The Art Of Deception, Book Two, Stolen Hearts series, Romantic Suspense by Kate Kelly Page A

her shoulder. “Someone’s setting us up?”
    “It’s one possibility." He stuck the key in the ignition and turned the motor on. “I need directions on how to get to Raphael’s. You have the key to his apartment, right?”
    He acted so calm, as if dealing with this kind of vicious corruption was an everyday occurrence for him. Why would someone choose to work at a job that brought him face to face with the worst society had to offer?
    “If someone is trying to set you and Raphael up, they know what they’re doing. Seatbelt, Sophie." He put the truck in first and pulled out of the parking spot.
    Her hands shook as she clicked her seatbelt on. “I don’t understand. What do you mean, they know what they’re doing?”
    “I never met a family with more secrets than yours. Do you three ever talk to each other?”
    “Of course we do." She squirmed in her seat, dipped her nose inside the collar of Gage’s coat and took a deep breath. “Raphael lives on Hester Street.”
    “I know. It’s the apartment number I can’t remember.”
    “Raphael has been away a lot lately, so maybe we don’t talk as much as we used to,” she continued, thinking out loud more than explaining her family’s relationships to Gage.
    “And Mother is...." She shrugged. “Raphael is better with her than I am. But we don’t hide things from each other, for heaven’s sake.”
    Gage raised his eyebrows. “Who’s your father?”
    “Not fair." She slid further down into the folds of his coat.
    “Okay. Raphael’s been traveling a lot lately. Where does he go? What’s he do when he gets there?”
    “I don’t know.”
    He flicked on the turn signal and pulled into the middle lane. “I do."
    “You do?”
    “Yeah. I also know about the trust funds your father set up for you and Raphael.”
    “No way. We promised each other we’d--”
    “What?” Gage bit the word off. “That you’d keep it secret?”
    “The trust funds are different.”
    “Different from what?”
    She plowed a hand through her hair and tried to keep her voice at a reasonable level. “You’re deliberately trying to confuse me.”
    “Am I?” He shot her a look before making a left turn at the intersection. “Which building is Raphael’s?”
    “The brick one on the right.”
    Well, that took care of one of her worries. Sophie stared straight ahead as Gage maneuvered the truck into a tight parking spot. No way could she ever fall in love with a bully.
    Before she could open the truck door to escape, Gage caught her wrist and wrapped his long fingers around it. “Raphael’s in serious trouble, Sophie.”
    He raised his other hand and awkwardly patted one side of her head as if he were smoothing her hair down. Her racing heart gentled under his touch.
    “If that tin in your refrigerator really did contain an illegal substance and another law enforcement officer had discovered it, you’d be in jail, too. And then there’s the threatening notes you received." He cupped her face with both hands, one thumb rubbing the soft spot just under her ear lobe.
    “Things are not looking good, buttercup. If you have any more secrets tucked away, now’s the time to tell me. I don’t want anything else coming at me from left field if I can avoid it."
    Sophie clenched her jaw to keep herself from turning her face into his wide, calloused hand and pressing her mouth against his palm. It occurred to her it was possible she could be more than a little in love with Gage. Especially right this minute, when she wanted nothing more than to crawl into his arms and stay there forever. Was that left field enough for him?
    “I hate it when you call me buttercup." Her voice scraped out of her parched throat.
    “Liar.”
    She tried to duck her head, but he held her chin firmly in his hand.
    “Come on, Sophie. I went out on a limb not writing up your suspicions about the drugs in your refrigerator. If you’re holding out on me, it could screw both of us up.”
    She tried not to