She murmured her displeasure and kissed his neck. “You’ve managed to avoid your boss this long. What’s one more hour?”
He kissed the top of her head. “That’s a good point but,” with a sigh, he disentangled his limbs from hers and rolled to his side, “if I don’t get something to drink, at least, I’m going to dehydrate.” Stuffing his feet into his pants, he yanked them up over his hips, leaving them unzipped.
Carley propped her head in her hand and watched him walk across the floor to the open doorway.
Hunt winked over his shoulder. “Be back in a second.” Without giving himself time for recriminations, he hurried across the carpeted floor. He’d made it into the kitchen when his cell phone trilled again.
Caught off-guard, he jumped and bumped his hip against the table, which sent the laptop sliding to the floor. He tried to catch it but was too late and it bounced against the tile before finally landing face up.
“You okay?” Carley called out to him with a smile in her voice.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just bumped into the damn table.” Squatting, he picked up the laptop and settled it back atop the dinette table, the bright blue screen catching his eye. But it was the logo on top of the screen that held his attention. The FBI logo.
“Hey, what’s taking you so long?”
Hunt didn’t turn around. He couldn’t even if he’d wanted to. His temper began a slow simmer as he stared at the frozen page, the error message plainly testifying to unlawful activity.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” He shouldn’t be surprised. Thieves didn’t have a moral compass so hacking into the FBI’s computers wouldn’t be something Carley would abhor. But Hunt didn’t want to think she could do something so…criminal, which was kind of funny, considering there was no distinction between criminals. You either broke the law or you didn’t. Carley did…regularly.
Carley didn’t immediately respond. Instead she crossed the floor to look over his shoulder. “It’s not what you think.”
He slammed the top shut. “The hell it isn’t. You were trying to hack into the FBI’s system for more information, maybe trying to find out something I wasn’t telling you.” That should have pissed him off. Instead it stung like a slap to the cheek. Did she trust him so little even now?
“It’s not like you told me a lot,” she shot back, her tone as defensive as her posture.
“And that’s justification for breaking into a government system?”
Her shoulders stiffened and the light of battle ignited in her eyes. “Thieves don’t generally require justification for what we do, Hunt.”
He whirled to face her and duty punched him in the gut. How could he have forgotten his job, what he’d dedicated the past fifteen plus years of his life to? Being with Carley changed him, made him close his mind to what she was and how he felt about the choices she’d made. Nothing like an icy reminder.
Turning his back to her again, he scooped up the laptop, yanking the plug from the wall.
“What are you doing?” She stood in his way. “That’s my laptop.”
“Actually it’s evidence, and I’m taking it with me for processing.”
“And what about me? Are you going to take me too?” Jamming her hands on her hips, Carley issued the challenge in an emotionless voice.
“Was this your idea all along? Distract me so you could hack into the system and get the information you need to go after Franklin yourself? Was that your plan? Well I’m sorry Franklin’s death fucked that up for you.” Anger pushed hurt out of the way.
“This isn’t just about Franklin. Those are your words not mine. Someone killed him, and I’m betting that same person killed my sister. If you think I’m going to let good sex stand in the way of that, I’m sorry to damage your ego.”
Hunt didn’t take the time to assess her words. Right now he needed space from her more than he needed to understand her. Carrying the computer, he walked past her, returning to the bedroom for the rest of his clothes. “You might want to think about getting out of town…before the deputy director arrives.”
“Are you scared he’ll find out about me or find out one of his agents has been sleeping with me?” That couldn’t be hurt in Carley’s voice. Could it? No, she wasn’t feeling anything but regret that she’d been caught, her scheme discovered. As much as he wanted to believe differently, the laptop told him the truth.
He looked over his shoulder, saw her standing in the open doorway, watching him as he shoved his arms into his shirtsleeves. “Look, I get that this is personal for you, that you’ve got some kind of vendetta now that Dani is dead, but do yourself a favor and get the hell out of here. This isn’t your fight, it never was.” He held up one hand. “And spare me the platitudes about owing this to your sister. She sounded like an upstanding, decent woman. If that really is the case, I doubt she’d approve of your rogue attempts to avenge her death.”
Carley moved so fast he didn’t have time to brace for impact. Her palms slammed into his chest, rocked him back so hard he stumbled and went down, his shoulder connecting with the edge of the dresser. “What the hell—”
She stood over him, fury like he’d never seen before in her eyes. “Don’t you dare presume to know anything about Dani. You know nothing about her or me. And I’m sorry if my breaking the law offends you but you knew what I was before you fucked me. It didn’t stop you though, did it?” A tear streaked down her cheek and she quickly swiped it away.
Trying to ignore the tears and battling back the blinding fury that had taken the place of generic anger, Hunt pushed himself to his feet without looking at his shoulder though it throbbed like a son of a bitch. “And it’s apparent you don’t have any desire to change what you are.” He secured the buttons on his shirt and snagged his jacket. “I guess what they say about leopards and spots is true.”
Carley blocked his path, her stance a blatant challenge—she wanted him to try to move her. The light of battle in her eyes told him she wasn’t moving without a fight, and that really pissed him off. If she’d been any ordinary criminal he would have been too glad to give her the fight she was looking for, but she wasn’t just a thief or a crook. He wasn’t sure she was ever “just” anything.
She flung her hands open wide. “Well? I know how eager you are to get out of here and report in to your superiors. So go ahead. Take me down, Agent.”
“Shit.” He dragged a hand through his hair, considered his options. He didn’t doubt he could move her but he didn’t want to hurt her. Hell, if he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure he could. “Don’t you think you’ve gotten enough from me, Carley?”
“I didn’t take anything from you that you weren’t willing to give.”
“You could have trusted me enough to finish this for you.” Hunt didn’t know where that had come from. One second he was trying to figure out how to leave the hotel without coming to blows with Carley and the next he was pushing for answers.
He’d never admit it out loud but she’d gotten under his skin. And knowing she didn’t trust him bothered him, really bothered him. Why it should he didn’t know. He hadn’t even known her that long, but the second he’d seen her standing in the middle of his bedroom that night, he’d felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. Something should have told him then Carley wasn’t the type of woman he could walk away from without a few battle scars.
“This was never about trust.” Carley’s tone had dipped low, the anger fading.
“Really? Didn’t you tell me you needed to know you could trust me? Wasn’t that the reason for all the cloak and dagger stuff?”
She dropped her gaze. “I guess I did say that, didn’t I?” Moving back, she opened up a path for him to leave but he didn’t move.
“You didn’t believe I’d tell you what I found out, did you? That’s why you hacked into the FBI system.” He could handle a lot of things in a relationship but lack of trust wasn’t one of them. The thought caught him unawares. Was that what this was? A relati
onship? Hell, he really needed to get out of here.
Carley shook her head and looked toward the living room. “It doesn’t matter, Hunt. You’d better go.” She paused then added, “Unless you want to arrest me.”
He walked toward her, stopped and took hold of her chin. Their gazes met, locked, melded. For several agonizing seconds their breaths united and Hunt felt something intense. Words couldn’t describe the feeling but it was powerful enough to make him drop his hand and move away from her.
“No, I don’t want to arrest you.”
She nibbled her lower lip and nodded. “I suppose I should thank you for that.”
“We’ll finish this, Carley. We’ll find the person or persons behind this ring and we’ll put them away. But you can’t be involved. If someone, anyone, discovers who you are, what you are, you’ll be behind bars and I’ll be unemployed before the week’s out.”
“I know.” Before he could move too far past her she leaned in, kissed his cheek. It was just a soft touch of her lips to his skin but his body reacted so violently he had to close his eyes to regain focus.
He returned to the bedroom to gather the rest of his clothes, cursing inwardly. Walking away after knowing her for such a short time shouldn’t be this hard but if he was honest, nothing had been simple since he’d met Carley.
Maybe it was best this way. He’d leave the hotel and she’d leave town. They could write this off as a fling, something that never should have happened. Carley had probably done him a favor by hacking into the FBI system. Otherwise he would have continued to try to convince himself they could have something.
Reality was a bitch, but cops and robbers was a game. It didn’t work in the real world.
Carley fought back tears she shouldn’t be crying as she tossed the last piece of luggage into the back of the Mustang convertible. Whatever she thought she felt for Hunt didn’t matter now. Nothing mattered now but finding Dani’s killer. And to do that she was going to need more resources than she had at her disposal now.
The millions of dollars she had amassed would be put to use seeking justice for her sister, and nothing was going to stop her from doing that. She didn’t doubt Hunt would continue the case, but he wasn’t willing to cross the lines she would.
She shook her head and tried to force thoughts of him away. They couldn’t have had anything more but sex. That was all he’d wanted, and she might have seen it from the start if she hadn’t been so damn attracted to him.
Discovering her illegal access to the FBI’s system only gave him the impetus he needed to walk away. He got to play the part of the affronted hero and justify his leaving.
Carley walked around to the front of the car and took hold of the handle, pausing to draw in a deep breath of the ocean air. She shouldn’t feel so betrayed. It wasn’t like she could play the part of the martyr in this story. Hunt hadn’t promised her anything and they’d only had a few days together. That certainly wasn’t enough time to develop any feelings for anyone.
But the little voice in the back of her mind contradicted her, reminding her he’d gotten closer to her than any man had in the past three years. She might be leaving him behind physically but she had a feeling she wouldn’t forget him any time soon.
“Hello, Ms. Morgan.”
Carley registered the feminine voice seconds before a sharp sting against the back of her neck brought her to her knees. She tried to move, to cry out, but her muscles wouldn’t cooperate. She couldn’t even open her eyes when she felt herself being lifted and then tossed onto a hard metal surface.
As she opened her mouth to scream someone pressed a cloth over her mouth. She smelled something chemical, something she couldn’t identify. Then her world went black.
“It looks like my plans have changed. I won’t make it home tomorrow after all.” Rena held the phone against her ear while keeping one eye on the Carley Morgan’s prone body. The woman would bring a fortune on the market…just like her sister, and knowing that, Rena hadn’t been able to resist the temptation.
“I have to meet with a team out of town. I’m flying out tonight and I don’t know when I’ll get back. But I’m sure you kept your key.” Ryan’s bitterness only made Rena smile. She liked that he wasn’t happy. After all, if he was happy then she was failing miserably as his tormentor.
“So where are you going this time?” She pretended to care.
“South Carolina. Charleston.”
Rena barely restrained herself from hissing. What the fuck was her husband doing coming to Charleston? For a brief moment she almost panicked but reason returned just as quickly. He couldn’t know anything about her operation. She’d covered her tracks too well. Besides that, Ryan didn’t exactly pay a lot of attention to her activities.
“Sounds like it could be something big. I do hope you’ll be careful.”
Ryan snorted. “Can the sweet shit, Rena. You and I both know you couldn’t give a rat’s ass if I were to drop off the face of the earth tomorrow. And the only reason you’re even pretending to express interest is because you’re concerned I might be recording this conversation and should something happen to me you want to be able to come off as the grieving widow and not the heartless bitch we both know you are. Otherwise it might affect your ability to collect on the life insurance.”
She walked a few steps away from where Carley lay atop the Oriental rug in front of her English settee. “Resentment doesn’t become you.” She wanted to hang up but the need for information propelled her to continue the conversation. “Hmmm, Charleston, South Carolina. Yes, I heard something about that city. Oh, I remember. Does your unexpected trip have anything to do with that lieutenant’s tragic death?”
“I wasn’t aware his death had made national headlines.” Suspicion crept into his voice.
Rena backpedaled swiftly. “I just remember reading it online. You know how tragedy is always popping up whenever you log in to your e-mail account. But why would you have to go to Charleston for a local police officer’s death? That’s unusual.” She dug for information as delicately as possible.
“It was an undercover operation, but let’s stop wasting our time here, Rena. You care even less about my job than you do me. I’ve got a plane to catch.”
“Fine. I’ll see you soon.” She didn’t have time to play word games with her husband anyway now that she’d discovered what she needed to know. His unexpected trip had just changed things a bit.
Damn. She’d been hoping to make a nice profit off Carley Morgan but now she’d have to rush the timeline, which always made the buyers a bit nervous. They’d lowball the offer, thinking she was desperate to move the merchandise.
She despised the thought of losing out on a potential goldmine but she hated the thought of getting caught in a trap even worse. And she had several other women to get rid of as well since she’d put the other auction on hold to get rid of JT and his nosy wife.
There had to be another way to come out on top. Perhaps she could make a couple of quick phone calls to her more well-known clients, using Carley’s identity as the reason for a quick auction. She could set the bidding time, make it a quick one, say, three hours. A nice opening bid, half a million would bring in the high bidders and weed out the lowballers. Yes, this wouldn’t take that long at all.
“Ma’am?” A short, round man with a full beard and glasses tapped on door to her office and poked his head into the room. “We’ve finished the sweep and everything’s been loaded except for the furniture.”
Still smiling, Rena turned to observe the man. Wasn’t his name Otis? Oscar? Something like that? She couldn’t remember and she didn’t really care. “Fantastic. I’ll be right out. Oh, make sure to put the laptop bag up front. I want to check out a few things while we’re on the road.”
The man squinted at her. Obviously his prescription wasn’t strong enough. “Laptop bag? I don’t recall seeing one, ma’am.”
Her smile faded into a scowl. “Well look again because it was right behind my dresser i
n my bedroom.”
He dipped his head in acknowledgement and backed away, eager to obey her command.
Rena took one last look around her office, taking in the sleek leather chair, the polished executive desk and the upholstered accompanying chairs that matched the décor perfectly. She would miss this sanctuary she’d built. It was the first one she’d created outside her husband’s dominion. And she enjoyed the freedom she’d found here even if she did miss fucking with her husband’s peace of mind.
“Ma’am?” The same man had returned. She’d given up trying to remember his name.
“Yes?”
“There was no laptop behind your dresser, and I checked with the movers. They said nothing was there when they arrived.”
A knot began to form in the pit of Rena’s stomach. Only one other person knew where she kept that laptop. She’d meant to move it long before now, but with everything that had happened with Carley Morgan’s sister then Franklin, it had slipped her mind.
Was it possible Franklin had managed to move it without her knowledge? And if he’d taken it, where in the hell had he put it? That laptop had information that could be more than detrimental to her and the operation. Her entire client list was on that hard drive and without it she couldn’t pull off the auction.
Nausea rolled through her and she placed a hand over her abdomen. Dammit. Her plans were getting screwed again. But there was no way she could leave Charleston without that computer, especially with the FBI nosing around.
She realized the man with the glasses was still standing in the doorway looking at her. “Get Ms. Morgan to the van. Make sure the tape stays in place.” She turned her back on him, still trying to quell the nausea.
Had she misjudged Franklin? Had he betrayed her before she could betray him?
Hunt drained another cup of lukewarm coffee and stared at the computer screen. Tax records, relative histories, family property—every piece of information on Franklin’s life was laid out before him but offered no clue as to who the man might have been working with.
InTooDeep Page 12
