going to make things…difficult for you.” She shrugged but didn’t drop his gaze. “I like you, Mal. I guess you probably figured that one out on your own. And I’m hoping we’re still on for this weekend.”
Their date. Where he was going to get her to divulge all her secrets and implicate herself in his partner’s death.
He forced a smile. “Of course we’re still on.”
“Okay.” She looked so sweetly relieved, he started to sweat. “Good.” She turned to sit at her desk. “I’ll pick you up at your apartment around one. So, how are you coming on Bennett’s case?”
He thought about his answer for a second too long and her gaze turned speculative. He agreed with Grace on this one. He didn’t want Bennett anywhere near Janey. But Janey would be furious if she found out.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’ve got a couple of leads. Thought I’d follow up on them this afternoon. Talk to you later.”
Then he got the hell out of Dodge.
***
Janey watched Mal leave, staring at the door he closed quietly behind him.
He was hiding something.
Sitting back in her chair, she leaned her head against the back and stared at the ceiling. All that white helped to block out other distractions. Of course, it didn’t calm the lust that sizzled and popped along her nerve endings. And that sensation made it almost impossible for her to think rationally.
What, exactly, was he hiding?
Time to find out.
Her fingers flew over the keyboard, finessing, digging. She was an excellent hacker, the reason the NSA had targeted her before she’d graduated from high school. Her parents, brothers and even Luke relied on her ability to navigate cyberspace. It was the one skill that was completely hers, not a pale reflection of her parents’ or brothers’.
Mal’s NSA files were carefully protected, but there were other ways, other avenues. She thought she’d been as thorough as she could before they’d hired him. Obviously, she hadn’t dug deep enough.
Staring at the hacked file on her screen, she couldn’t stop shaking her head. How the hell had she missed this the first time around?
Maybe because her parents had assured her they’d done their own investigation, which had made sense at the time. And maybe her parents already knew that, although his official records listed him as a code cracker, he’d been a field agent, working jobs that had all been classified. Like the one where his partner had been killed.
Easy to see how he’d gotten burned out after that.
Still, why the nerdy exterior here? Was that the real Mal? Or was the hard-ass from this afternoon the real deal?
She glanced at the clock. It was close to six and she should be on her way to her parents’.
At least once a month, the family gathered for dinner at her parents’ and, since everyone was in the state, tonight was the night. Including Annie, which would make for some interesting sparks with Nic.
At least Annie couldn’t hound Janey about Mal anymore. She’d taken the plunge and asked him out on a date.
And she really hoped she hadn’t made a huge mistake.
Chapter Seven
What do you take to dinner with the hosts whose daughter you’re investigating for illegal activities?
Wine was out. The DeMarco family owned a vineyard in Italy. Anything he bought would pale in comparison, not to mention the fact that he didn’t know good wine from cheap grape juice. He was more of a beer connoisseur. Give him a decent microbrew, and he was happy.
Flowers for Grace? Yeah, that would work. Grace seemed like the type who liked flowers. Orchids, maybe. Nothing as common as roses or daisies.
Should he take Frank something?
That might be pushing it.
Would Janey be glad to see him?
Oh, son, you’re finally heading over the waterfall. Without a barrel.
And that should scare the shit out of him.
So why the hell couldn’t he wait to get there?
Shaking his head, he grabbed a pair of khakis from the
Their date. Where he was going to get her to divulge all her secrets and implicate herself in his partner’s death.
He forced a smile. “Of course we’re still on.”
“Okay.” She looked so sweetly relieved, he started to sweat. “Good.” She turned to sit at her desk. “I’ll pick you up at your apartment around one. So, how are you coming on Bennett’s case?”
He thought about his answer for a second too long and her gaze turned speculative. He agreed with Grace on this one. He didn’t want Bennett anywhere near Janey. But Janey would be furious if she found out.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’ve got a couple of leads. Thought I’d follow up on them this afternoon. Talk to you later.”
Then he got the hell out of Dodge.
***
Janey watched Mal leave, staring at the door he closed quietly behind him.
He was hiding something.
Sitting back in her chair, she leaned her head against the back and stared at the ceiling. All that white helped to block out other distractions. Of course, it didn’t calm the lust that sizzled and popped along her nerve endings. And that sensation made it almost impossible for her to think rationally.
What, exactly, was he hiding?
Time to find out.
Her fingers flew over the keyboard, finessing, digging. She was an excellent hacker, the reason the NSA had targeted her before she’d graduated from high school. Her parents, brothers and even Luke relied on her ability to navigate cyberspace. It was the one skill that was completely hers, not a pale reflection of her parents’ or brothers’.
Mal’s NSA files were carefully protected, but there were other ways, other avenues. She thought she’d been as thorough as she could before they’d hired him. Obviously, she hadn’t dug deep enough.
Staring at the hacked file on her screen, she couldn’t stop shaking her head. How the hell had she missed this the first time around?
Maybe because her parents had assured her they’d done their own investigation, which had made sense at the time. And maybe her parents already knew that, although his official records listed him as a code cracker, he’d been a field agent, working jobs that had all been classified. Like the one where his partner had been killed.
Easy to see how he’d gotten burned out after that.
Still, why the nerdy exterior here? Was that the real Mal? Or was the hard-ass from this afternoon the real deal?
She glanced at the clock. It was close to six and she should be on her way to her parents’.
At least once a month, the family gathered for dinner at her parents’ and, since everyone was in the state, tonight was the night. Including Annie, which would make for some interesting sparks with Nic.
At least Annie couldn’t hound Janey about Mal anymore. She’d taken the plunge and asked him out on a date.
And she really hoped she hadn’t made a huge mistake.
Chapter Seven
What do you take to dinner with the hosts whose daughter you’re investigating for illegal activities?
Wine was out. The DeMarco family owned a vineyard in Italy. Anything he bought would pale in comparison, not to mention the fact that he didn’t know good wine from cheap grape juice. He was more of a beer connoisseur. Give him a decent microbrew, and he was happy.
Flowers for Grace? Yeah, that would work. Grace seemed like the type who liked flowers. Orchids, maybe. Nothing as common as roses or daisies.
Should he take Frank something?
That might be pushing it.
Would Janey be glad to see him?
Oh, son, you’re finally heading over the waterfall. Without a barrel.
And that should scare the shit out of him.
So why the hell couldn’t he wait to get there?
Shaking his head, he grabbed a pair of khakis from the
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