Killer daddy, p.12
Killer Daddy, page 12
“The group I belong to pays us, but the missions we are given aim to improve the world. We help rid it of the corrupt. Correct wrongs. Return that which was stolen to the rightful owner.”
“Sounds to me like you’re vigilantes.”
Her lips pursed. “In a sense, I guess we are, except many of our missions are condoned and paid for by governments.”
“And what is your current mission?”
She paused and glanced at her phone again. Mother said she could trust him. Said to work with him. Since when did KM partner with other agencies? Then again, she’d been with them only a year. It could be this type of thing happened all the time.
“I am supposed to locate, and if possible retrieve, a stolen piece of art.”
“All this subterfuge over art?” Declan snorted.
“You laugh but, apparently, the piece in question has the potential to cause widespread issues given its controversial nature.” Religious etchings—and their interpretation—had been known to start wars.
“You think one of my clients has it.”
“I believe,” she corrected, “that one of your clients was last to see it. The artifact had a tracking device that we were able to follow until it was disabled.”
“If you know where it is, then why not send the cops in after it?”
“Did you miss the part about it being controversial? The client doesn’t wish for anyone to see it. Would in fact prefer if it was destroyed before it was made public.”
“Seems kind of extreme.”
“I’m sure you’ve had missions that you thought odd but accomplished anyhow.”
“Yeah. I have. Which I guess is your way of telling me to shut up. So, let’s get down to business. I’m guessing since you spilled your guts that your boss told you to cooperate with me.”
“Mother said I could trust you.”
“Mother is—”
“The name of my handler.”
Declan snickered. “And what’s your code name? Baby?”
“Actually, it’s Frenemy Mom.” She held her chin up high. “And I wouldn’t laugh.” She held up her phone to show the text she’d received about him, detailing the specialties he’d mentioned plus his code name. “Sagittarius. How original given your last name of Hood.”
“I am pretty accurate with a bow, too.”
“Which I’m sure comes in real handy.” She rolled her eyes.
“I’ll have you know shooting arrows takes skill.”
“And it’s so practical,” she mocked. “Because no one remarks on a grown man walking around carrying a great big bow and a quiver of arrows. Do you wear green tights, too?”
Some men might have snapped at her mockery; he laughed. “Do I look like the altruistic type to you?”
“Don’t try and pretend you’re some badass killer now. I’ve seen you with Harper.”
“She’s a cute kid.”
“The best.” Speaking of whom, Harper rubbed her eyes. Naptime had arrived.
Before Audrey could grab her daughter, Declan had Harper on his shoulder. He bounced her as he walked; the man who’d treated the baby like a live grenade only days before now putting her to sleep like a pro.
The sight of them created warmth inside Audrey, and a longing. A longing for a life where she had a partner to be a father to her child, a husband to stand by her side, and a lover to hold her at night.
A lovely fantasy that would never be a reality. Given her lifestyle, what kind of man could she get involved with? She could never tell her secrets. And what if she had to flee in the middle of the night? What then?
I wouldn’t have that problem with Declan. For one, he understood what it meant to live a double life. She wouldn’t have to hide from him.
What am I thinking? She barely knew the guy, and what she thought she knew wasn’t even the real him. The reality was even better.
Sexy.
Strong.
Capable.
Distracting.
She had a mission to do, and now she had the means to do it. Turning her back on the man who made her heart ache for something more, she peeked at the laptop. The entire screen was covered in folders, each one labeled with a last name and address, including that of her target
“You’ve been watching Suarez?” The information trail she’d followed, sparse as it was, had the object being delivered to Suarez.
Declan, having laid the baby in the playpen he’d brought from his loft, moved closer. “Trying too, but he’s cagey and hard to pin down. Is he the guy you’re interested in?”
“Yes.” She didn’t elaborate. “Have you been inside his place?”
“I have.”
“Can you get me in?”
“Not easily. But that might change.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because the condo we’re in? It’s in the same building.”
She whirled in her seat to find him behind her, still standing, which put her face at the level of his groin.
The groin was covered, yet for some reason, it instantly brought to mind that morning. In bed. With him rubbing against her.
The more she stared without speaking, the more the fabric only inches from her face swelled.
“Um, Edith.”
“Audrey.”
“Audrey, we should probably be working on the case.”
“We should,” she agreed. Yet she didn’t move. He did, dropping to his haunches, bringing his face in line with hers.
“It’s probably not a good idea for us to get involved.”
“You’re right. It’s not.” She whirled. “As you’ve learned, I have a terrible track record when it comes to that.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
She opened the file rather than look at him. “It’s true. I let Mendez fool me into thinking the FBI had him pegged all wrong. I let him seduce me.” The wine he’d plied her with had helped. “I let him feed me all kinds of false information that compromised the investigation. I won’t let it happen again.”
Declan slammed the lid to the laptop shut, almost catching her fingers. She shot him a glare.
“I think I gave the wrong impression. You’re attractive.”
A comment that warmed except it came with a huge “but” attached. “But we’re co-workers, and fraternizing isn’t allowed.”
“It’s not encouraged, perhaps, but given that my boss fell for his partner, Harry is lenient about it happening so long as both parties are mature about it.”
“Afraid you can’t handle sex in a mature manner?” She baited him. The sting of rejection choosing her words.
“It’s not the sex that’s the problem. It’s the mushy shit after. You deserve something more than just a casual hook-up.”
She blinked. “Are you saying I shouldn’t get laid because I should wait for Mr. Right?”
“Exactly.”
The fact that he didn’t think he was Mr. Right wasn’t what bothered her, it was how he ignored the fact that she had needs. Why shouldn’t her needs be fulfilled? “You do realize that in this day and age, women are sexually liberated creatures fully capable of deciding who they’ll sleep with and when. Not only that, if a woman, or I, choose to screw a guy, once, on a whim because it feels good, then I’m allowed. I don’t need your permission.”
“I never said you did.”
“You just did.”
“I only meant—”
“I know what you meant. You think if we have sex I’m going to turn into some clingy thing that you’ll have to remove. For your information, I don’t cling. And secondly, what makes you think I even want to sleep with you?” She did but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t make him squirm.
“Er, well—”
She stood from the chair so that she faced him. “If I wanted to have sex with you”—she grabbed the fabric of his shirt and yanked him close—“I would, and it wouldn’t even be hard. All I’d have to do is kiss you.” She brought her mouth close. “Kiss you like I did in bed this morning. And you’d fuck me.” She used the dirty word on purpose, and he shivered.
His hand cupped her waist, his mouth moved in close, and he almost managed a kiss.
Almost.
She shoved him away. “Good thing I agree we shouldn’t get involved, though. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got some research to do.”
Chapter Sixteen
Mind?
Why should Declan mind the fact that she’d roused his hopes, hardened his dick, then punctured any optimism he had?
And the worst part?
He’d done it to himself. Hearing her story, he’d felt himself softening towards her. This woman with the dual personality was both fighter and damsel in distress all rolled into one, which made her sexier than hell. Even when she spat the angry parts of her story, he’d seen the vulnerability. Wanted to hunt down the bastards who’d dared to harm her and do bad things to them.
When he told her she deserved better than a one-night stand, it wasn’t because he wanted to protect her. If he were honest, he was more worried about himself.
He was supposed to work with her, and yet he couldn’t stop thinking of that morning. How she’d felt under him. How her lips tasted.
He was the one obsessed. The one who didn’t call his boss when he found out the truth. The one who hid her away rather than turn her in.
Not that it mattered. Someone had ratted him out. Harry had called and rocked his world with the words, “She’s an operative for a rival agency.”
Which he’d scoffed at until Harry texted him over the file. A file he’d skimmed that made him see her in a new light.
Then came the words, “I want you to help her.”
He knew Harry meant with her mission, yet his heart wanted to do so many other things. Give her a home once he found out hers was gone. Give her protection because someone wanted to do her harm. Give her his body because he was sure she’d make better use of it than science.
“If you’re done mooning over the fact you’ll never have me, get over here so I can ask you some questions about your client.”
He frowned. “I was not mooning.”
“Good. Because that would be pathetic.”
Was she intentionally being a bitch? He eyed her doing her best to ignore him and almost smiled. Why yes, yes she was being intentionally disagreeable. And he could only think of one reason why.
He sat down at the table beside her, then scooched his chair closer. Close enough that his thigh rubbed hers. She never glanced at him, but she couldn’t hide the hitch of her breath.
“What do you want to know about Suarez?” Declan asked.
“Everything. The file I received from my handler was thin.”
“Thin because he didn’t really exist other than on paper until about a year ago.”
She frowned. “You noticed that, too. No images. No public appearances.”
“He’s got a meticulous paper trail, though. Name on business charters, bank accounts, homes, even records of the schools he attended.”
“But the online yearbook has no image. Just a blank spot,” she observed. “No known girlfriends or family either.”
“Do you know what he looks like?” Declan asked.
“Do you?”
“He’s my client. We’ve met in person. I even have an image. Want to see?”
She whirled in her seat. “Yes.”
It took Declan only a moment to pull up his file of Suarez images. Not very many, but enough to give her an idea of his appearance—and see if she recognized him.
Flipping the phone around first, he showed her. “This is Suarez.”
Leaning forward, she studied the image. Shook her head. He swiped to show her a different one, and she shook negatively again. “Never seen him.”
“Were you conducting surveillance on him?”
“Not hardcore. Given I need to care for Harper, I’ve only been able to stake out his place sporadically. Which is probably a good thing. If I skulked around too much, I’d get noticed. Suarez chose a good location to hide.”
Her observation coincided with his when he’d first seen the condominium, towering amidst a green oasis. On one side, a park with only a few straggling trees. The older versions had succumbed to some kind of beetle, which meant few places to hide on the east side. A financial institution filled the building on the west side and, given the sums of money sometimes flowing through, had a crazy number of cameras watching outside for suspicious activity or loitering. Cameras, he might add, he’d had his buddy hack into in the hopes of catching Suarez doing something. The man moved like a ghost. Which was funny given that, in person, he was anything but silent.
The other side of the building was comprised of a six-lane road and a movie theatre that wasn’t tall enough to properly allow a peek inside Suarez’s condo or avoid being seen on the rooftop.
The fourth and final side consisted of a bike path meandering alongside a river. A condo this price needed a view, and a water one fetched a premium.
“The security on this place is tight,” Declan admitted. “It’s one of the reasons I chose to bring us here.”
“It looks like someone lives here.”
“Fully furnished rental. Very popular with the business guys who need a crash pad for a few weeks or months but prefer something outside a hotel.”
“Won’t your client be pissed that we’re staying here.”
“We’ve got permission. Your situation provided a great excuse.” He didn’t explain that he got permission after the fact. At the time, he just needed a secure location.
Her lips pursed. “An excuse to whom? Who did you tell about me?”
He could see the unspoken words, how badly am I compromised. “I might have mentioned your fake nanny status to a few people.”
“What?” she yelled.
“Don’t worry. They were people I could trust. As to those I couldn’t be sure of, I gave them a great story.” He leaned back in the seat, and his grin turned lazy and a bit naughty. Because he knew she wouldn’t like what he announced. “Told them my hot new nanny was having ex-boyfriend issues and since my daughter took so well to her, I offered my help.”
Audrey blinked, her lashes long and dark, without any need for mascara. She possessed a natural beauty that didn’t require any help.
“You, of course, realize everyone you’ve spoken to will think we’re sleeping together.”
“Yeah.”
She slugged him. Unexpectedly—and quite hard, too—in the gut. She then leaned close and hissed, “Not funny, asshole. The last thing I want is for Mother to think I’m neglecting my mission for a man.”
Declan crossed his arms and arched a brow. “Exactly why would anyone assume us having sex makes you incompetent? Or is this your way of saying you think it would be so good you’d be mentally out of it. Because if that’s the case, then I am truly flattered.”
Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she sputtered, “You’re unbelievable.”
“Yes.”
“Conceited.”
His smile stretched wider. “With good reason.”
“We need to keep this professional.”
“I am. You’re the one who turned a perfectly good cover story into us having a tawdry affair. We are two agents, pros. Or at least, I am. Surely, the people you work with are smart enough to know you will do your job.”
“Speaking of job”—she turned back to the laptop—“let’s talk about the Suarez condo. More specifically, the layout of his place. Possible entry points that aren’t his front door. Air vents. Maintenance conduits. Something along those lines would be good. A request at City Hall only gave me the basics. I wanted the builder’s blueprint, but they didn’t have one.”
He intentionally brushed his hand over hers as he moved the cursor on the screen. “No blueprints because the city apparently lost them, and the builder didn’t keep his copies.”
“Odd coincidence.”
“We both know that was intentional.” He pulled up the listing, a more in-depth one than was available publicly. A property of that type of wealth had no need to be displayed online. It would see the right type of clients by appointment only.
She scanned the information. “Technically, Suarez doesn’t own it. Files show a company bought the place almost a decade ago. It’s been mostly vacant. Yet now you have that Suarez fellow trying to sell it.”
“He’s acting on behalf of the company, of which he is a majority silent owner.”
“Why is he selling? Seems like a good investment to keep.”
“It is. All reports indicate he’s flush with cash. He has no need to sell.”
“Must be nice to have that kind of dough,” she mumbled.
“Does your agency pay you well for jobs?”
She spared him a glance. “I’d do it for nothing to thank them for saving me. Without KM, I’d be working minimum wage, struggling to make ends meet. Or dead in a ditch.”
The reference didn’t sit well. “While guilty of many crimes, the notes I read said Mendez was never suspected of violence.”
She sighed. “Those reports are a sham. He has a dark side.”
“And you still slept with him?”
“I didn’t know about the dark side until after. He can be very charming.”
“Charming?” He gaped at Audrey. “You were undercover, investigating him for embezzlement and fraud.”
“White-collar stuff. And he was suspected. Not convicted at the time. Ever heard of presumed innocent? He had me fooled. You don’t understand. He was a nice guy. Always pulled out my chair. Complimented me. Used to kiss my hand to say hello.”
For some reason, the wry fondness ignited a burst of irritation. How could she have fallen for such smarmy tactics? “You got played.”
Her lips twisted. “I know. Trust me, I know. Played by the best, which is why I felt triply stupid afterwards. I should have seen it coming a mile away. But at least one good thing came out of it.” She cast a fond smile over at Harper, who awake from her nap, now played in her saucer. She used her feet to twirl the seat, her head back, grinning.
“Do you miss him?” He couldn’t have said why he asked. Morbid curiosity. Why should he care if she mooned after another man?
