“Well, at least you were right about one thing.” Manus gestured with his chin toward the SUV. It had pulled a uey and was headed back their way.
When the vehicle rolled to a stop beside the curb, tension crackled along Britt’s nerve endings like static on a dry day. Anticipation sharpened his senses when the engine shut off.
It was an understatement to say the little female agent was easy on the eyes. There was no mistaking the pert perfection of her nose, the generous proportions of her mouth, or the way she filled out her utilitarian pantsuit like a dream.
Add that to what seemed to be a razor-sharp mind and a charming sense of humor—he’d been so caught off guard by herStar Warsreference, he’d completely whiffed it—and it was safe to say he was intrigued by her.
Then there’d been the moment when he’dliterallyfelt sparks as they touched.
Seriously, is she wearing wool socks with those lug-soled duty shoes?
It didn’t seem likely in July. But it was the only explanation he could think of.
When the SUV’s front doors opened, he gulped down the last of his hot chocolate in hopes it would settle his jittery stomach.
I can disarm an assailant in two moves, fast-rope out of helicopters into enemy territory, and hump forty pounds of C4 through the desert without breaking a sweat. But put a smart, sexy blond in my path and I’m completely knocked off my game.
He blamed part of his edginess on his natural aversion to authority figures. From the first time the local five-oh had knocked on his front door looking for his brother to this moment right here where he worked for an off-the-books defense firm, having to deal with anyone whoworked forces—as the incomparable Rage Against the Machine once sang—made his asshole pucker.
Agent Douglas was the first to exit the vehicle and Britt noted the man’s perfect haircut and expensive suit. He was good at reading people, and he pegged Douglas for an arrogant sonofabitch who enjoyed the power and prestige of his position more than he enjoyed the actual job.
Then there was Agent O’Toole…Julia.As she rounded the front of the vehicle and stepped onto the curb, he noticed she looked a little worse for wear. Her blond ponytail had slipped down to the nape of her neck. There was a stain on her white button-down shirt.Coffee?And deep lines had carved themselves into the skin beside her mouth. Yet…
The keen, almost zealous light in her eyes told him shelovedbeing a fed. Loved it for the intellectual challenge of solving a mystery. Loved it for the satisfaction that came from putting the guilty behind bars. Loved it for the all the right reasons and none of the wrong ones.
If all authorities were like her, he’d probably be less likely to curl his lip in disgust anytime he saw a badge.
“You’re out late,” he observed blandly.
“We’re on a case.” Julia mirrored his expression. “What’s your excuse?”
He shrugged noncommittally. “Night owl.”
“Now why doesn’t that surprise me?”
Britt hooked his thumb in a belt loop. “Probably because not much does.” When she frowned, he clarified. “Surprise you, I mean. You strike me as the observant sort, not prone to being caught off guard.”
She feigned a put-upon sigh. “Blame it on being raised by blue-collar Southsiders. I thinkobservantgets stamped on our foreheads the minute we exit the birth canal. Well, that and the White Sox logo.”
Damnit.He liked her.
He didn’t want to, but he did.
“So what brings you here this time of night? Or…morning?”
She squinted toward the east where the sun would rise over the cerulean waters of Lake Michigan in a couple hours. “I’m tired. I’d like to say what I’ve come to say only once. And that’s going to require Miss Meadows’s presence. Can we come inside?”
Britt heard Manus grumble his disapproval. It was the man’s job to protect Black Knights Inc. and all its secrets. It stood to reason he didn’t much like the idea of the FBI breaching the sanctity of the walls.
Britt didn’t like it either. But making the agents stand on the curb while he ran upstairs to fetch Eliza would be even more suspicious than taking them inside and letting them get a gander at the setup.
“Follow me.” He waved and felt the moment Agent O’Toole fell into step behind him. Hesensedher in a way he couldn’t explain. It was as if the electricity he’d felt in the hospital had followed her here.
As if on cue, the hairs on his arms lifted. If the thunderstorm had still been raging overhead, he’d have blamed it on that. Instead, he had to admit the real culprit was the woman herself.
Does she moonlight as Ms. Marvel? Sheesh.
As they neared the door, Agent Douglas whistled. “You guys sure have a lot of security.”
