clients too. Reliable. Liked my work. As if it’s not enough that I’m going to miss that interview.”
“Any electronics other than the laptop you took to my place?”
“I have a second, an old one I use for entertainment.” She pushed into her bedroom, and sure enough, “Gone.” She’d left it on her bed by the pillows, opting to take her tablet to Evan’s for amusement. “They won’t get much from it, though. Just a half a dozen James Deen videos and a browser history full of Reddit.”
“James Deen?”
She rolled her eyes. “Trust you to get stuck on the part about the porn star.”
“I’m more stuck on the fact that you’ve only saved half a dozen. That man’s done thousands.”
She laughed, half from his unexpected joke and half as a release of this god-awful tension when he holstered his pistol. It was a silent reiteration of his all clear .
“Who needs more than a few? With a dick like his and the way he fucks…” She let her words trail off, intentionally baiting Evan.
“I’ve warned you about that language.” His voice was menacing. It was a growl that promised lots and withheld more.
“And yet nothing’s happened to correct it. Huh.”
Jesus, what was wrong with her? Her apartment had been broken into, but she was flirting . More than flirting. She was begging for trouble. For punishment. Practically gagging for it.
Maybe that was the answer. If Evan punished her, she wouldn’t need to think about the scary stuff, about how completely out of control this situation was becoming. She shivered, a whole-body thing that took her by the neck and shook her like a rag doll.
Someone had broken into her apartment. Into her bedroom. Into this room . He’d taken what he’d wanted and left, but that was no guarantee of safety.
Evan. He was her guarantee.
“Now what?”
He looked at her dead-on. His expression was fierce, as if he could see all the way through her to her fears and her hopes and her wishes. “Was there anything in this apartment that would in any way violate the security of CFA or another critical operation? Don’t give details, just yes or no.”
She was somewhat humiliated that he’d have to ask, but damn, she had opened herself to that suspicion. Heat delved down the front of her throat. “No. Nothing.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded. “I looked in places I wasn’t supposed to, yeah, but I never took anything. I’ve never written it down. I haven’t breathed a word to anyone, not even my best friends Wendy and Marianne.” She stepped closer, so that she could look up at his eyes and make sure he believed her. “I’d never intentionally put you or anyone else in danger.”
“Then it’s a damn shame we seem to have put you in danger.”
“Why would they want my laptop?”
“If they broke Laurie and know your father’s identity now, there are a number of reasons. Maybe they think you’re CFA too, or have access to our information. More likely is they want the ordinary details of your life, including credit cards and other ways to track you.” He cracked a knuckle. “You’re valuable property, Kat. For bribery, blackmail, bait. Whatever. That laptop is a potential goldmine for anyone who’s looking.”
He cut off any further questions by instructing her to pack another bag, this one from scratch since they wouldn’t be returning to his house. Considering the break-in, he couldn’t take the risk that someone was already watching them. If the intruders had found Katsu, they could find Evan too with a little more persistence. It was time to go underground.
Kat worked more neatly this time, but fast enough that they were out within ten minutes. “I grabbed next month’s pack of birth control, but I’ll have to buy my toiletries all over again. Shampoo and stuff like that.”
“Doesn’t matter. Easily replaced.” Those short, clipped phrases were the words of a man in action mode. His features looked hawklike, with his nose tighter and
“Any electronics other than the laptop you took to my place?”
“I have a second, an old one I use for entertainment.” She pushed into her bedroom, and sure enough, “Gone.” She’d left it on her bed by the pillows, opting to take her tablet to Evan’s for amusement. “They won’t get much from it, though. Just a half a dozen James Deen videos and a browser history full of Reddit.”
“James Deen?”
She rolled her eyes. “Trust you to get stuck on the part about the porn star.”
“I’m more stuck on the fact that you’ve only saved half a dozen. That man’s done thousands.”
She laughed, half from his unexpected joke and half as a release of this god-awful tension when he holstered his pistol. It was a silent reiteration of his all clear .
“Who needs more than a few? With a dick like his and the way he fucks…” She let her words trail off, intentionally baiting Evan.
“I’ve warned you about that language.” His voice was menacing. It was a growl that promised lots and withheld more.
“And yet nothing’s happened to correct it. Huh.”
Jesus, what was wrong with her? Her apartment had been broken into, but she was flirting . More than flirting. She was begging for trouble. For punishment. Practically gagging for it.
Maybe that was the answer. If Evan punished her, she wouldn’t need to think about the scary stuff, about how completely out of control this situation was becoming. She shivered, a whole-body thing that took her by the neck and shook her like a rag doll.
Someone had broken into her apartment. Into her bedroom. Into this room . He’d taken what he’d wanted and left, but that was no guarantee of safety.
Evan. He was her guarantee.
“Now what?”
He looked at her dead-on. His expression was fierce, as if he could see all the way through her to her fears and her hopes and her wishes. “Was there anything in this apartment that would in any way violate the security of CFA or another critical operation? Don’t give details, just yes or no.”
She was somewhat humiliated that he’d have to ask, but damn, she had opened herself to that suspicion. Heat delved down the front of her throat. “No. Nothing.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded. “I looked in places I wasn’t supposed to, yeah, but I never took anything. I’ve never written it down. I haven’t breathed a word to anyone, not even my best friends Wendy and Marianne.” She stepped closer, so that she could look up at his eyes and make sure he believed her. “I’d never intentionally put you or anyone else in danger.”
“Then it’s a damn shame we seem to have put you in danger.”
“Why would they want my laptop?”
“If they broke Laurie and know your father’s identity now, there are a number of reasons. Maybe they think you’re CFA too, or have access to our information. More likely is they want the ordinary details of your life, including credit cards and other ways to track you.” He cracked a knuckle. “You’re valuable property, Kat. For bribery, blackmail, bait. Whatever. That laptop is a potential goldmine for anyone who’s looking.”
He cut off any further questions by instructing her to pack another bag, this one from scratch since they wouldn’t be returning to his house. Considering the break-in, he couldn’t take the risk that someone was already watching them. If the intruders had found Katsu, they could find Evan too with a little more persistence. It was time to go underground.
Kat worked more neatly this time, but fast enough that they were out within ten minutes. “I grabbed next month’s pack of birth control, but I’ll have to buy my toiletries all over again. Shampoo and stuff like that.”
“Doesn’t matter. Easily replaced.” Those short, clipped phrases were the words of a man in action mode. His features looked hawklike, with his nose tighter and
Similar Books
