by Debra Webb
Basically, both Molly and Serena were alone.
Except for each other. Serena had set out to get to know her sister.
Eight months ago, after achieving a personal relationship with Molly and confirming that the woman was definitely her sister, Serena had told her. Molly had been thrilled, except for some reason, she hadn’t wanted her husband to know.
It hadn’t made sense to Serena, but she’d gone along with her newly found sister. Now she had no choice but to keep her secret to herself until she found Molly.
Serena couldn’t say for sure what made her feel this way, but she was certain, absolutely certain, that Charles Landon had something to do with his wife’s disappearance. Maybe it was all the extramarital affairs. Long before Serena had told Molly they were sisters, Molly had confided in her that Charles Landon had had many, many affairs. She’d never confronted him for fear of losing her marriage. She’d wanted her child to grow up in a safe, financially secure environment with both biological parents.
Serena had a feeling that despite Molly’s good luck in landing a wonderful adoptive family the first go-around, somehow some part of her remembered the years before age four and those memories had planted fear deep in her heart. She couldn’t risk losing the only family connection she had. Even if her husband was a bona fide bastard.
Serena understood that. Though she’d been only two when her biological parents had deserted her, and had no specific memories of them, she experienced an overpowering need to belong, to be a part of something. That need had driven her to find Molly, had prompted her to prod her professor into tossing out her name to Dr. Charles Landon himself.
Now, here she was all alone again. Only this time she was old enough, smart enough and strong enough to fight back. She wasn’t a kid anymore.
Serena bit down on her lower lip to stop its trembling. Whatever Landon had done to Molly, he would pay…if she had to expose the bastard herself.
As mild-mannered and conservative as she had always been, she would not sit back and let him get away with this.
No way.
No one would get in her way. She let her gaze wander back to the man sitting beside her. This time he was looking at her and she had the overwhelming feeling that he knew exactly what she was thinking.
She sincerely hoped she had not already made a major mistake.
Chapter Five
Todd sat in the dark in his car. His gaze remained fixed on Serena Blake’s town house across the street, but his attention was splintered.
Babysitting.
That was what his part in this assignment boiled down to.
Fury washed over him again. Even at Wellsly he’d gotten decent assignments. Not lead assignments, but that would have come in time…if he hadn’t screwed up by narcing on the boss’s daughter. How the hell was he supposed to have known she was the guy’s daughter? Or that she was working undercover?
Todd banged his fist against the steering wheel. What the hell was he doing sitting here in the dark watching Landon’s assistant?
Landon was the key to this investigation. He was the one whose wife was missing. He was the famous scientist. Todd was the one with the innate ability to charm folks. Why wasn’t he working with Landon?
Because this was the Colby Agency and he was basically an inexperienced kid bucking for a job with the big dogs.
Braddock’s remark about learning to play with the big boys flashed through his mind. Okay, maybe he didn’t have ten years in the military and two in Homeland Security under his belt, but he could do this just as well as his big, badass mentor.
Todd blew out a heavy breath. Part of him recognized that he should be grateful for the opportunity. The Colby Agency didn’t usually even consider guys like him. But it was hard to be appreciative when he was playing babysitter for some low-on-the-totem-pole assistant.
He shook his head, told himself to blow it off. He understood how these things worked. He had to prove himself and then he’d be in all the way. No point bellyaching about the situation. He knew the deal, just had to get right with it, that’s all.
Turning the volume down low, he flipped on the radio and tuned in his favorite station. Might as well entertain himself. Hell, he’d be out here all night.
A rap on the glass right next to his head made him jump.
Todd whipped around.
Serena Blake stood outside his car door. He didn’t have to see her face. He’d recognize the ultraconservative sweater she wore anywhere.
Just then she whacked her knuckles across the glass again. How had she gotten out of the house without him seeing her?
Todd turned off the radio and powered down the window. “Yeah?”
She leaned down to put herself at his eye level. “Why are you sitting outside my house, Mr. Thompson?”
Well, hell. He supposed he could have taken a few precautions to be a little more anonymous. Maybe he hadn’t given this girl enough credit.
“Do you usually scan for surveillance outside your home, Miss Blake?” What the hell was she doing running around outside at this time of night, anyway? It was almost midnight. Didn’t she need her beauty sleep or something?
Her gaze narrowed. He couldn’t tell if she was suspicious or pissed off.
“I’m calling Victoria Colby-Camp.”
With that she straightened and stormed off. Well, at least he had his answer. She was ticked.
Todd barreled out of the car and went after her. “Whoa, now, wait a second. What’s the problem?”
She stopped in the middle of the street and glared at him. With the aid of the street lamp he could see the fury on her face.
“Are you insane, Mr. Thompson?” She crossed her arms over her chest and thrust out her chin. “I am not the suspect in this case! My—Dr. Landon is the one you should be watching. What in God’s name are you doing outside my house?”
He could lie, but he had a gut feeling she wouldn’t buy it.
“Maybe we should talk inside?” He glanced around the quiet neighborhood. Most of the houses were dark as were the cars parked along the street, but that didn’t mean someone out here wasn’t watching or listening.
“You are insane!” she snapped. “Do you think I would invite a strange man into my home at this time of night?”
He gestured to his car. “Then we can talk in my car.”
She shot a disapproving glance at his car. “I don’t think so.”
He shrugged, disgusted. “All right, how about your car?”
For about ten seconds she just stood in the middle of the street trying to decide what she wanted from him.
It wasn’t until that moment that he realized she was actually wearing pajamas. She’d pulled on the sweater instead of a robe. And she was barefoot. His gaze stalled on her small pale feet with their pink toenails.
“Okay, you can come inside, but only as far as the door.”
That was better than nothing. “Fine.”
She marched up to her front door and went inside. Just inside the door she wheeled on him, forcing him to halt on the threshold.
“Why are you here?” she demanded.
Before he answered, he took a moment to assess her demeanor. The idea had seemed like the right thing to do at first, but half a minute into the visual evaluation he realized his mistake. Her pajamas were the lounge pants type. White with pink bunnies all over them. Whatever kind of top she wore was pink and the hem of it didn’t quite reach her waist. A narrow strip of smooth skin was visible. She abruptly noticed where his gaze had stopped and wrapped the sweater back around herself.
When his gaze collided with hers once more, she was seething. Damn. He didn’t need her calling Victoria.
Where the hell was that charm he was so famous for?
He decided that lying would be in his best interest.
“It’s important that we ensure your safety at all times, Miss Blake.” He said this in as serious a tone as he could muster with his attention slipping back down to survey t
hose pink bunnies. Sweet. Real sweet. And cute. Miss Serena Blake was actually very cute out of that drab white lab coat. Her hair was mussed and her face was clean of makeup. She looked all of seventeen.
She blinked, taken aback by his half-truth. “You think I’m…I’m in danger.”
Damn. He hated to scare her. “Maybe,” he hedged.
She hugged herself a little tighter. “Oh. I didn’t…” She licked those full pink lips and he felt his pulse react. “Would you like some coffee, Mr. Thompson?”
As guilty as he felt for making her uncomfortable, at least he was off the hook. She wouldn’t be calling Victoria to complain.
“Coffee would be good.”
She gestured to her sofa. “Make yourself at home.” She dragged in an uneven breath. “I’ll…” She motioned vaguely toward the hall behind her. “It’ll only take a minute.”
He nodded but she’d already disappeared down the hall. Man, she was nervous. He looked around the room. Small but comfy. It wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. The walls and furniture were that conservative beige he’d expected, but the splashes of color in the artwork and the throw pillows as well as the big old afghan gave the room life. He walked over to the small fireplace and perused the framed photographs on the mantel. Serena with an older couple. Her folks, he surmised. Both deceased, he remembered reading. Another of Serena dressed in her white lab coat with several other Milestone employees. A party of some sort.
It was the last photograph that really got his attention. Serena and Molly Landon. The missing wife of Dr. Charles Landon. The woman the police hadn’t had luck in finding, suggesting that she might very well have grown tired of her life and split.
“Sugar or cream?”
He turned to find Serena settling a tray with two cups of coffee and a plate of cookies on the table between the sofa and the two chairs directly across from it.
When she straightened, she forgot to hold her sweater wrapped around her and he got a good look at the pink camisole that showed off that flat belly and was low-cut enough to give him a peek of cleavage.
“Black is fine.” He licked his lips and remembered that this was his assignment, not a date.
She sat on the sofa and he took a chair across the table from her. He might be young and impulsive, but he wasn’t stupid. This girl’s sweet innocence was a colossal warning flag. His protective instincts were already on full alert.
With her coffee cradled in both hands, she turned those big brown eyes to his. “So, why do you think I might be in danger?”
What he couldn’t say was that he had to rule out the possibility that she was a suspect on some level. He had to determine that her motivation for going after Landon was on the up-and-up. If Landon was up to no good or was involved in his wife’s disappearance in any way, Serena’s determination to prove it could certainly put her in jeopardy. That part he could say.
“If Landon gets wind that you have hired the Colby Agency, he’s sure to be upset,” Todd explained. He felt certain she understood this, but simply hadn’t considered it fully.
She chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. Todd wet his own. She had nice lips. Full. Very sexy. The remembered feel of them against his palm made him sweat. Funny thing, he hadn’t noticed at the time. He’d been sure he was caught poking around Landon’s desk. Getting back into the chair where Landon had left him would have been impossible, since he hadn’t had any warning until the door opened.
And she’d been dressed so conservatively. Skirt all the way to her knees. Low-heeled pumps. High-necked blouse and sweater and then that loose-fitting lab coat. What was it about that drab white lab coat that had made him ignore all those other little assets? Large, oval-shaped eyes. Silky hair that fell past her shoulders. Well, okay, the hair had been up. And those lips. Yeah, great lips.
“I suppose I knew that on some level,” she said as she set her untouched coffee aside.
Todd sipped his, had to admit that she made a good cup of joe.
She shrugged, sending the ill-fitting sweater sliding off her shoulder and revealing more bare skin. “I guess I just wasn’t thinking about myself.”
“You mind if I take off my jacket?” Was it getting hot in here, or was it just him?
She blinked, frowned. “Do you always dress that way?”
Now he was the one taken aback. “What’s wrong with the way I dress?” He sat his coffee on the tray and shouldered out of his jacket.
“I don’t know. The jeans are…” She shrugged again. “I suppose they’re typical for a guy like you.”
A guy like him? What did that mean? She was a year younger than him, it wasn’t as if they weren’t from the same generation.
“And the shirt…” She assessed his shirt with his jacket off. “Why do you leave it untucked when you’re wearing a jacket?”
She didn’t like that his shirt was untucked? “Are you the fashion police or what?” Most women liked his look. But then, he had to remember, Serena Blake wasn’t normal. She had, like, a gazillion IQ. He’d scanned the background data on her. She could be doing Landon’s job if she really wanted to. Todd had thought that maybe she was too shy to step up to the plate, but maybe he’d been wrong. She didn’t seem the least bit shy right now.
Her right foot had started to tap against the rug. He’d made her nervous. “No, I’m just saying…” She struggled for the right words; he cranked up the intensity in his gaze just for the fun of watching her squirm. “I guess I expected you to look more like Investigator Braddock.”
Great. Now he didn’t measure up visually. Was there anything else she didn’t like about him?
“If we’re being totally honest here,” he said before he could stop himself, “you’re not really what I expected, either.”
Her hackles rose. He smiled at her gaping expression.
“And what did you…?” She huffed her frustration. “Just what did you expect?”
He shrugged nonchalantly and gave her tit for tat. “I don’t know. Maybe thick glasses and a more harried demeanor.”
Her eyes widened in outrage. “So you think I don’t look the stereotypical visually challenged and utterly disorganized geek, is that a proper assessment?”
Oh, she was fired up now. “Actually, yes.”
She stood abruptly. “I think you should go, Mr. Thompson.”
There he went, getting on her bad side again. He pushed up from the comfy overstuffed chair. He actually dreaded climbing back into his car.
“I apologize if my bluntness offended you, Miss Blake, but you have to confess, you were a little frank yourself.”
Where he grew up, turnabout was fair play.
She lifted her chin defiantly. He liked when she did that. She looked…cute, not quite so hoity-toity.
Damn, he’d really lost his grip here.
“And I…apologize if I offended you, Mr. Thompson.” She crossed her arms over her chest and that snug little camisole that showed off the tempting shape of her small breasts. Small but very nice.
“Hey, no harm done. We’re just getting to know each other. We’ll be spending a lot of time together—I guess we might as well get used to each other.”
She nodded. “You’re right.” She gestured to the chair he’d vacated. “Please, finish your coffee and have a cookie.”
Just like a Girl Scout. No way this girl could be involved in anything underhanded. He didn’t need to wonder about that a second longer. She could very well, however, be involved on some level that she didn’t understand. And she might even be wrong about Landon. His wife could have chosen to leave her husband. Just because she hadn’t mentioned it to Serena didn’t mean it wasn’t a viable possibility.
Todd settled back into the chair and reached for a cookie. “Tell me about your relationship with Mrs. Landon.”
Serena reached for her coffee but she didn’t drink, just held the warm mug in her hands as if she needed the warmth more than she needed the caffeine.
“We were friends. Good f
riends,” she emphasized. “She would never have left of her own free will without telling me.”
“What makes you so certain?”
She lifted one shoulder in an I-can’t-explain gesture. “We were just close, that’s all. I know she wouldn’t go without telling me. I just know.”
And there it was. Her first lie to him.
Todd knew all too well the signs to look for. The slight averting of her gaze. The tick in her otherwise smooth cheek. A nervous slide of her tongue over her lips. And the increase in her pulse rate. He didn’t need to be touching her to feel the change; he saw the pulse at the base of her throat flutter a little faster.
For whatever reason, she’d just lied through her teeth.
But the last thing he wanted to do was to alienate her. To that end, he kept his conclusions to himself.
“How long had the two of you been close?”
She shifted in her seat. “I went over all this with Mrs. Colby-Camp.” She met his eyes, but only briefly. “Is this really necessary?”
Todd leaned back in the chair and got more comfortable, his gaze never leaving her. Why would she lie? What was she hiding?
“It would be helpful for me to hear it from you.”
She moistened her lips again and looked anywhere but at him. “All right.” She cleared her throat. “We, ah, met at Milestone’s New Year’s Eve party. I’d just been hired and Molly was very nice to me. She took me around and introduced me to practically everyone.”
According to what the Colby Agency had on Serena she’d gone to work for Milestone just over one year ago. That part of her story was accurate. “Why did Molly introduce you around? Molly wasn’t an employee. Did she often get involved with her husband’s work? You were hired as Landon’s assistant, right?”
Serena nodded. Todd watched her throat work with the effort of swallowing. What was she hiding?
“I think maybe she wanted to ensure I knew who she was. And that everyone knew that Delia Neely, my predecessor, was out.”
