Dead No More by L. R. Nicolello Page A

HIS WATCH . He imagined Lily would be furious if he showed up before his ten-minute warning. Walking across the street would take him all of fifteen seconds. So he settled in and went back to surveying her building.
    When the cab had pulled up in front of Lily’s building and she’d stepped out, Derek damn near had a heart attack. Four hours after they’d headed out to meet Rowland, and she still sizzled in that shimmering black gown. He’d worked with some gorgeous women in the past, but Lily surpassed them all. She radiated class and beauty. A deadly combination.
    Peering through his binoculars, he frowned. Everything about her screamed that she was on edge—her staccato steps, the subtle glances over her shoulder, the beeline to the door.
    Why? Did something go wrong with Rowland? He scanned the street. It was empty, except for the two of them.
    Lily threw another look behind her, then walked through the front doors and out of his line of sight.
    Derek looked out his window and studied the penthouse. She’d drawn the sheer curtains across the wall of windows. He could see her soft silhouette. Not the best protection from prying eyes, but good enough.
    Focus, Moretti.
    Derek rubbed his hands over his face. That was the problem, though, wasn’t it? He couldn’t get his focus
off
her. He checked his watched. Again.
Screw the ten minutes.
He got out of the car and made his way toward Lily.
    * * *
    L ILY SWUNG OPEN the door before he knocked. It was a pattern she’d established since their first rendezvous.
Pattern?
He grinned down at her. Her hair was up in a sloppy bun, and she’d slipped into her uniform of black yoga pants and black tank top.
    “It hasn’t been ten minutes.”
    “Who’s keeping track?”
    Rolling her eyes, she stepped back. “Did we really have to do this tonight? I’m exhausted.”
    Dakota barked and bounded toward the door, skidding to a halt in front of Derek. He knelt and ruffled the soft hair behind Dakota’s ears. “That’s exactly why. We need every detail to be perfect.”
    “I wouldn’t have forgotten anything.” She shut the door behind him. “This is ridiculous.”
    He couldn’t argue with that. Why was he acting like a freaking teenager? Lily walked by Derek and he caught the soft scent of jasmine.
She’s why.
Ridiculous or not, he was here. But he needed to keep his distance. If he so much as touched her, all bets were off.
    “When do you meet with Rowland again?”
    “Monday night.” She sank onto the sofa. Dakota jumped up and curled around her.
    Whistling, Derek plopped down in the chair opposite her. “Nice work.”
    “Did you expect anything less?” She folded her leg under her and threw him a smirk.
    “From you? Not really.”
    “So...” Lily fidgeted and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
“I think I might drop by his office on Monday afternoon.”
    “You sure that’s the best move?”
That
was definitely not what he expected, nor what he’d do. “It might be a bit aggressive.”
    “I showed up at a conservative black-tie ball in
that
gown.” She shot him a look. “No thanks to you.”
    Derek choked back a laugh. Now was not the time to push any of her buttons. No matter how much he would enjoy it. “It got the job done, didn’t it?”
    Fire flashed in her eyes. “I didn’t need the help, thank you very much, but yes, it did. So, while dropping in on him is a bit aggressive, I think he might expect it.”
    “It’s risky.”
    “So was bringing me on.”
    “Touché.” He laughed and tipped his head toward Lily. “So a drop-in tomorrow it is. Then let’s go over the key players again.”
    She let her head fall back against the back of the sofa and groaned. “Derek.”
    “It’s happening. Do you have anything stronger than water?”
    He wasn’t about to let her walk into the lion’s den without
him
being completely confident that she was ready. If that meant he’d be here all night, so be it. A primal urge to protect her ripped