"You should've let me do it." You said disapprovingly as you and Alejandro watched Kate and Reggie drive off, the two of you trailing not far behind.
"Te dije que no, if you keep bring it up you're only going to upset me," Alejandro said making you roll your eyes before focusing in on Reggie's car a few spaces in front of you.
"So you don't think I'd be better equipped to handle this situation? I mean at least I'd be going into it knowing I was bait." You told him noticing how he gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"Of course you would be, but this isn't about who can handle themselves better, it's about who makes better bait, someone who already has ties here in Tucson is better bait, case closed. Deja lo." He emphasized the last part harshly.
You sighed and threw yourself further into your seat as the two of you continued your drive in silence.
"They're turning." You said noting their location, a dive bar, great that'll make the task so much easier, you thought sarcastically.
"We'll drive up a bit further and turn back once we've given them enough time to get inside," Alejandro informed you, sounding a bit calmer now.
Alejandro parked quite a ways away from the entrance, but still close enough to see who came and went.
You quickly grew bored with staring at the door and turned to the desert scenery to try and spot something, anything that would rid you of that boredom.
You took note of a snake which was cautiously watching a lizard that had it's back turned to the predator. You wondered how exactly Diaz would go after Kate, and if she was like that lizard; blissfully unaware of what was about to happen to her.
"Why won't you let me get my hands dirty? You're putting Kate in an unnecessary risk, that's not like you. For as long I've worked with you I've noticed you're moves are always extremely calculated, especially when it comes to Diaz, so why do you refuse to let me go out on the field?" You asked looking at Alejandro, deciding that you wanted your answers more than you wanted to keep him calm.
You saw him take in a deep breath. " Why do you keep pushing this?" He turned to meet your gaze. "Why can't you just let it go?"
"Because this doesn't make sense, I'm the safe bet when it comes to Diaz, Kate's the unknown variable. The only reason Matt even brought her in is because we need her for this operation." Alejandro ran a hand through his salt and peppered hair.
"You want an honest answer?" He asked making direct eye contact.
"No, I want you to lie to me." You deadpanned making him smile slightly before his stoic expression returned.
"I care about you (y/n), more than I should, and more than what's appropriate for two people in our situation," Alejandro said reaching out and placing a hand on your cheek, his expression softening as he did so.
"And I care about you Alejandro, you know that, but I need to do my job. I'm not gonna stop you from going after Alarcon the least you can do is return the favor and stop trying to shield me from everything." You explained leaning over and placing a kiss on his cheek.
"The difference here is I was brought in to deal with Alarcon, you're not here to be bait, and I don't care how much you fight me on it I refuse to put you in harm's way, no matter how small the risk is." He placed a sweet, gentle kiss on your lips one that ended much too quickly in your opinion.
You made a move to kiss him again but his phone went off, you let out a sigh. "Who is it?" You asked glaring at the device in his hand.
"Your partner. Don't look too upset, we'll continue this later corazón" He teased before answering the phone. You could always count on Matt to ruin the mood.