bed.
"Miss Maddox, this is Special Agent Jason Ames," the nurse said, a speculative gleam in her dark eyes. "He'd like to speak with you, if that's okay?"
"You work with Tristan?" Lillian asked Agent Ames.
"I do."
Jen rose from the bed to reclaim her seat on the doctor's stool.
Agent Ames stood quietly, waiting for Lillian to make up her mind on whether she wanted to speak with him. She took the opportunity to look him over, her traitorous mind picking out the differences between him and Tristan instantly. Like Tristan, Agent Ames was gorgeous with his chiseled jaw, sharp cheekbones, and muscular frame, but Tristan radiated confidence and danger, an almost feline and feral grace.
Agent Ames looked as if he could be just as dangerous, but the vibe he gave off was different than the protective, alpha-male vibe that swirled around Tristan. Lillian knew for a fact that emotion and instinct guided Tristan. Agent Ames, on the other hand, seemed like the kind of guy capable of setting feelings aside in favor of cold, hard logic. He was a hard-ass, and was completely comfortable with that fact.
What did he want with her?
"I'll talk to him," she decided, and then waited for the nurse to leave the room. When the door closed behind her, Lillian crossed her arms over her chest, watching Ames. "What do you want, Agent Ames?"
"Please call me Jason." He stepped a little further into the small examination room and then leaned against the wall. "I'd like to extend an apology to you for Agent Riley's behavior tonight."
Seriously?
"I'm sure he's very sorry." Lillian rolled her eyes, irritated all over again. "He had to send someone else to apologize. That just reeks of sincerity, don't you think?"
Jen snickered and then slapped her hand over her mouth, coughing.
"I can assure you, Miss Maddox," Jason said, his posture stiffening, "Agent Riley would issue an apology himself if he could. As his superior and friend, he asked me to come in his stead."
"If he could?" Lillian arched a brow, scoffing. "I find it hard to believe he's physically incapable of coming to make his own damn apology considering he kicked in my door three hours ago."
Jason's facial expression didn't change, but Lillian noticed the way his pupils dilated. For the briefest of moments, guilt flickered in his green eyes.
Realization dawned.
"You wouldn't let him come," she said, resting on the lumpy hospital pillow again. "Why?"
Jason cleared his throat, his expression hardening. "As I'm sure you're aware, I'm not able to discuss an open investigation with you."
So Tristan was investigating Teplo.
Lillian should have left it alone, but she knew as well as Jason did that whatever kept Tristan from making his apology in person had nothing to do with the investigation and everything to do with him being a coward. That wasn't Jason's fault, but he was here and Tristan wasn't. And unless she missed her guess, she'd only warranted a visit from anyone because they'd figured out who she was, or because they'd realized she was the daughter of a former cop. Knowing that didn't improve her mood, which meant she wasn't going to leave it alone. Not tonight.
"I assume you've informed Tristan that, contrary to his glowing opinion of me, I'm not the Vetrov family's whore?" she asked, glaring daggers at Jason Ames. "Or is there still some question as to whether or not I sell myself for them?"
Jason actually flinched this time. "He's fully aware of who you are, Miss Maddox."
Sometimes, she hated being right. "Ah, so now that he knows who my father is, he's decided I'm not a good distraction but a heartless bitch ?" she asked, tossing Tristan's last words to her out there. "I'm so glad my dad was able to clear that up for him."
The uncomfortable look on Jason's face only served to enrage her further. She wasn't stupid. Tristan had used her. Probably from the minute he'd approached her, he'd used her to cover his own tracks. If he'd looked like another partier, no one would
"Miss Maddox, this is Special Agent Jason Ames," the nurse said, a speculative gleam in her dark eyes. "He'd like to speak with you, if that's okay?"
"You work with Tristan?" Lillian asked Agent Ames.
"I do."
Jen rose from the bed to reclaim her seat on the doctor's stool.
Agent Ames stood quietly, waiting for Lillian to make up her mind on whether she wanted to speak with him. She took the opportunity to look him over, her traitorous mind picking out the differences between him and Tristan instantly. Like Tristan, Agent Ames was gorgeous with his chiseled jaw, sharp cheekbones, and muscular frame, but Tristan radiated confidence and danger, an almost feline and feral grace.
Agent Ames looked as if he could be just as dangerous, but the vibe he gave off was different than the protective, alpha-male vibe that swirled around Tristan. Lillian knew for a fact that emotion and instinct guided Tristan. Agent Ames, on the other hand, seemed like the kind of guy capable of setting feelings aside in favor of cold, hard logic. He was a hard-ass, and was completely comfortable with that fact.
What did he want with her?
"I'll talk to him," she decided, and then waited for the nurse to leave the room. When the door closed behind her, Lillian crossed her arms over her chest, watching Ames. "What do you want, Agent Ames?"
"Please call me Jason." He stepped a little further into the small examination room and then leaned against the wall. "I'd like to extend an apology to you for Agent Riley's behavior tonight."
Seriously?
"I'm sure he's very sorry." Lillian rolled her eyes, irritated all over again. "He had to send someone else to apologize. That just reeks of sincerity, don't you think?"
Jen snickered and then slapped her hand over her mouth, coughing.
"I can assure you, Miss Maddox," Jason said, his posture stiffening, "Agent Riley would issue an apology himself if he could. As his superior and friend, he asked me to come in his stead."
"If he could?" Lillian arched a brow, scoffing. "I find it hard to believe he's physically incapable of coming to make his own damn apology considering he kicked in my door three hours ago."
Jason's facial expression didn't change, but Lillian noticed the way his pupils dilated. For the briefest of moments, guilt flickered in his green eyes.
Realization dawned.
"You wouldn't let him come," she said, resting on the lumpy hospital pillow again. "Why?"
Jason cleared his throat, his expression hardening. "As I'm sure you're aware, I'm not able to discuss an open investigation with you."
So Tristan was investigating Teplo.
Lillian should have left it alone, but she knew as well as Jason did that whatever kept Tristan from making his apology in person had nothing to do with the investigation and everything to do with him being a coward. That wasn't Jason's fault, but he was here and Tristan wasn't. And unless she missed her guess, she'd only warranted a visit from anyone because they'd figured out who she was, or because they'd realized she was the daughter of a former cop. Knowing that didn't improve her mood, which meant she wasn't going to leave it alone. Not tonight.
"I assume you've informed Tristan that, contrary to his glowing opinion of me, I'm not the Vetrov family's whore?" she asked, glaring daggers at Jason Ames. "Or is there still some question as to whether or not I sell myself for them?"
Jason actually flinched this time. "He's fully aware of who you are, Miss Maddox."
Sometimes, she hated being right. "Ah, so now that he knows who my father is, he's decided I'm not a good distraction but a heartless bitch ?" she asked, tossing Tristan's last words to her out there. "I'm so glad my dad was able to clear that up for him."
The uncomfortable look on Jason's face only served to enrage her further. She wasn't stupid. Tristan had used her. Probably from the minute he'd approached her, he'd used her to cover his own tracks. If he'd looked like another partier, no one would
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