A Steel Town (A Gateway to Love #3)

by Chloe Barlow

  “I didn’t think you meant immediately. I have another appointment to meet with David tomorrow.” Claudia turned to walk toward her living room and continued talking. “I dug some more into that Sydney matter I told you about…turns out the CEO who was killed was named Ahmet Mehta, and he was David’s roommate at MIT. It can’t be a coincidence. Plus, he’s exactly the kind of person David would’ve confided in about his problems after the car accident, likely by email, what with the time difference and all. I just need to talk to David about it. His lawyer said David was very eager to discuss Dr. Mehta with me. I think this is the break we’ve been waiting for!”

  “No way. I told you not to tell anyone about what we are working on.”

  “Not to the detriment of the case. It has to be our first priority.”

  “My priority it to get you to D.C. David will be here when we get back.”

  “One more day won’t make a difference,” Claudia muttered absently, making sure her purse had all the essentials for the evening.

  “It will,” he answered.

  Claudia spun around and leveled a suspicious stare at him, trying to read his mind, or at least his facial expression, but as always, he was closed off to her.

  “What aren’t you telling me, Trey?”

  “What? Me? Nothing.”

  “You do realize I’ve been trained to spot lying, right? You could try a little harder. Something has been up with you ever since last night — like you’re nervous, or worried about something.”

  “I’m not nervous, and I’m not lying,” he answered, deliberately meeting her gaze and setting his jaw in a stiff manner. “Besides, I thought you hated it here and couldn’t wait to transfer back to D.C.?”

  “Hate is a strong word. And, I don’t know, lately it’s kind of been growing on me. I mean, I have new friends with Jenna, Tea, and Aubrey, and I like the time I spend here with you…”

  Trey approached her, a sexy smile creasing his cheeks. After leaning down to give her one of his maddening brief kisses, he said, “Good answer. I like the time I spend in this city with you, too.” Trey moved from her as quickly as he’d come, and began to collect the files she was working on from her kitchen table.

  “Hey! I’m not done with those.”

  “I know you’re not. That’s why I’m bringing them with us when we leave tonight.”

  “You know, this is confusing, because I’m almost positive the language I was speaking to you just now was English, yet you act like you don’t understand a thing I said.”

  “I got every word of it. And you can unclench your fists, because I can interpret your body language pretty fluently, too.”

  Claudia growled in frustration, but he simply grinned back at her.

  Trey replaced the files on the table, moving his hands to the tops of Claudia’s arms, and in a soothing tone explained, “Look, I’m just eager for you to meet Stephen. I trust him. He runs a task force under the CIA umbrella. Working with him could be the actual break you’re waiting for.”

  “But it’s Halloween.”

  “What?”

  “October 31st? All Hallow’s Eve? You know, people dress up…ask for treats as an alternate to tricks? Communicate with other humanoids in a group setting, such as Wyatt and Jenna’s party tonight? You do live in the same world as the rest of us, right?” she answered with a teasing smile.

  “Is that why you’re dressed like…wait, what are you dressed like?”

  Claudia crinkled her nose and pulled her stuffed Ewok, with a granola bar pinned to him, even more closely to her body.

  “I’m Leia from Return of the Jedi, jeez. You know, when they land on the forest moon of Endor and she has to take out a bunch of storm troopers on a speeder bike?”

  “Wow, that’s some high-level geekdom right there, Claudia.”

  “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Are you sure you’re really a techie?”

  “Little one, this is not the Princess Leia outfit I fantasize about you wearing. You can wear the slave girl getup for me on a future evening, but for now, we need to get to work.”

  Claudia had toyed with the idea of the slave girl costume. She’d never been so openly sexy in her life. Yet, as soon as she built up the nerve to wear it, she just as quickly realized her clunky insulin pump rendered the option impossible.

  “But I put in all this effort. You could pass for being in costume, maybe go as a rock star?”

  “No. I’m just me on a Friday night…trying to get you to do what I say.”

  “But Tea, Jenna, and Aubrey asked me to come!” Claudia heard the begging tone of her own voice and it filled her with embarrassment. In her ridiculous jodhpurs, tunic, and hat, it was hard not to feel like the lonely, nerdy little sister she worried she appeared to be — the one she’d always felt like on so many other Halloweens. Claudia couldn’t meet Trey’s eyes, but she also couldn’t keep quiet.

  “I worked hard on this costume. I never really got to have a Halloween… We would donate all my candy. The sugar was ‘poison’ for me, after all. As mamá would say, ‘El dulce es venenoso para tu salud.’” Claudia hitched her hip to the left a little and wagged her finger, impersonating her mother as she spoke. “I always told myself, when I was a grown-up… Never mind. I sound like a stupid kid. I’ll go pack my bag, for wherever it is we’re going.” She started to walk away, ashamed of how silly she must sound to him.

  “No. Stop,” Trey grabbed her arm, keeping her close to him. His face softened and he moved his hand to hold the back of her neck gently, allowing his thumb to run over her cheek. “Tell me.”

  Claudia leaned into his palm, her goofy helmet slipping a little. “I always told myself, when I got big and ran my own life, I would find a way to make Halloween fun for me. I would fit in and…and I wouldn’t be alone anymore.”

  “Then you need to go to this party.” His finger moved to run across her lower lip. She could see worry in his eyes, but she didn’t know its cause. Trey swallowed hard, finally adding, “What asshole said you couldn’t?” Trey teased with an apologetic smile on his face. He kissed her lightly on her nose and Claudia felt as if she were the prettiest, coolest geek to ever dress like Princess Leia — slave girl, or otherwise.

  “Thank you. You’re coming with me, right?”

  “Of course. I can’t let you loose with all those single guys in such a sexy outfit, without my supervision. Let’s go.”

  “Not yet, tattoo boy. You need to at least pretend to have a costume. I think a little black eyeliner and spiky hair should round out your rocker look in just the right way,” she stated, grabbing his hand to pull him to her bedroom.

  “If you wanted me in your bedroom, all you had to was ask.”

  Claudia gaped at him for a moment, her face flushing hot with desperate thoughts of what he might do if he ever were in her bed — if he finally didn’t stop himself…

  “We’re running out of time. You can either stare at me all night, or go to your party.”

  “Right, then let’s, uh, get that makeup on you,” she stammered out, cringing at the sound.

  “Don’t worry, little one, I’ll make sure to let you touch me a lot while you do it,” he whispered into her ear.

  “Damn it, Adler, get in there already,” she added before turning around and using all her strength to keep from swallowing her tongue.

  Claudia felt pretty sure this guy would be the death of her, but she knew she was already too far gone to care.

  “Claude, I love your costume!” Jenna exclaimed after opening the door to the home she and Wyatt shared. “Princess Leia, right?”

  “Thank you! I hoped someone would get it,” Claudia answered with a laugh.

  “Come on in, girl.”

  Jenna began to close the door, not seeing Trey, until he stopped the door with a press of his hand, probably a little more forcefully than necessary.

  “Oh, Trey. Hi. It’s good to see you, too.”

  “You like his costume?�
�� Claudia enthused, showing she was clearly proud of her handiwork.

  He could still feel the sensation of her hands on his face, as she slid her ridiculous black eyeliner on the rims of his eyes. Every part of him had wanted to grab her hand, throw her to the floor, and lose himself deeply inside her. He’d resisted the urge, instead simply meeting her eyes with his own. Her slightly quivering hand told him all he needed to know about how much she wanted him in return.

  “Though, it’s not much of a stretch. I’m pretty sure Trey already thinks he’s a rock god somewhere deep inside,” Jenna said with a lightness Trey knew was forced. “I thought you said you couldn’t make it?” Jenna asked him directly.

  “This little one can be very persuasive,” he answered vaguely, avoiding her perceptive gaze, as he guided Claudia into the foyer.

  “Is that right?” Jenna asked slowly.

  “It is. I’m a total nag,” Claudia responded.

  Trey was already regretting letting Claudia talk him into this. It was bad enough the way his head was spinning with anxiety over the dangerous new theory she’d come up with in the Taylor case. He didn’t need Jenna trying to discern just how close he’d gotten to the protégé she’d thrust upon him.

  Jenna had become one of his best friends over the past year, but he knew she didn’t think he was right for Claudia. Damned if this suspicion hadn’t turned her into some kind of enemy in his mind overnight. It didn’t matter that Trey was pretty sure he wasn’t right for Claudia, either.

  “Claude! There you are,” Aubrey brayed at her, grabbing Claudia’s hand and yanking her away from them.

  “Hi! It’s so good to see you all. So, what are your costumes?”

  “Tea is over there. She’s Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. I’m a mad scientist,” Jenna responded. “Your brother insisted I wear my lab coat, this was the compromise.”

  “Girl costumes are so ridiculous these days. I guess I could’ve come as a sexy letter of the alphabet, or something,” Aubrey joked. “I decided to be Pat Benatar for a night, instead.”

  Claudia laughed. “Good choice,” she stated. “I mean, love is a battlefield, right?”

  “Exactly. Which is why I need you to look alive, girl. This is a target-rich environment if I ever saw one. Wyatt invited all his teammates, and I’ve already done some legwork to identify the available ones. You came at the perfect time. The guys who have kids are all out with them trick-or-treating, taking advantage of how private it is here on Washington’s Landing, which means most of the guys left are unattached and all of them are hot. It’ll be like hitting on fish in a barrel.”

  “You really put a lot into this plan,” Claudia said with a laugh.

  “You have to stick with me. We’re the only single ones left in this bunch.”

  Aubrey’s words grated at Trey like a root canal, but he kept his expression neutral.

  “Whoa, Brey,” Jenna said, “don’t steal her away completely. You know Wyatt and I want to make sure she talks to one fish in particular.”

  “Jenna, what are you and Wyatt up to now?” Claudia asked, her eyes darting back and forth between Jenna and Brey nervously.

  “It’s a good thing, Claude, I promise. Jason is here and he asked about you, specifically, when we invited him,” Jenna stated, with a glimmer in her eye, which was a punch in Trey’s gut.

  “Well, I think Trey and I were going to…” Claudia began, but Aubrey grabbed her hand and pulled her away from him.

  “It’s a party. He’ll survive,” Aubrey chided.

  “We aren’t staying long. We have a lot to get done,” Trey growled out, feeling whatever patience he’d pretended to have with Claudia drain out of him more with each second.

  “Oh, come on. You two can take one night off. Don’t work her to death, man,” Aubrey declared, making his teeth grit together with frustration.

  “Maybe if you let her speak for herself then you’d know whether I’m working her too much, or not,” he growled, causing both Jenna and Aubrey’s eyebrows to raise.

  “We aren’t speaking for her. We’re interrupting her. There’s a big difference. Chill, dude,” Aubrey answered crisply.

  “Trey, calm down,” Claudia whispered, her eyes wide, and he felt a little like shit at the trepidation he saw reflected in each of the pretty chocolate orbs. Claudia turned from him and said coolly to her girlfriends, “Let me go speak to the boss for a second, ladies.”

  After pulling Trey aside, Claudia asked, “Why are you so pissed? We only just got here. I figured it would take you at least twenty minutes to get cranky,” she teased, but it didn’t lighten his mood at all.

  “Oh, I’m just fucking great. I agree to delay the trip I tell you is vital to our mission and you walk in the door here and immediately run off with them to meet guys.”

  “You know that’s not what’s happening. But why am I defending myself to you? Is there a reason I shouldn’t be talking to anyone?”

  “Because we don’t have time for it.”

  “If that’s the only thing you can come up with, then I might as well just have a good time elsewhere,” she gritted out.

  Trey grabbed her elbow, stilling her, before whispering, “I guess I just don’t like to see you with anyone else. I like to keep you all to myself. Is that so wrong?” he asked, throwing her a half smile, which caused her eyes to settle on his lips in a way that made him want to do all sorts of things unsuitable for a crowded party.

  “No. I think it’s a good thing,” she muttered, her voice suddenly thick.

  “You like having me to yourself, too, don’t you?” he added, his voice rough like gravel.

  “Very much.”

  “Good. But I did promise you a fun Halloween, so go enjoy yourself. I was serious about not staying long though.”

  Claudia nodded, opening her mouth to speak, when Aubrey grabbed her arm and started to pull her away from him.

  “All right, you monopolized her enough. It’s time to get this girl a drink.”

  “Nothing sweet,” he said abruptly before he could stop himself, and cringed inwardly to see Claudia blush with embarrassment and anger in response. Trey realized immediately Aubrey didn’t know about Claudia’s diabetes, and she probably wanted to keep it that way.

  “Damn it, Trey,” Claudia growled at him under her breath.

  “I’m sure Claudia can pick her own drink,” Aubrey retorted. Her voice sounding more confused than irritated, though he wouldn’t have blamed her if she were pissed at him. “You know, Trey. I think I liked you better before, when you didn’t care about anything.”

  “I’m feeling the same way,” he muttered to himself, noticing Jenna had rejoined them.

  “I’ll be back soon. Are you cool?” Claudia asked, and he nodded, her thoughtfulness affecting him in a way he didn’t quite understand.

  “Come on! Enough of that. He’ll live. Let’s get the party started.”

  Trey watched them walk into the main area, which was already filled with people. It didn’t take that Jason guy any time to swoop in on her, but Trey forced himself to look away.

  “Are you really okay, Trey?” Jenna asked.

  “What are you trying to say, blondie? Just cut to the chase.”

  “What’s going on with you two?”

  “Nothing that concerns you.”

  “It does. Claudia is a special person.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?”

  “I see how she looks at you. But I don’t want to see her heart broken.”

  “Who says I’d do that?”

  “I know how you are with women…loads of women, to be exact.”

  “Spoken by the girl living with Wyatt Fucking McCoy. Should we talk about the kind of asshat he was with women before he met you?”

  “You’re kidding, right?

  “No, I’m not. Besides, so what if I do get involved with her, Jenna?”

  “She’s young and vulnerable right now — in a new city, trying to find her way. Someone like
you would be totally overwhelming to her.”

  “Someone like me? Real nice, blondie.”

  “You know that’s not what I meant. I think you’re great, it’s just she would be in over her head with you.”

  “She’s a twenty-three-year-old genius who’s been trained to take down men three times her size. Maybe you all are underestimating her.”

  “It’s not her head I’m worried about. It’s her heart.”

  “What’s going on, Doc,” Wyatt asked, coming up behind her. “Who are you talking about?”

  “Nobody. It’s nothing.”

  “You seem upset, belleza,” Wyatt continued, pulling her to him by the waist, even as he threw a wary glare at Trey.

  “It’s fine. I promise. Trey is like a brother to me, which means we fight like pissed off siblings sometimes.”

  Trey’s phone began buzzing. “I have to take this, sorry, Jenna.”

  “But I wasn’t finished…” she groused as Trey walked away.

  “Hey, Stephen, what’s up?”

  “Are you ready to get out of Pittsburgh, yet?”

  “Almost.”

  “That’s not good enough. David Murphy’s dead.”

  “What?”

  “Found hanging in his cell about forty-five minutes ago. I’ve been scrambling ever since. He’d been dead at least a few hours.”

  “Suicide? I’m not buying it. I interviewed him myself today.”

  “I’m betting it’s staged, too. Does Agent McCoy know you were doing your own digging about her theories?”

  “No. I don’t want anything else to distract from getting her out of town.”

  “Then definitely hold off on this news.”

  “No shit. Damn it. How the hell did no one find him until now?”

  “My source says the video feed into his cell was tapped into. Someone overrode it and had the same image of him asleep on a loop, so no one saw any reason to check up on him.”

  “Why didn’t Jacobs tell me? Fucking FBI.”

  “We can’t worry about that right now. It gets worse. My contact in Murphy’s federal detention facility also told me Agent McCoy was set to meet with him tomorrow. It was in all the logs. Anyone with resources of their own would be able to find it. And I’m pretty sure they did. The cameras we set up outside of Agent McCoy’s house just picked up someone casing the place.”