went to the police, she would not survive long after she was found. Ryan had a fleeting thought of leaving her with his parents, but disregarded it immediately. His brainstorm kept returning to the same resolution. Felix playing co-pilot in his Impala.

Despite Fulton's insistence that Ryan stop by the precinct before five o'clock, Ryan knew if you didn't want to end up on your mom's shit list, you stayed for dinner when she invited you. His dad was reintroduced to Felix when he arrived home with the groceries, and ushered Ryan to the backyard to help with a sprinkler problem. During their inspection of a drain valve, his dad started his inquiry.

"So, Ryan, what's going on between you and Felicity? Your mother seems to think the girl has solved the magic equation to decoding your cynical heart."

"I don't have a cynical heart. Can't a guy be choosy?" Ryan knew the problem with the sprinkler was just a scheme to get him to talk about Felix. He blamed his mother completely.

"C'mon, Ryan. Your mom has been cleaning your place for two years. She knows you've been sampling from the menu, but so far, you haven't been satisfied with just one item. Felicity is the first girl you've brought to the house since you moved out. What gives?"

"She goes by Felix now, and she came to me under threat. She got sucked into a bad situation and she's trying to find a way out. I brought her here because she has cut ties with her family and I thought it might make her feel better."

"Are you telling me you don't have any feelings for her other than empathy?" His dad didn't give him an inch of wiggle room. A trait passed from father to son.

"Felix isn't the shy neighbor who used to avoid eye contact when we passed on the sidewalk. She's spunky and sarcastic, and she has a killer body. I really don't know what to make of her. She's covered in tattoos and rides a Harley, for fuck's sake. Just between you and me, I'd love to sample her, but she's not your typical cuisine. What she has to offer is definitely off-menu."

"Well, I remember Felicity before she was Felix, and I believe she has a lot more to offer than sarcasm and a hot body. I think you'd be a fool to pass up an opportunity to go off-menu. You may find you like it better."

While his dad offered fatherly wisdom, Ryan stared into the house through the sliding glass door. Felix stood in the kitchen helping his mom with dinner. She had changed back into her clothes, looking equally hot in jeans and a tee shirt as she did in a bikini. Her legs went on for days, and her tall stature put her at eye level with Ryan. Who wouldn't want a head-on view of those eyes?

Dinner went extremely well, better than Ryan imagined, and he hardly gave a thought to the load of paperwork waiting for him at the precinct. Felix endeared herself to his parents, discussing any subject they brought up and elaborating on it to their great relish. When he and Felix finally left the house, he found himself staring at her until she called him on it.

"Do I have food in my teeth, or it is something else?" she said.

"I just feel like I'm meeting you for the first time, like the Felix sitting next to me is a different person from Felicity, my neighbor who avoided me. Did I miss something? Was I the only person you avoided?"

Felix chuckled. "No, it wasn't just you. I was never overly social, but I had friends. You just didn't notice us. Your interests were a lot different than mine." The smirk she wore didn't bother Ryan. It was the truth. "I can also make the point that life-threatening events have a way of changing a person and prompting them to get tattooed and buy a Harley. And, for the record, I never should have avoided you."

She offered him a smile followed by a resigned shrug, and rather than leave it, Ryan's mouth decided he wasn't finished talking.

"Well, I regret never noticing you before. The way you looked in that bikini today. Christ."

"Thanks. You didn't look so bad yourself."

She nudged him, and he pretended he had meant to blurt out his thoughts. So, what was he supposed to do now? Normally, when he had a hot girl in his car, they would go back to his apartment and fuck each other's brains out. He definitely wanted to fuck Felix's brains out, but he didn't want to travel the same path he used for relationships that didn't last. He wanted a normal relationship with Felix, but how did normal relationships start? He should have known this would come up eventually.

"I'm going to drop you at my apartment," he said. "I've gotta swing by the precinct before we take off on this jaunt to Alabama. I know you said you were cool with it, but I don't want you to feel pressured to go. So, if you would rather talk to the police and request asylum, we can do that right now. Otherwise, I need to keep you close."

"I prefer the latter. It's nice being with a guy packing a gun who isn't threatening me with it."

"You shouldn't have to live like that. You and your amazing brain deserve much better."

She snorted as she turned her attention to the passenger window. "I wasn't using my amazing brain when I got mixed up with assholes."

"I think you were just naïve. You developed your street smarts late. At least you had enough sense to get out before you ended up on a slab."

Felix shivered, slipping her arms around her chest to hug herself. Ryan knew he wasn't on the short list to win any humanitarian awards, but he could be such an insensitive ass. Maybe that's why the women he dated never stayed longer than a weekend. In the parking garage, Felix apologized to her Harley for neglecting her then they walked to his apartment. Her phone buzzed with a text as Ryan opened the door, and she glared at the screen.

"Your boyfriend again?" Ryan knew the guy's name was Andy, but Felix hadn't specifically used it in front of him. He wished she would. He hated calling him her boyfriend.

"No. It's one of his asshole friends. I've been ignoring his texts, but each one gets a little more threatening."

"Do you mind if I read it?"

Felix sighed and slid the phone across the table as she dropped into a chair. "You might as well. I'll probably end up spilling my guts on the way to Alabama."

The first thing Ryan noticed was the name on the text—Carlos, and Carlos had a mouth on him.

Hey, puta. I know you are hiding out. You cannot escape us. We have eyes and ears everywhere. Even the cops can be bought.

Ryan slid the phone back, watching Felix's reaction. Was she worried he was a crooked cop? "Sounds like a nice guy. I can see why you've been avoiding his texts. Why doesn't he just call you?"

"He knows I won't answer. Carlos and I have a history."

Ryan's gut said Felix wouldn't have mentioned it if she wanted to keep it a secret. He took a risk and asked. "Can you tell me about your history with him?"

With a no-bullshit gaze, she locked him in her high beams. "He tried to get into my pants, so I kicked him in the balls."

"Good call. I hope he wasn't able to fuck for a month." Felix's brows rose, and Ryan bit back a curse. This one was meant for him. "That was uncalled for. I apologize."

"No apology necessary. I have it on good authority he was icing his balls for three days afterward. Why don't you get going. I'll start packing for our trip. I need to do a load of laundry. You said the laundry room was downstairs, right? Do you need me to throw some of your stuff in? I noticed a hamper in the bathroom."

"You don't have to do that. I've got plenty of clean clothes, but you can use my laundry soap." He opened the kitchen cabinet and set the bottle on the counter. Then he grabbed his spare key from the junk drawer and handed it to her. "Please, don't leave the building. Promise me."

Felix saluted him. "I promise, Agent Clark. Now go do your duty, and I'll have everything ready when you get home."

As Ryan locked the door behind him, he realized, with no small amount of surprise, that he was already looking forward to coming home to Felix.