Seduced by the Enemy (Blaze, 41) by Jamie Denton Page A

Steve had all the confirmation he needed that the security breach of a few weeks ago meant Romine was indeed getting closer to the truth.
    A long, drawn-out sigh filtered through the phone lines. “There’s no way for us to know, Steve. Not without finding solid evidence that will physically place them together. We’ve had her home in Arlington staked out since midnight, like you asked. There hasn’t been a sign of her there, either.”
    Steve bit back a string of vile curses. “We should fear the worst and assume they’re together.” How had this happened? He’d wanted Romine exposed, but he’d had a bad feeling since things had gotten out of control in Kansas. Romine had been careless then. He wouldn’t be so foolish this time around.
    â€œStart looking for a paper trail on the off chance she’s not with Romine.”
    â€œRight away. We’ll start checking out all of her acquaintances. Could help.”
    â€œHow long will it take to start tracing her?” Steve asked. His patience was wearing thin. Damn, he shouldn’t have to tell people this high up in the bureau how to do their bloody job.
    â€œThese things take time, Steve.” The thinly veiled patience of his contact slipped, as well.
    No wonder, Steve thought. They all had a lot to lose.
    â€œThere are proper channels and certain procedures—”
    Steve swung his feet to the floor. “What the hell kind of dog and pony show are you running up there?” he barked into the phone. “Screw channels and to hell with procedure. You have the authority. Use it. We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to set up Douglas because we know she’ll lead us to Romine, but we can’t very well track her if you can’t even scratch your ass without asking for directions.”
    â€œGive me six hours. I’ll have more to report by then.”
    â€œYou do it in three. And I want Douglas’s picture on every network newscast and in every newspaper from here to California.”
    He disconnected the call and tossed the cell phone on the desk. He’d come too far for one rogue agent with a score to settle to ruin all their plans. There were millions of dollars at risk, not to mention the careers of some very powerful people.
    He needed to exercise patience, a skill he’d cultivated and polished. Patience and care, especially when he was so very close to having everything he’d ever wanted. Romine would be found and silenced. Steve knew his opponent’s weaknesses, and taking advantage shouldn’t be the headache it’d been for the last three years.
    Still, he occasionally had his doubts. Romine had been running for a long time. They were never ableto get anything out of his sister, and now she was engaged to one of the bureau’s former agents, which made her even more untouchable. Kansas had been a disaster. They couldn’t afford any further mistakes. He couldn’t afford any further mistakes. Romine was a loose end that needed to be tied up. Now, before it was too late.
    They were in the middle of a deadly game of chess. All of the pieces were in place, and if he wasn’t careful, they’d all find themselves facing checkmate.
    Not all of his confidence fled, however. Steve had grown up a fighter, and if there was one thing he’d learned over the years, it was how to win. No matter what it took.
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    T HE RED DIGITS of the clock on the bedside table registered half past one. Peyton lifted her arms above her head and stretched, trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep. She’d feel more refreshed after a shower and pumping a good gallon of caffeine into her system.
    In about five more minutes.
    She snuggled back down under the covers and turned onto her side toward the middle of the bed. Running water from the bathroom shower gave her the slight reassurance that she wasn’t alone.
    She reached out and smoothed her hand over Jared’s