He wracked his brain.“Blitz-o-rama.”He was pretty sure he’d called his dog that at least once.They really did just tumble out when he was roughhousing with her, or honestly, any time.
Natalie chuckled.“You’re just making them up now.”
He put up his hands and gave her a blank expression.“I’m not.”
Shaking her head, she swiped up on the trackpad and sighed, scrunching her nose.“Harrison Wallace.”
He sat up straight.“The pharmaceutical fraud guy?”
She nodded.“The one responsible for thousands of deaths because his company faked the clinical trial data.”
Ford scrubbed a hand down his face.Fuck.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
NATALIE HAD ALMOST been disappointed that Ford chose to get dressed rather than ravish her on the nearby sofa, but—lucky her—he still looked distractingly handsome in a gray tee and jeans, his feet casually bare.
More than anything, his somehow sexy feet underscored the intimacy of their current situation, and her heart sent out a little gasp of desire.She shushed it immediately.Ford didn’t want her like that.She was a distraction, a bit of fun in a dismal time, a temporary partner in solving the puzzle.Nothing more.
And don’t forget it.
All of their playfulness in exchanging his ridiculous nicknames for her far-too-serious real ones had ended when she mentioned Harrison Wallace.
Ford sat up in his chair, and when she confirmed that she was talking about the asshole behind one of the most heinous failures of the clinical trial system in history—and dozens more dirty dealings the Night Herons had been unable to prove—Ford had looked sick.
“You know him?”she asked.
Ford let loose a long breath.“Not personally.But he’s a B&A client.”
She recoiled.Wallace was scum of the earth, far worse than even his fraudulent activity made plain.“Your company works for people like that?”
Ford grimaced.“Sometimes.Not everyone with the money to pay our fees is someone I like.”
“Seems to me you can choose who you do business with.”
He sighed, tapping his fingertips several times against the table.“Within the offices under my purview, I attempt to be discerning about our clientele, but I don’t control the entire company.My father makes decisions for US operations, and he doesn’t really care what I have to say about it.To his mind, anyone who can pay deserves protection.And sometimes those clients visit Europe and become my responsibility.”He shrugged.“That’s just how it works.”
“But that affects your reputation too.Why not disaffiliate and open yourownshop here?”
“I’d prefer not to alienate my family, thank you very much.Besides, it’s not that simple.Wallace isn’t the only one getting death threats.Would you deny his innocent children security?His wife?”His piercing gaze made her feel exposed.“Not everything is black and white in my world.I don’t think it is in yours either.”
Okay, he had her there.“Fair enough.”She gave him a coy smile that would fool no one.“Since you’re so comfortable operating in the gray zone… How would you feel about using your connections to Wallace to figure out if he’s linked to the man trying to track me down?”
“Shit.”Ford laughed lightly, shaking his head.“I should’ve seen that coming.”
Natalie closed her laptop.“You don’t have to decide now.”It was late, she wasn’t due to check in with Dallas for five more hours, and her eyes hurt.She wasn’t exactly an early riser, but she didn’t often stay up past midnight, even when in the best of health.As much as she could ignore the bullet wound in her shoulder for hours at a time, her body and mind were still trying to heal from the physical and mental trauma of the last month.
Luckily, Ford had recently received an update on Henri, who’d made it through surgery and was in stable condition.Alone, and probably lonely, but alive.Ford’s contact assured him the older man was safe for now, and expected to make a full recovery, thankfully.Nat had only known Henri for a few weeks, but the thought of losing him made it hard to breathe.
She barely resisted the urge to place her forehead on the table, butGod, she was sotired.Tired of running, tired of waiting, tired of wearing a heavy cloak of fear for herself and her loved ones.She no longer had the energy to push Ford.Verbally or otherwise.Nor did she want to use their physical relationship to sway him.
As a Night Heron, there was little she wouldn’t do to get the evidence she needed.But she drew the line at using her body as a bargaining chip, especially with this man.He deserved better.“Whatever you choose, it changes nothing between us.And I’ll still do everything in my power to help you bring down Deschamps.”
One of Ford’s dark eyebrows lifted.“You mean you won’t withhold sex even if I refuse to help you.”
A delicious shiver passed through her.“Exactly.”She tossed her head for drama, forgetting that her hair was short.“Maybe for other reasons, but not that one.”
He laughed, his handsome face transformed into something otherworldly.Damn, he was sexy.Even exhausted as she was, she wanted to jump him right there on the dining chair.
