"Are you writing yourself a story here, Agent Reid?"
"Am I wrong?" she challenged.
"The rent was cheap, and I like the neighborhood."
Everything about him was frustrating—the way he deflected questions, the way he kept showing up in her investigation, the way her heart jumped every time she saw him. "Why all the secrecy, Mr. Malone?"
"There's no secrecy. You're trying to make me part of your case, but I'm not."
"You work for Dominic Ashford, who dates Samantha Barkley. You were in the café. You're in this whether or not you want to be. Did you see anyone in the café when you came inside, anyone you recognized, anyone that seemed out of place, who caught your eye?"
He stared back at her. "I saw you."
Goose bumps ran down her arms at his very direct reply. "You didn't even look at me," she countered.
"I did. And you were staring right back at me. I thought we had a moment."
"We did not have a moment," she said, even though she was staring at him now and couldn't seem to break his gaze. "Are you trying to be charming?"
His smile broadened. "Is it working?"
"No."
"Too bad. I did see you, Special Agent Kara Reid," he drawled, using her full name and title. "Although I had no idea you were FBI."
"And I had no idea you were CIA. Odd that we should both be there at that moment."
"You seemed determined to make it odd. As for the rest of your question, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I've actually been replaying the scene in my mind to make sure I wasn't forgetting something. Contrary to what you might think, I'm angry about what happened, not only to Samantha but to everyone else who was injured, both physically and emotionally."
"Then help me."
"How? You know more than I do. I have no idea what you want from me."
"I don't think you're telling me everything."
Before he could reply, Mrs. Kim returned with plates of dumplings, scallion pancakes, kung pao chicken, and fried rice. Far too much food for two people, just as Max had predicted. She set everything down, nodded with satisfaction, and left again.
The smell was incredible. Kara picked up her chopsticks, suddenly starving.
For several minutes, they just ate, and then Max said, "What's your story, Agent Reid? You seem to know more about me than I know about you."
"Barely," she retorted. "All I know is that you went to boarding school with Dominic Ashford, and you were or are a CIA agent."
"When did you join the FBI?"
"A year ago."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're a newbie then. And yet you seem in charge. That's impressive."
"I might have a short tenure with the FBI, but I was a police officer for eight years before changing careers."
"Here in New York?" he asked as he put another dumpling on his plate.
"Yes. I'm a native New Yorker, born in Queens."
"And do you come from a family of cops?"
"No. Firefighters. My dad, my uncle, and a couple of cousins."
