Unseen (Will Trent / Atlanta Series)

good reason.
    Lena gave Will enough time to leave the building before she approached the interrogation room door. She listened carefully, but couldn’t hear anything. Denise had a quiet voice and Brock Patterson had the dulcet tones of an ancient nun. Lena pressed her palm to the door as an act of silent solidarity. So many times, Lena had been on the other side of that door. So many times, she’d known in her heart that no one was waiting on the other side.
    “Hey.”
    She spun around, surprised to find Jared behind her. The shock wore off quickly. “You dumbass. What are you doing up here? How did you—”
    He kissed her in a sloppy way that was meant to shut her up.
    Lena scowled as she pulled away. He was wearing blue sweatpants and a bright orange Auburn sweatshirt. His bandages were off. His hair stuck up like a duck’s ass in the back. The scalp had Frankenstein stitches that had already been documented on several Facebook pages.
    She asked, “How did you get here? You’re not supposed to be driving.”
    “Estefan picked me up to come see the new Harleys.”
    “Estefan,” she muttered. The two had half a brain between them. “You need to go home.”
    “So, take me home.” He wrapped his arms around her waist.
    “Jared.”
    “Take me home.” He grabbed her ass to get her going. Lena slapped away his hand. Cameras covered almost every angle of the building. She imagined the front desk sergeant was pressing
record
at this very moment.
    She said, “You should be at home asleep right now. You were in the hospital. You almost died.”
    “I’m not sleepy.”
    “Bullshit. You can barely keep your eyes open.”
    “I wish you couldn’t keep your mouth open.”
    She gave him a sharp look, but she took the hint. Lena had spent enough time with Nell to know the kind of wife she didn’t want to be. She was all for putting a man in his place, but Jared’s father was so neutered he probably sat down on the toilet to pee.
    Jared leaned on her as they made their way toward the front exit. “These bikes are gonna ride awesome, babe. There’s push buttons on the bags, they’ve all got the 103 power pack …”
    Lena tuned him out. She let Will’s revelation roll through her mind. Cayla Martin. Dr. Benedict’s office. No matter how hard Lena tried, she still couldn’t recall meeting the woman. She was just one of those faceless people who blended into the scenery.
    Jared didn’t remember her, either. At least he hadn’t commented the one time he’d watched the news with Lena. Cayla Martin’s face had come on-screen and he’d turned off the TV before the story could run.
    Unlike Lena, Jared didn’t seem interested in finding out why they’d been targeted. He was too focused on being happy that the shooters hadn’t succeeded. More likely, he thought it was Lena’s fault but didn’t want her to feel bad about it.
    Lena had no problem letting him live in blissful ignorance. Since Fred Zachary had made a plea deal, there would be no trial. There would be no testimony explaining why two men had been sent to kill Lena and Jared. There was no reason for Jared to ever find out that he’d been at the root of all this evil. As forgiving as he was of others, he did not easily forgive himself. Lena was much more accustomed to living with guilt.
    Not that she’d ever felt guilty for lying to her husband.
    They finally reached the front lobby. Jared stopped walking.
    He put his hand to the wall to help keep his balance. They both knew they were in a camera blind spot. Every cop in the building knew how to stay off film.
    Instead of doing something lewd, he told Lena, “You smell a little sweaty.”
    “Thanks a lot.” She punched him in the shoulder.
    He smiled sweetly. “Have your eyes always been brown?”
    “Have you always been an idiot?”
    He stopped smiling. The creases at the corners of his eyes didn’t completely go away. “I want to try again.”
    Lena felt her face flush. He didn’t have to tell her what he wanted to try again. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
    “Hell no.” He laughed. “That didn’t stop us the first time.”
    Lena couldn’t respond. She wasn’t sure how she felt, whether or not she was ready. Last time had been an accident. To do it on purpose seemed like tempting fate.
    “Lee.” Jared took her hand. He’d been doing that a lot lately. Lena kept waiting to feel annoyed, but mostly, she found herself appreciating the solid feel of his hand, the tight