Testing The Boss (Billionaires In The City, #5)

by Mallory Crowe

  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.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “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, even 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.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  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 ri
ght 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 case. 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.

  He hit the number for one of the higher levels, and the high-speed elevator had them there in no time. The doors opened to a less impressive hallway, but it was obvious that there was something big going on in the room behind them. But in front of the doors were two men in suits and clipboards. It made sense that this would be invitation only.

  Luke confidently strode over to them and gave his name. The “bouncer” looked over his board and turned a few pages. “I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t see your name here.”

  Evelyn set a hand on her hip and raised her brow at Luke. Well, this should have a damn good explanation.

  “There must be some mistake. Colin Carter knows I was supposed to come tonight. Can you call him over?”

  The bouncer nodded and pulled a radio from his pocket to call this Colin Carter person over.

  Evelyn straightened as she saw the man approach a minute later. Colin Carter had the muscular build and observant gaze of someone who wasn’t a casual guest. Or even an off-the-street rent-a-cop.

  Evelyn was willing to bet military, but she knew well-trained men like that came from many different sources.

  The question was, where did Luke find him?

  “He’s okay,” said Colin as he reached them without even asking for Luke’s name. And Evelyn knew the bouncer hadn’t said it over the radio. “They can come on in.”

  Luke nodded his thanks and pulled Evelyn into the beautiful ballroom without saying even a thank-you to Colin Carter.

  “What’s going on?” she whispered to Luke, even as she put on a smile.

  “I’ll tell you everything,” he promised. “After I get a drink. Do you want one?”

  Of course she didn’t want a drink. She wanted to know the truth. “Water, please,” she bit out, letting her tone carry exactly how she felt about his behavior.

  He led her to the bar and she followed, glancing around the room for any sign of threats. The room had soft blue lights around the border, giving the room a relaxing glow. One side of the room had tables for the guests to sit, and servers walked around with trays of gourmet hors d’oeuvres. Two sides of the ballroom were flanked with an outdoor terrace that overlooked the nightscape of the city and Central Park. Renting this space must’ve cost a fortune, but, like Luke said, the Farrells could afford it.

  Then she saw someone across the room who had her stopping in her tracks. “Is that Cali?”

  ~~~~~

  Luke cursed under his breath as Evelyn pointed to a woman in the middle of conversation with three men all in suits just as expensive as his own.. “Huh. I didn’t realize she knew the Farrells. But she is pretty personable. Maybe she got an invite.”

  Evelyn tightened her lips as her eyes darted nervously around the room.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked. Evelyn had seemed on edge all day. Did she know the real reason he was here?

  “We need to see who exactly invited her. Come on.” Evelyn started across the room and Luke followed. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to get to Longineu before he saw Luke and bolted.

  As they got closer, Cali turned away from the men she was talking to and scanned the crowd before she noticed him and Evelyn. She gave them a confused smile as they approached.

  “Hi, Cali,” said Evelyn in a strangely cheerful tone.

  “I didn’t realize you were coming tonight, Luke.”

  Evelyn smiled over at Luke. “Funny. I thought this had been on your schedule for ages.”

  “Not the one I keep.” Cali glanced between the two of them.

  “The one in my head,” he bit out.

  “Whatever you say.” Cali smiled. “Easson just ran to the restroom. He should
be out any minute if you want to meet him.”

  Evelyn stiffened and reached down for her purse. “Easson is here?”

  “Yes. He invited me.” Cali studied Evelyn for a moment and her face fell. “Why—is that a bad thing?”

  “Why is that a bad thing?” asked Luke.

  Evelyn looked around the room again and Luke realized her anxiety was increasing by the second.

  “Because your boyfriend tried to kill me," admitted Evelyn.

  “What?” shouted Cali.

  “Evelyn...”

  “Easson is very dangerous and he’s working for the people who are after Luke.”

  Luke stared in disbelief at Evelyn, and she refused to meet his gaze. How long had she known? Why the hell hadn’t she told him?

  “And you decided to let me carry on with him...why exactly? So you could keep tabs on him? Have a way to track him?”

  Luke shook his head. “Cali—”

  She backed away. “No. I’m leaving before I get pulled into any more of your shit. And if you see my ex-boyfriend, please tell him that I don’t appreciate being used by anyone.” She turned and cut across the room, making a beeline for the door.

  Luke started to follow when Evelyn grabbed his arm and pulled him off to the side of the room. “What the hell is going on here?”

  “You’re asking me? You’re the one who’s been letting my assistant date a serial killer.”

  “That was a calculated risk after much consideration. He was dating her to get close to you and if we want to catch him, I needed him close. I only found out how dangerous he was today and I would’ve told you if I weren’t convinced you were hiding something from me. Now spill. What are we doing here?”

  Luke clenched his jaw as the anger coursed through him. Evelyn had used him. Used Cali to get what she wanted. “I thought we were partners,” he hissed.

  “We were never partners!” she snapped. “You’re good at what you do, but you’re not a cop or FBI agent or anything. You’re not investigating this with me. I’m here to protect you, which is damn hard when you bring me to parties with killers, and I have a sinking feeling you knew he would be here.”