“Why do you say that?” he asked.
“Because I know guys like you. I’ve dated a few, in fact, and it always backfires.”
“You’re talking about your boss.”
“Not just him. I dated a DEA agent several years ago, too, and it also didn’t work out. So I’m a bit jaded.”
“Why?”
“Because.” She rolled her eyes. “Every guy I meet on this job is ultra-competitive. They see me as a challenge. A conquest. And then they talk about me to their friends, and I don’t need that crap. I have enough trouble getting people to take me seriously.”
“I’m not like that.”
“Right. You’re not competitive? You didn’t beat out, I don’t know, two hundred other guys in your BUD/S class who wanted to be SEALs but couldn’t hack it? And you didn’t beat out hundreds more SEALs for a spot on one of the most elite teams? Come on, Jake.”
“I mean I don’t treat women that way.”
“All right, whatever.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means I believe you.”
Didn’t sound like it, but he let it go for the moment.
“You’re right about one thing, though,” he said. “I am competitive. That part was spot-on. Which is why I accept your challenge.”
Her brow furrowed. “What challenge?”
“To prove to you that I’m not a player. I don’t treat women like conquests.”
She tipped her head to the side. “How do you plan to prove that?”
“I’ll take you to dinner. We can talk and get to know each other.” He held up his hands. “And I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
“You mean like a date,” she stated.
“A perfectly platonic friend date. How about tonight?”
She laughed. “I’m in the middle of a case. I’ll be working.”
“You have to eat, don’t you?”
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He watched Lexie as he dug the phone from his jeans. She looked conflicted again. She hadn’t agreed to a date, but at least he’d planted the seed.
He read the message from Lucas: ETA 2 min.
Turning around, Jake scanned the boardwalk until he spied his teammate among the joggers and Rollerbladers. Lucas was easy to spot. Despite his average height, he spent every spare minute working out and liked to show it off. He hadn’t bothered with a shirt today, and he seemed to be soaking up the female gazes as he jogged.
“Hey, you remember Lucas Ortiz?” Jake asked.
“No.”
“He’s a teammate. He was with us in Thailand when we rescued the ambassador. And in the Philippines when we went after the plane crash survivors.”
“I don’t think I ever formally met him. Why?”
“He’s meeting us here with Scout.”
Lexie’s eyebrows tipped up. “Who?”
“There they are now.”
She followed Jake’s gaze across the beach. Lucas had a leash in his hand and a golden retriever loping along beside him.
Lucas neared their table, and Jake got up to greet them. Scout jumped around excitedly as Jake crouched to rub her ears. Her hair was long and soft, and she smelled like she’d recently had a bath.
“You must be Alexa.” Lucas flashed her a smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Good to meet you.”
Lexie darted a look at Jake. “You, too.”
“And this is Scout.”
“Thanks for coming,” Jake said.
“No problem.” He looked at Lexie. “I hear you’re working another case?”
She glanced at Jake again. “Always.”
“You want to grab some breakfast?” Jake asked him.
“Nah, I’m good. Got a few more miles to go before I head back.” He glanced at Lexie and then looked at Jake. “You working all weekend?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you.” He handed Jake the leash, and Scout wagged her tail as she sniffed at Jake’s boots. “We did about a mile, so she should be pretty calm this morning. Make sure she gets plenty of water.”
“Aye aye.”
“See you at six.” He nodded at Lexie. “Nice to meet you finally.”
“Likewise.”
He looked at Jake. “Call me if you need me to come early. I’ll be at my brother’s.”
“Will do.”
Lucas jogged off, and Scout sat at Jake’s feet, thumping her tail against the ground.
Lexie turned to look at him. “So . . . you’re dog sitting?”
“Sort of. You done eating?”
“Yes.” She put her hand on her hip. “Why do I get the feeling you’ve got some scheme brewing?”
“No scheme.” Jake collected their trash and threw it away. “Just thought we’d swing by the house.”
He started walking, and Lexie fell in beside him. Scout quickly darted between them, as though she sensed a female competing for his attention.
“House, as in . . . ?”
“Scout’s a veteran. We took her on a bunch of missions with us.”
Scout looked up at Jake, tuned in to the fact that he was talking about her.
“She developed hip dysplasia a couple of years ago and had to retire. Lucas was her handler, so he got her placed with his brother here in town so he can see her whenever he visits. Want to take my truck?”
“Wait, hold up.”
Jake tugged the leash, and Scout halted. She looked from him to Lexie.
“Scout’s a working dog?” she asked.
“An explosive-detection canine. She’s a bomb dog.”
“And you want to take her to conduct a search of a suspect’s house?”
“I was thinking more of a drive-by. On foot, that is.”
She crossed her arms and stared up at him. She didn’t have a search warrant, and he could see the battle going on in her head. She didn’t want to break the rules. Or even bend them. But she had a strong hunch about this suspect, and she’d already stuck her neck out more than once by asking Jake to get involved.
“It’s not a bad idea,” she admitted.
“I know that.”
She looked down at Scout. Her tail wagged, and she seemed to sense an adventure in her future.
“We’ll take my truck so she doesn’t scratch your seats,” Jake said. “You can drive, though. Just drop us off and circle the block.”
“No, you can drive. I’m coming with you.”
The ex-girlfriend of their suspected terrorist lived in a small Spanish-style house with a red tile roof. It sat halfway down a street filled with other small Spanish-style houses, and each had its own unique decor. Or lack of decor. According to Lexie’s information, Courtney Stapleton had been renting the place for five years, and it didn’t look like her landlord did much in the way of maintenance. The once-white stucco needed painting. The window shutters were warped. And the small front lawn was a patch of yellow weeds.
According to their current intel—corroborated by six days of surveillance—Courtney lived by herself. She had two jobs, two cats, and a maroon Honda Civic that was registered in her name. She taught yoga at two different studios and spent much of her free time at home. She didn’t have visitors. Or at least, none that Lexie’s team had observed. And she didn’t go out much. Typically, on her way home from work, she swung by the grocery store or bought takeout at the noodle place around the corner, but that was about it.
Lexie tugged the brim of Jake’s Dodgers cap low over her face. She glanced at Jake, who was moving at a lazy stroll, completely unlike his usual gait. He’d put on a floppy fishing hat and some wraparound shades. In an oversize sweatshirt and worn sneakers, he looked like a sloppy tourist—nothing at all like a ripped Navy SEAL who could climb a fifty-foot rope or knock out a hundred push-ups without breaking a sweat.
“You’re good at disguises,” Lexie said.
“The key is not to get carried away.”
“You don’t want to attract attention.”
&
nbsp; “That’s right.” His pace slowed as they neared the house. According to Brian, who was on duty now, Courtney was currently at the Black Swan Yoga studio, where she was scheduled to teach three classes before noon.
“No cars in the garage,” Jake said.
Lexie glanced at the detached structure. It was only big enough for one vehicle, but Courtney usually parked her car in the driveway.
“How do you know what’s in there?” Lexie asked.
“I swung by here earlier.”
She drew back, startled. “When?”
“Around oh-three-hundred.”
“Why didn’t I see you?”
He flashed a grin. “Because I didn’t want to be seen.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I. I was careful.”
Lexie looked at the house. “So what’s your plan? I assume you have one if you went to the trouble to get Scout.”
“I’ll go up to the door, confirm no one’s home, and then take Scout around the property.”
“What if someone answers?”
He shrugged. “I’ll pretend I’m taking a survey. Or running a lawn business. Or looking for my lost cat.”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Jake.”
“I’ll wing it.”
She looked at the house again. “What if she has a front-door cam?”
“She doesn’t. I checked. What she does have is a loose board on the back fence.”
“She does?”
“Yeah, and it’s another reason we shouldn’t assume no one else is living there. The loose board leads to the neighbor’s driveway, so it’s possible someone could be coming and going without anyone noticing.”
“You’re saying she knows she’s under surveillance?”
“It’s possible,” he said. “If she’s involved in something criminal, she’s probably considered it. I mean, her ex-boyfriend’s linked to terrorists, so she has to think the feds might be watching her.”
Lexie studied the house in the distance. “I think your plan will work better if you and Scout go alone.”
“I know.”
“Okay, you do your thing, and meanwhile, I’ll check out the back door facing the driveway as well as the side yard.”
“Roger that.”
She glanced at her watch. “Let’s meet back at your truck in ten minutes.”
“Not a lot of time.”
“Ten minutes, Jake. I’m out on a limb already just being here at all.”
He smiled down at her. “You’re a risk-taker.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s a good trait.”
“Not if I blow my cover and botch the case.”
“Where’s your faith? Didn’t you just say I’m good at disguises?” He checked his watch. “I’ll meet you in ten minutes.”
He walked off with Scout trotting happily beside him. Lexie watched them go, then looked up and down the street. The nearest pedestrian was a block away, and she was jogging in the opposite direction.
Lexie walked into the shade of a jacaranda tree and took out her phone. As she pretended to check messages, she watched Jake from the corner of her eye. He walked up Courtney’s sidewalk and stepped under the portico.
Lexie scrolled through her phone and waited. Nerves tightened her stomach as one minute elapsed. Then two. She stepped out of the shade to look, but Jake had disappeared. No one was at Courtney’s door or on her sidewalk. Where the hell was he? If he’d picked the lock somehow, she’d absolutely kill him.
But he wouldn’t do that. He would not sneak into a suspect’s home. He must have slipped around the side of the house without being seen.
Her ten minutes were ticking by, so Lexie strolled to the house and sauntered up the driveway, hopefully not attracting the attention of any nosy neighbors.
A dense tangle of wisteria covered the entrance to the narrow side yard. Lexie squeezed past it and found herself on a cobblestone pathway where Courtney kept two trash cans, one for garbage and one for recycling. Lexie darted a look over her shoulder. The street was empty. She pulled a pair of latex gloves from her pocket and tugged them on. She lifted the lid on the first can, cringing as the stench hit her. The can was full, indicating that trash day was probably coming soon. Starting with the bag on top, Lexie untied the plastic knot and sifted through.
It was a hot, smelly task, and Lexie was sweating by the time she finished. She closed the lid, checked her watch, and tugged off the gloves. Stuffing them into her pocket, she stepped out of the narrow side yard and onto the driveway, relishing the fresh air. Several cars whisked by, but still no pedestrians, and she hoped she’d managed not to attract attention.
No sign of Jake.
But he didn’t sneak into the house. No way. He wouldn’t do that.
You’re a risk-taker. It’s a good trait.
Lexie scanned the street but saw no hint of Jake or Scout as she rounded the corner. She spied the white pickup down the block and stopped short. Jake was inside, with Scout perched on the console. How had they made it back ahead of her?
Lexie hurried to the truck and slid into the passenger side. Scout greeted her with a yelp.
“Where’d you go?” she asked.
“Checked out the perimeter.”
As soon as she had the door closed, Jake pulled away from the curb. He hung a right at the next street, avoiding Courtney’s house on the way out of the neighborhood.
“Any leads?” he asked.
“Maybe. What about you?”
“Nothing interesting.” He rested his hand on Scout’s back as she poked her head into the space between them. “Sit down, girl. Sit.”
Scout sat.
“She didn’t alert on anything. I tried all the doors, the back porch, the garage.”
“You sure you know what an alert looks like?”
Jake glanced at her. “She was on our team for four years. This dog’s a SEAL. She jumps out of airplanes with us.”
“I’m just asking. You said Lucas was her handler, so he probably knows her behavior better.”
“She didn’t alert, trust me. She did get a little excited about the driveway. But that could have been because of the dead lizard she found there.” He looked at Lexie. “What was the ‘maybe’ you came up with?”
“It could be nothing, but Courtney’s trash looks suspicious.”
“I heard you rooting around over there. How was it suspicious?”
“Well, she comes across as a health freak. She teaches yoga, shops at an organic grocery place, gets carryout at a vegan restaurant. I found a crumpled receipt for one of her meals.”
“Yeah? And?”
“And I also found a bag from Sonic and the remnants of a milkshake. That didn’t seem to fit my profile of her.”
“It doesn’t. Did you grab the bag?”
“No.”
He shot her a look. “Don’t you want to dust for prints? Maybe whoever ordered the food could be in the system.”
“I can’t just grab evidence without a warrant. It’s private property.”
“You really left it there?”
“Yes. But I can find out when trash day is. I could maybe come by again.”
He shook his head.
“What? If the trash is on a public street, it’s fair game. If I’m lucky, she’ll put her can out on the curb the night before, and I can go when it’s dark.”
She’d get Brian to help her. Nothing like a midnight trash run to build team morale.
Jake pulled into a metered space down the street from where Lexie had left her car. He parked and turned to look at her.
“What else?” he asked. “Any guy trash? Condom wrappers? Razors? Men’s deodorant?”
“No.”
He held her gaze, and silence filled the cab. Scout nudged Jake’s arm, and he scratched between her ears.
“I need to get into the office and follow up on some things,” Lexie said. “What about you?”
“I’ve got a meeting with Lance in a couple o
f hours. I’ll probably take Scout to the beach, catch a swim.”
She made a face. “That’s going to burn your cut.”
“Saltwater’s good for it.” He paused and watched her. “You know, I meant what I said earlier about dinner tonight.”
“You’re dog sitting.”
“That ends at six.”
She hesitated. “I’ll probably be working.”
“Take a break with me.”
Something in the way he said it made her nerves flutter. Or maybe it was the way he looked at her.
I like spending time with you.
She liked spending time with him, too, she realized. She wanted to know him better, even though getting close to him was emotional suicide.
Lexie stroked Scout’s soft head, weighing the pros and cons. There were definitely more cons, including getting her heart shredded if she was dumb enough to fall for this man.
She pushed open the door. “Pick me up at seven.”
His slow smile put a tingle inside her.
“I’ll be there.”
Daylight was fading by the time Lexie finally left the office. Jake had texted her to say he’d made a reservation at a trendy sushi place on Wilshire. The restaurant happened to be a few blocks from Lexie’s office, and she figured he’d chosen it so she’d have no excuse to bail out, even if her work ran long today. It was a clever strategy. So Lexie was surprised when he bailed out, leaving her a voice mail while she was in a meeting with Nate.
Hate to do this, but I have to cancel dinner. I’ll try to come by later, though. Lance came through with a lead.
Lexie had listened to the message twice—once at her desk and once again in the checkout line as she stopped by the grocery for a bottle of wine. She tried to focus on the positive. Yes, her date was off, and that was probably for the better. But more important, Jake’s CIA friend had a lead, and she could use one after the crap day she’d had.
Lexie tried to ignore her disappointment. Jake had canceled dinner. Big deal. Something had obviously come up. She wished he would have explained—how hard would that have been?—but he hadn’t, and she had no clue whether he’d canceled because of logistical or personal reasons.
Maybe something had come up with his family. Or maybe he’d decided to try to make the camping trip after all. She didn’t know what the deal was, but she wished he’d told her. She also wished she didn’t have a tight knot of disappointment in her stomach.
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