He raised a brow. “Since you already know the answer to that, I’m not going to dignify it with a response.”
“Fair enough.”
“But you should’ve told Luke,” he said.
“Scared of a lawsuit?”
“You seemed to be getting along lately. I’d hate for that newfound trust to be ruined.”
Evelyn felt the blood rush from her face and tried to keep her reaction neutral. Did Hotchins know exactly how well they’d been getting along? Ever since that episode on Luke’s counter, she’d hardly been able to take her hands off him. The only boundary she’d been able to maintain was no showers. At least she could slightly concentrate on hearing if anyone broke into the apartment.
“We’ve been able to set aside our differences for a common goal,” she said carefully.
“That’s good. He mentioned that you were hoping to get back to Texas when this investigation was over.”
Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest and stood up straighter. What was Luke doing talking to Hotchins behind her back? “That’s hardly a secret. You’ve already declined three of my transfer requests.”
“You do good work here. I know it feels like you’re running on a treadmill getting nowhere, but you’ve made more progress with Thirteen Stars in a few months than we’ve done in years. I’d hate to lose a resource like you.”
“I appreciate the praise, sir, but this was only temporary until I recovered enough to head back.”
Hotchins sighed. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Price.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“The man you shot back in Texas didn’t die from his wounds.”
“You know who he was?” She’d been under the impression that the man had never been found.
“His name is Victor Morales.”
“Shit.”
Hotchins stood and put on his official face that told Evelyn that nothing good was going to come from this conversation. “So you know who he is?”
“The nephew of the leader of one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico. I’m familiar with the family,” she said bitterly.
“You should be happy he’s not dead. If he was, their hitters would’ve tracked you down no matter where you were transferred to. But even though they haven’t found you, you’re officially on the do not enter list down there. If the cartels find out that you’re back, you’ll be dead before you can get any shots off.”
An uneasy feeling settled in Evelyn’s stomach as she realized exactly what Hotchins was telling her. “This wasn’t a temporary transfer, was it?”
“I hoped that you would see how well you fit in here and want to stay, but I suppose I overestimated my charm.”
“You could’ve told me up front.”
“In my experience, people don’t like being told what to do. I prefer to lead them to the right decision and let them think it was their idea.”
“What changed your mind about making me decide to work here?”
“The fact that your best friend in the department gave your address to someone who tried to kill you was a nail in that coffin.”
He probably figured right. “I hate this city,” she reminded him.
“So I’ve heard. But not in the past week, funny enough.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Hotchins passed her and opened the door to the conference room. “I have a schedule full of meetings this afternoon. Keep me updated on your progress, Agent Price.”
“What did you mean?” she asked again, not happy about his evasiveness after he just confessed how much important information he’d been concealing from her the entire time she’d been up here.
“It’s not my business,” he said, “but you seem to be a bit happier about the city ever since you stepped up your involvement with Mr. Devereaux.”
She tried to keep her face blank, but she could feel the blood rush up her cheeks. “You have a strange definition of happier,” she said, but he was already leaving.
“Keep me updated,” he called as he headed down the hallway.
Evelyn glanced behind her and saw that he’d left Easson’s file for her. Probably a not-so-subtle hint to tell Luke about what they were up against. Evelyn snatched the file and tucked it under her arm and started to turn when the glinting sun reflecting off the skyscraper across the street caught her eye.
She crossed to the window as though drawn by some force and glanced out at the street below, mostly in shadow due to the buildings and setting sun. So unlike Texas, where the sun was practically a constant. Sun she’d never be able to see again.
Maybe for short periods, sure. But long term? As long as the man she shot still had family connections in high places in the cartel, she’d never be safe there. That was just how powerful they were. She could actually count herself lucky they didn’t send someone to track her down in New York, but she didn’t see anything lucky about this.
As soon as she finished this case, she was supposed to go home, but now there wasn’t a home to go to. Just a crappy apartment and a job where her best friend had tried to kill her.
So she was just supposed to sit back and get comfortable?
There was another option still. She could leave. Transfer to another office or even leave the Bureau. Jace had done well for himself on his own, and she had a feeling he wasn’t going to be taking on as many clients in the near future. If she went into the business, he’d be more than willing to shoot her referrals.
But she’d wanted to make a difference. After her time in the service with Jace and the rest of their team, she could’ve made millions if she struck out on her own. But she’d thought she could help if she had Uncle Sam backing her work. And she had. She hadn’t fixed the broken system down there, but she’d made a lot of busts and set up a great backbone in the agencies she’d worked with.
Could she get that same validation from working white-collar? The system was just as broken, but the criminals were better hidden and better defended. And she’d still be working around Luke. Even if it wasn’t on this case, it would be around him.
Which made sleeping with him all the more idiotic. Somehow she’d convinced herself it would be okay if she was going to leave as soon as this whole thing was over. But now there would be no clean break. And, frankly, the idea of breaking at all caused her more pause than she felt comfortable to admit.
The more she was with Luke, the more comfortable she was becoming with him, and that was dangerous territory.
The bright light reflecting on the building across from her disappeared as the sun dropped lower. It wasn’t late by any means, but that was just how it was here. Evelyn sighed. She’d work with Hotchins to decide a good time to bring Easson Harper in and maybe he’d be the key to cracking the case.
And after that, she’d decide where she was going to go. Until then, she needed to focus on the task at hand. She and Luke were close to cracking this. She could just feel it. All she had to do was hang in there a little bit longer and she could sort out the rest of her life then.
“How much do I owe you for this?” Luke sent the document he was looking at on the computer screen to the printer.
“Five grand,” said Colin Carter over the phone. “I’m sending you the account information for you to send the wire to.”
“That’s it?” Not that Luke wanted to pay any more than he had to, but considering what Colin had just given him, he felt as if the man earned a much bigger payday than that.
“That’s enough to cover expenses. I have a feeling Walter isn’t buying the shit Longineu is selling, but I’d still prefer for him to be out of the way.”
“As long as he’ll be where you say tonight, I can make that happen,” assured Luke.
“Tonight at seven. It’s black-tie and invitation only. I think that the doorman at the ballroom might recognize you and give you a pass no matter what, but if he doesn’t, ask for me and I’ll give you the all clear.”
Luke nodded, e
ven though Colin couldn’t see him as his thumb tapped out a frantic rhythm on the table. Adrenaline rushed through him as he thought forward to exactly what he would say to Brian Longineu tonight. This was going to stop for good and he was going to be there to wipe the smile off the smug bastard’s face.
“Thanks for your help, Carter.”
“I owe Walter my life. If he needs protection from slimy assholes like Longineu or even himself, I’ll be there. As long as Walter doesn’t know I’m getting in the way of him and getting business done.”
“He sounds more like a father than an employer.” Luke knew a fair amount about the Farrell family and his three sons. Maybe the old man had taken on a protégé in Colin.
But the scoff on the other end of the line told otherwise. “Not exactly. But I still consider it my responsibility to keep him safe.”
“I’ll take care of it,” promised Luke as Evelyn appeared in the doorway to his office. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Evelyn entered the office and sat next to her workstation as Luke closed his laptop.
“Do you have any nice dresses?” he asked.
“Ummm...” She frowned and looked up as though she was thinking about it. “I think so. Why?”
“I forgot that I have to go to some party thrown by Walter Farrell tonight. I figure you’re going to insist on going, and if you don’t want to stand out like a sore thumb, you should probably look the part.” And hopefully she wouldn’t ask too many questions about why he’d missed something that should’ve been on his schedule for weeks.
“If we leave now, we should have just enough time to pick something up. You’re not the type who needs hours to get ready, are you?” He needed to be there by nine so he could catch Longineu early. The whole thing started at seven, but Longineu wasn’t the type to arrive on time, and Luke wanted to spot him before Longineu spotted Luke.
“I think we should talk about a few things first,” said Evelyn as Luke pushed his laptop into his computer bag and tucked the shoulder strap over his arm.
Luke made a show of glancing at his watch. “Actually, we’re tight on time. While we’re in the car, I can have a few dresses sent to the apartment for you to try and we can return whatever ones we don’t use. That will save us the time of stopping at a store. Does that work for you?”
“Are you sure you want to go somewhere with me? I don’t exactly fit in with your crowd.”
“No one fits in with my crowd. You just pretend, like everyone else, and you’ll be fine.” He crossed over to lean against the table as she shut her own computer and started to pack up. “And I won’t let you out of my sight, so if you get caught by the vultures, I’ll save you. Promise.”
She gave him a skeptical frown. “Are you sure everything’s okay? You seem...off.”
“Everything’s fine. I am just upset that I didn’t realize this was tonight. I don’t like unexpected things like this.”
“You don’t like not being in control,” she clarified. “I noticed.”
“Luckily, I’m almost always in control.” He slid in closer. She pulled her strap over her shoulder and stood. “And maybe this is all just an elaborate excuse to get you into a little black dress.”
Evelyn leaned in closer. “Hate to break it to you, but you don’t have to try that hard to get me into a little black dress for you. Getting me out of one, however...”
Luke bent down for a quick, deep kiss. “Think I couldn’t do it?”
She smiled and set a hand at the back of his neck, pulling him down for a kiss of her own. Her lips played against his, her tongue teasing the seam of his lips. Right as he opened for her, she pulled away. “I think you probably could,” she admitted. “That doesn’t mean I have to make it easy for you.”
Damn, he wanted to call this whole thing off and spend the rest of the day cocooned with Evelyn in his office. Would it raise eyebrows if he replaced his sofa with one that had a fold-out bed in it? That would be convenient at the moment. But first things first. He needed to take care of Longineu once and for all.
“Are you ready?” he forced himself to ask.
She glanced around the office. “Sure. Let’s go and get me all fancy.” She winked.
Evelyn wrapped the hair tie around the end of her braid before she put the small floral clip over it. There was no way she could get her hair to look as nice as some of the heiresses and trophy wives who would undoubtedly be there tonight, but she could at least try.
The French braid was simple, but elegant. She liked her hair down when she was going to black-tie events, but having it back made much more sense considering she’d have to maintain a good range of visibility to watch out for Luke.
And she couldn’t help but feel as though she’d need to be on high alert. Ever since she’d left Hotchins and gone back to Luke’s office, something had seemed strange. The last-minute event. Rushing her out of the building.
But if Luke Devereaux wanted to party, there wasn’t much she could do to stop him without hard proof that he was in immediate danger. Well, she could handcuff him to the bed. As appealing as that option was, Hotchins would be pissed if she took such drastic measures. He was still seeing visions of a lawsuit in his mind.
Evelyn had to forgo a fashionable clutch for a small handbag where she could fit her firearm and ID. Along with her bright red lipstick. Between her simple black dress and her ankle boots with reasonable heels so she could move as needed, she needed something to up the drama of her outfit. But the shorter skirt on the dress combined with the flattering cut of the shoes made her legs look really long. It was black-tie, but Luke assured her that it didn’t require a floor-length dress.
She took one more look at herself in the mirror and let out a sigh. This was as good as it was going to get if she wanted to leave right now. Luke sounded as if he wanted to be out the door fifteen minutes ago, and she didn’t want to keep him waiting any longer.
When she left the bathroom and headed down the stairs, Luke was on the phone. It sounded as though he was scheduling a meeting with one of his clients for later in the week from what she could hear. She hated to eavesdrop, but she always tried to hear what was on his radar, especially considering she had felt as though he was hiding something from her all week.
Luke turned as she reached the bottom of the stairs, and he abruptly went silent as he saw her.
“I’m going to have to call you back tomorrow, Douglas,” he said as the phone fell to his side. “You look...”
“I know. Not really fancy enough, but I have to work with what I have.”
He let out a little laugh. “You look fucking fantastic.” He set the phone down and approached. “I’ve never seen anyone look as good as you do right now.” Luke set his hands at the curve of her waist and pulled her in closer. “All I can think about is dragging you right back up those stairs and taking this dress off,” he breathed.
Funny. That was exactly what she wanted too. “Let’s blow off this whole thing.” She leaned into him. “Spend the night in with me.” And don’t do whatever fishy thing you’re planning to do...
But she must’ve said exactly the wrong thing because he pulled back and picked up his wallet and phone from the counter. “We’ll make an appearance and then get out of there. Super quick, I promise.”
“And who should I tell people I am?” she asked as Luke pulled on his formal suit jacket. She had to take a deep breath to keep from swooning. His black hair was slicked back, but whatever product he wore made his hair look completely natural and not oily at all. Evelyn wanted to run her fingers through it and was only spurred on by the fact that she knew exactly what it would feel like against her skin.
Despite the clean-cut clothes, his strong jawline was covered with just the right amount of stubble to give him a rough look.
“Tell them the truth,” he said.
“That I’m an FBI agent watching your every move?”
“That you’re my girlfriend. We met while I was consulting with you on a ca
se. If they ask for details, we’ll just say that we aren’t allowed to give specifics quite yet. The truth.”
His girlfriend? Was he serious or did he just think that would cause fewer questions from the partygoers? Before she could ask for clarification, Luke set his arm around her waist and ushered her to the elevator. At the same time, he dialed the car service to make sure that their ride was ready and waiting downstairs.
Her suspicions about his motives only increased as he avoided any serious topics on the drive there, instead making jokes about the city as they drove, and every time she tried to broach the subject of the investigation, he’d make a sexual comment or lean in to kiss her. As much as she enjoyed those kisses, she didn’t like his manipulations.
Or maybe she was going along with it for her own reasons. She wasn’t looking forward to telling him about Cali’s boyfriend. When he found out that she’d known since Tuesday and had said nothing, he was going to be pissed at her. Maybe if she held off until tomorrow, when the agents moved in and arrested Easson...she knew she should tell him sooner rather than later.
But he obviously wasn’t going to let her get a productive word in until he got whatever he wanted to get done at this party over with.
The car came to a stop in front of one of the most exclusive hotels in the area. Luke tipped the driver and exited the car, walking around to get her door for her.
The outside of the hotel was decorated with intricate stonework and metal plates with some fascinating designs. Luke did have a knack for showing her the prettier side of the city.
“What’s this party for again?” she asked as they headed into the lobby.
“One hundred years ago today, Walter Farrell’s father bought his first property in the city. Now the entire family owns billions in assets all over the world. Probably just an elaborate excuse to network, but anyone who’s anyone is here tonight so I figured I should pop in.”
“I suppose you are someone,” she murmured as they passed the beautiful marble columns in the lobby and stopped at the equally decadent gold elevators. Not that it was real gold, but rich-looking nonetheless.
Devereaux Billionaires Complete Series: Books 1-4 Page 48
