“Impressive,” she whispered, not looking amused.
Looking into him and wanting to be kissed.
He pushed forward and touched his lips to hers.
She followed him a little when he pulled away, then quirkedher lips in surrender when she realized that was all she was going to get.
For now.
“So what do you know that brought you to that warehouse?”heasked.
It was then she realized they were out of the flirty banterand into the heavy, so she sighed, but didn’t hesitate sharing, “I have othersources.Kids, or not-so-much kids anymore, that I met from past stories.WhenJackson, the DPD guy, held out on me, I moved down the list to them and toldthem what I wanted.They were good kids who got disenfranchised, they liked me,thought I was cool, and fortunately as time passed, they didn’t quit doingthat.So they poked around a bit and gave me some leads.The other stuff Ichecked out and it led to dead ends.I’m assuming, since you were there, thatwhat I was about to look into tonight wasn’t a dead end.”
“Full disclosure, I was into you when your sister texted meyour picture, and stayed into you even when you got off the plane in a badmood—”
“You’re being generous now, honey,” she whispered.“Itwasn’t just a bad mood.I was awful to you.”
He kept going like she didn’t talk and like hearing her callhim “honey” in that sweet voice of hers didn’t hit him warm in the gut.
“So tonight was part about me making a fucked-up assumptionand part that Vance had just warned me that if I got caught close to thatwarehouse, I’d disappear.So it was also part me pissed as shit you werebumbling around in a dangeroussitchthat might getyou hurt, or worse.”
She pushed up and asked, “Bumbling?”
He pushed up too and asked in return, “Did you know you wereonto something that might get you disappeared?”
She didn’t answer, though she did, since she took an annoyedsip of her beer.
“Right,” he muttered.
She rolled her eyes.
That meant it was his turn to grin.
“I want in on your talk with the cops tomorrow,” shedeclared.
He was about to slug back more beer, but that stopped him.
“Georgie, you’re out.I got this.”
There was a serious chill on her, “I’m sorry?”
Fuck.
“This shit is dangerous and there’s a dead man to prove it,”he pointed out.
“Well, I’m not asking to be a part of the takedown team whenthe cops go in and bust this black-market ring.I’m just saying I want to bethere when you talk to the cops.And I want to keep on what I’m doing.BecauseI have things to contribute and most of it might come to nothing.But some ofit might help Carlyle find some closure, if not peace.”
Goddamn it, he couldn’t argue that.
“Fine,” he said.
“Fine,” she snapped.
“I’m in on your shit too.”
Her expression softened in order to soften her words.“Dutch, you can’t come on my date-not-date with me.That’d definitely makeJackson clam up.”
“I get that, baby, but the other shit.The street kids.Whatever.”
