Saved by a Dangerous Man (5 page)

Because I wasn’t throwing myself at Henry, therefore I must be inexperienced? And to think that I’d once considered Henry for the role of love interest. I clamped my jaw tight and counted to ten.

“I can see I’ve embarrassed you,” Henry said, but there was pleasure in his voice. Delight. He thought I was a blushing virgin, squirming because his words were filling my nether regions with new sensations. I wanted to barf.

“You probably wonder how I know.” He smiled, his eyes hooding. “We have a connection, but when I touch you, you pull away. You’re attracted to me, Audrey. I felt it after our first date. You were disappointed when I didn’t kiss you. And when we did kiss, it was fireworks.”

A strangled noise escaped my throat. Apparently, it only fed Henry’s theory. “You’re a passionate woman, and I think you’re afraid of these sensations. I’d like to help you overcome that fear. Teach you not to be ashamed of your sexuality.”

He leaned in closer, his brown eyes shining with sincerity.
 

“Excuse me.” I shoved abruptly away from the table and fled to the ladies’ room.

Before I met Corbin, I’d rather enjoyed sleeping with whichever guys tickled my fancy. One-night stands, maybe a repeat performance if the guy didn’t annoy me and the sex was good enough, which it seldom was.

But Henry?
Yuck!
Where did he come up with this crap?

I washed my hands and slowly started to calm down. Well, now I knew why Henry was single. He was attractive, not stupid, and he made a very good living. But he was patronizing and creepy. Not to mention looking for virgins half his age.

If this was the quality of men I attracted for serious relationships, I was going to be in real trouble when Corbin and I parted ways.
 

I stared in the mirror and tried to force the frown off my face.

Even though we looked nothing alike, I could never stare at my reflection for any length of time and not think of my twin. As kids, we’d claimed that we were parts of the same person.

It occurred to me that this was the farthest I’d ever been from Rob. I wondered if he could feel it. And I wondered what he thought of me being in Florida. No one with two brain cells would think I’d be double-timing a piece of hunk like Corbin with a tool like Henry. Even one of the sheriff’s office employees had compared Henry to chewing flavorless gum.

Except I was starting to get a flavor: yuck—with notes of sketchy.

I sighed and left the comfort of the bathroom. “Sorry about that,” I murmured as I slid into my seat.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Henry said. While he didn’t sound insincere, he didn’t quite sound regretful, either.
 

“You’re so perceptive, and that really unsettled me.” I batted my eyelashes at Henry, telling myself that he deserved this. “Not many people know, but I’ve been saving myself for the right man.”

“You’re a smart girl.”

Repressing the urge to smack him, I added, “Not for marriage, but for someone who will make it special. Though I’d like to be in a relationship with the man first, of course.”

Henry’s eyes lit up like a Fourth-of-July fireworks finale. I wondered what his reaction would be if I told him that I’d known my average partner for less than an hour before getting dirty. Probably not half as good as if I confessed that I was fucking Corbin Lagos, that we excelled at crazy fight sex where I mouthed off and Corbin punished me with spanking and rough pounding until I begged him for mercy.

“Sounds like we’re on the same page,” Henry said. “Maybe it’s too early to tell. We do enjoy each other’s company. I’m experienced, and I’ll be gentle. That’s important for your first time. A guy your age would be all rush.” He caught one of my hands and rubbed his thumb over my palm in an infuriating rhythm. “The worlds I’m going to show you.”

He leaned in close and breathed on my neck. I thought he was going to whisper something tacky, but instead a squirming tongue trailed against my jaw.

I jerked back. “Too early to tell!”
 

Thank goodness the waitress arrived at that moment and began reciting the list of daily specials.

The ninety minutes at dinner seemed to stretch forever. Halfway through, the lights dimmed and candles were lit, and I had an even harder time keeping Henry at arm’s length.

When Henry and I returned to the hotel, I reluctantly suggested we have a few drinks at the bar.

He checked his watch. “Sure, but I’m taking off in a half hour. Got a bad guy to catch.”
 

Damn.
I was running out of time. Had to step up the seduction, get some answers. But my feet slowed as we approached the bar. I needed a moment to work up to this. “Be right back,” I said. I didn’t feel like inventing a lie for why I was going to our suite.
 

I locked myself in my bedroom, just in case. A ton of weight slid off my shoulders. Pretending to be someone else was exhausting.
 

It took a moment of digging to find Corbin’s cell phone. Two texts.

Where are you?
And then, an hour later,
I miss you. If all goes well, I’ll only be gone a month.

A
month
? My heart sank.

A new text arrived.
Got an interesting photo from the tail I put on Heigh. Shall I attach a photo?

I dialed the number that wasn’t a number, not sure that it would work. There was complete silence, then a click. “I take it you wouldn’t like to see the photo.” Corbin’s deep voice reverberated, awakening every cell in my body. He inhaled slowly. “What are you doing, Audrey?”

Even though I knew he was angry, I couldn’t help the hot surge of attraction and affection and sadness that coursed through my veins. “Why do you have someone following me?” I stammered.

“Following
Henry
,” he specified with an exaggerated patience that suggested he was trying not to lose his temper.

I laughed, painfully aware that it sounded forced. “He invited me for a nice dinner, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to see what he knows. Are you jealous?”

“Should I be? It’s a bit late for dinner. No, don’t answer that. The day I’m jealous of a man like Henry Heigh will never come. What I am is
concerned.
I asked you not to go, and I wish…” He didn’t bother finishing that thought.

“Nothing happened,” I said. “He got a little close, but it was fine.”

“A
little
close? Maybe it was a misleading camera angle, but—”

“We were in public,” I said weakly. “Nothing could have happened.” No way was I telling Corbin about the suite, though it occurred to me that he probably knew.

“Let’s not,” he said coldly. “I’m not going to turn into a Neanderthal over this. You’re a grown woman.”

“Thank you.”

“Even if you don’t always act like it.”

“Thank you,” I said again, refusing to take the bait.

When he next spoke, his demeanor was businesslike. “Henry is messing with some dangerous people.”

I couldn’t help but be a bit irritated that he’d let it go so quickly. I knew he was upset about Henry. Why did he have to be so mature about everything all the time?
 

“Audrey? Did you hear me?”

“What could be worse than assassins?” I snapped. It was mean, and I immediately regretted both my words and my tone.

But Corbin didn’t call me on it. “Unfortunately, I have a request to make. But before I go into the details, I want you to know that I’m asking this against my will.” He didn’t need to add the last bit; I could tell because every word seemed like it was being forced across his lips.

I flopped back on the bed and stared at the dark ceiling. The bottom of my dress had crawled up, and I was filled with a sudden and overwhelming craving for Corbin to flip the fabric up, run his hands over my thighs…

The fantasy continued for a few moments, and then I realized that Corbin had stopped speaking. Apparently he was waiting for me to nudge him. Or maybe he thought I’d hung up. “Um… you’re asking against your will,” I said when the silence had dragged on for too long.

“Henry bought a disposable phone last night. We need access to it. The fastest way is to load a program onto the device. Without boring you with the details, he installed a blocker, so we can’t handle it remotely. We need you to install the program.”

“I said I wouldn’t work for you.”

“I don’t ask lightly. This is a one-time thing.” There was pain in his voice, and I remembered how upset he’d been when he’d learned about the leak. “And if you won’t,” he added, “I’d be relieved, frankly.”

“I’ll do it.” I stopped at that; he didn’t need to know that I felt bad for him. “You probably think I’m being contrary, but I’m not. Just… you have a good point, and I’m in place. It’s not that different from what I’m already doing.” It sucked to say that aloud. “It’s just this once, right?”

“I promise.” A short silence. “The pencil box I gave you.”

I sat up, my mouth dry. “What?”

“I need you to place Henry’s phone in it and wait for the light to turn green. It will take 145 seconds. Think you can manage that?”

All of a sudden, my mind went spinning back to when Corbin had showed up at my apartment. He’d been so playful until I’d asked what he was doing there. “You were supposed to ask me to do this before I left, weren’t you?”

He was quiet, and I could imagine that his face had gone stony. I cleared my throat. “I can do it,” I said, though I had no idea if that were true.

“I’m worried about you, Audrey. Henry Heigh is not a nice man.”

A shiver ran through me, but I forced myself to lightly say, “Who is these days?”

“Don’t get drunk. Don’t drink, period.”

“What are you saying?”

“Stop thinking of him as a friend and start treating him like a threat who wants something from you.”

“Unlike you?”

“Sounds like we have some things to discuss.” He sounded surprised.
Oops.
I’d been aiming for flirty.

“We’re good,” I said. “Really.”

We were both silent. I was about to ask him what he was thinking when he said, “Do this, then come home. There’s a flight early tomorrow morning, and I want you on it.”

“I’ll think about it.”
 

“Audrey—”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Corbin. You
didn’t have to come back into my life.
You
are asking me to do favors that are probably highly illegal. Your hush-hush organization won’t protect
you
, and you’re one of theirs. I’m nobody.”

“I will protect you. Surely you know that.”

“How close were you to not giving me this device?” I narrowed my eyes. “You weren’t going to. What changed your mind?” Ok, so maybe I did feel used.

“Wish I could say duty, but I was prepared to disobey orders. In the end, I felt that it was your decision to make, not mine. I would have told you before you left, but… I still hoped that things could get sorted in a way that didn’t involve you at this level.”

I sucked my lip into my mouth. Corbin
had
done his damnedest to convince me not to go.

Still, there was a world of difference between trying to pump Henry for info about his source at the FBI and installing spyware on his phone.

Something occurred to me. “You can disobey orders? Wouldn’t have thought that was an option.”
 

“I have to go,” he said softly. He hung up.

I emptied the pencils from the box and examined it. The case itself was made of stiff plastic, and there were no bulky electric components. I had to hold it under a lamp to even see the indicator light. Gadgets had always been a weakness of mine, and I wondered what this one was, exactly, and how much it cost.
 

After putting the pencils back inside the box, I put it in my large purse, then hurried downstairs.
 

Henry sat at the bar. I slid onto the stool next to him. “Sorry about that.” I patted my stomach. “I’m afraid my rhythm is all messed up. Must be the time change.” And hopefully that would stymie any sexual ambitions for the night.

Henry handed me an umbrella-topped cocktail. “Mai Tai, right?”

“Good memory.” I accepted it, and we clinked glasses. “Thank you,” I said, raising it to my lips. It was delicious and fruity. Floating bits of pineapple were proof that the non-rum ingredients were fresh. I’d never be able to sip it; this was the kind of drink I could drain in minutes without even realizing what I was doing. Problematic. I needed to be alert around Henry. On that, Corbin and I were in complete agreement.
 

I toyed with the tiny parasol, opening and closing it. “What are you drinking?”

“Manhattan.”

“Oh? I’ve always wanted to try one. May I?” I took a sip of the horribly bitter drink but managed not to grimace. Wouldn’t have a problem not chugging that. “Oh, that’s delish. Can we switch?”

Henry shrugged and took my drink.
 

“Don’t forget your umbrella,” I said as I rolled it onto his napkin with my index finger.

“That’s the most important part.” He leaned forward. “Don’t tell anyone I was drinking this. They’ll think I’m a sissy.” He laughed and took a swig.

“So,” I said.
Let’s try this again.
“Tell me about this criminal. How do you outsmart them?”

“Ambitious girl.”

“Woman,” I said reflexively. I softened my words with a smile. “And yes, I am.”

Henry tilted his head and contemplated me. His brown eyes seemed to see inside my soul, and I willed myself not to think about Corbin. “What do you want?” he asked. “What’s your fifteen-year plan?”

Easy question, and one I didn’t mind answering. “Take over Stroop Finders.”

“And then?”

“Expand into more private investigation work, I think. Hire someone else to worry about the low-sum bond jumpers.”

Henry seemed to be giving my answer more consideration than it deserved. I hoped he wasn’t thinking about us, long term.

“I like that,” he said. “I want to build a network of bounty hunters who work with the penal system. Right now, we’re subcontractors, doing the dirty work, reduced to bribing and borderline illegal tactics.”