“I don’t know.” She stumbled a bit, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. “I was shocked to see him. I just acted on reflex. I didn’t know what he left there, but I didn’t want to take a chance.”
“A chance on what?”
“That whatever was in there could harm innocent people. And believe me, it probably can.”
“How magnanimous of you.”
She swept past his hurtful tone and pressed on.
“I know it was stupid, all right?”
“No. You had options. You could have come to me, told me, or brought the thing to me first instead of hiding it.”
She barked out a laugh, watching him blink in surprise. “What? And you would have believed me and not thought I was in cahoots with him anyhow? Like I could come to you on anything like that. There wasn’t anyone I could go to.”
“And I am supposed to believe you haven’t seen him, your old lover, at all, in years?”
Her face was close to his as she lowered her voice to a whisper. “Couldn’t you tell last night, Ian? How hungry I was, how I reacted as soon as you touched me? Couldn’t you feel that I haven’t been with anyone? Not for a long while.”
He lowered his eyes from hers, his hands planted on his hips, and she wondered if she hadn’t pushed too far. But when he looked at her again there was a flicker of temptation in his gaze.
“If you’re yanking me here, sweetheart, I’ll take you down.”
“I know. I’m not. And the offer stands, Ian. I’ll help you get Locke and I’ll do…anything else you want.”
IAN FIGURED HE WAS LOSING his mind, letting her get to him, letting her swing the game. But what if she was telling the truth? What if she was right? Bringing down this guy would be a much higher priority than busting Sage on a sentence violation, even though the rules said differently.
He looked into Sage’s face, trying hard to be ruthlessly honest with himself—was he making a good judgment call, taking the lesser of two evils, or was he giving in to his baser instincts? She wasn’t just offering him Locke, she was offering him herself. That was a dynamite package. One that could easily blow up in his face.
As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he’d had doubts about bringing her in since they’d left the house. Even after finding the envelope he’d wanted to kiss her again as much as anything. In for a penny, in for a pound, a voice in his head mocked him. Was what he’d done last night any less damning because he hadn’t been inside her?
But he had already made up his mind, for better or worse. He looked closely at her. “How do you know I won’t just turn you in anyway when this is all said and done? I could use you to find Locke, sleep with you and bring you back here. You could go to jail anyway.”
He reached out and touched her chin, though it wasn’t a tender gesture as much as a taunting one as he tipped her face up toward his. Her eyes remained steady on his.
“You’re not that kind of man.”
“You have no idea what kind of man I am. How much do you really know about me? Nothing. But I know everything about you, don’t I?” His voice sounded harsh even to his own ears.
She smiled a little at that, not willing to let him grab the reins. “I guess I’ll find out. I’m willing to take my chances. Anything is better than going in there.”
“Even giving me your body, knowing there’s nothing in the future for us? Not knowing if I’ll keep my end of the bargain?”
She nodded, pinning him with a frank and open stare. “I’ve already given you my body. What I wonder is if you’ll give me yours. I want you, Ian. It’s simple as that. And I don’t want to go to jail. Maybe I’m the one using you.”
He was testing her, putting their situation in the coarsest terms he could, but she’d answered him without so much as a flinch. She was either being very honest or she was just very, very good.
He didn’t touch her anymore, didn’t stand closer—they were in a public place where people would recognize him, so he couldn’t risk it—but he was burning with the desire to haul her next to him and show her what she was doing to his sense of control.
He’d like to think he could hold out, that he would never touch her again. That he would just work with her to find Locke, then let her go. But her scent was still on his hands from the night before, seducing him. He knew he would take what she wanted to give him. He’d have to deal with the consequences of that later on.
“Get in the car.”
With those four words he sealed both of their fates.
APPEARING TO BIRD-WATCH, Locke sat on the park bench, staring up at the trees through tiny binoculars. He didn’t like what he was seeing.
LadyBug was standing outside of the police station with the fed, and he was holding the envelope in his hand. Had his baby girl ratted him out? Gone to the other side? Was she doing the cop? He spat in disgust as he focused the lenses on her face. He knew that look. He’d missed seeing it. Pure sex. If those two weren’t doing each other yet, they would be soon.
Anger faded as he contemplated the idea, and a smile curled his lips. Maybe that was how she was working him. The weakness she’d found to exploit. LadyBug was a hacker to her bones, not as technically skilled as he was, for sure, but she was inventive. She had good instincts and she could figure out how to get into any system—maybe she’d gotten into the cop’s via his dick.
In which case, he supposed he could forgive her, but he’d have to watch some more to know for sure. He’d hoped she would wait for him. He’d wanted to have the pleasure of sinking in between her sweet thighs for the first time in five years. But if she had to make that kind of sacrifice for the cause, he could understand.
On the other hand, if she’d really turned, well…then he’d have to come up with a more severe punishment.
SAGE STARED OUT THE WINDOW as they turned the corner into the historic neighborhoods of Ghent and pulled to the curb. This was a place she knew well from her childhood. Her parents had several friends who lived in the wealthy section of the city, and she’d often played in these immaculately groomed yards, though she hadn’t kept in contact with any of the friends she’d had here.
Ghent was the city’s first “planned community,” created at the turn of the twentieth century, far different from the cookie-cutter housing developments that littered costal areas nowadays. The place had real Southern charm. A variety of gorgeous Dutch Colonial- and Greek Revival-style homes nestled comfortably next to each other. The area was very peaceful and serene even though it butted against some very busy main streets.
When they’d hit high school, all of her friends had become involved in pep squads and cheerleading, yearbook club and sports, but she just hadn’t been interested in those things. They all seemed so…light.
So she’d spent more and more time hacking, more time sitting alone at the computer, honing her skills. The separation between her and any of the people she knew, including her own family, had widened. They certainly hadn’t been able or willing to understand her lack of interest in cultivating a proper social life, particularly one befitting a teenage Southern belle.
Sage snorted to herself—she never had been and never would be a belle. Life might do its worst—send her to jail, deny her a decent job, whatever—as long as she was saved from being a Southern belle.
“What are we doing now?”
“We’re going to see what’s on this disk.”
“Ian, I haven’t eaten, showered or even brushed my teeth. I feel gross.” Sage thought wistfully of the Starbucks down at the corner, exhausted and feeling the lack of caffeine in her system now that she had won the battle over being arrested.
“EJ will have something to eat. The rest can wait.”
He got out of the car and headed toward one of the oldest, grandest homes Sage had ever seen in the area. This one had been kept in pristine shape. The austere look of the porch columns was softened by pink magnolia trees that blossomed in the yard. Dense ivy crept along the lower parts of the colum
ns. Blooming flowers sat in pots in the corners of the porch, surrounding them in fragrance.
“Who’s EJ?”
Her question was answered seconds after Ian rang the bell. The man who answered the door smiled widely at Ian, obviously happy to see him, and then politely acknowledged Sage’s presence with a nod and a soft-spoken hello. As the two men exchanged words, Sage noted that EJ was a local—his accent was typical to the area, not the old-timer’s thick accent that sounded like a foreign language, but the upper-class cadence that spun even casual speech into silk.
Even though Sage had the female version of the same accent, she could still appreciate how it made men’s voices incredibly sexy and refined. It was a sign of someone born and bred—very well bred. EJ Beaumont—she caught his last name from the mailbox—was a real Southern gentleman.
The name sounded somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t place it—perhaps he’d done business with her father. He was at least third-generation Virginian, she guessed. Idly she wondered what EJ’s initial stood for—most likely his father’s name and his grandfather’s, as well. The initials probably allowed him to be referred to without confusion, a common convention.
EJ’s friendly green eyes—almost the exact same color as hers—shifted from Ian to Sage. He was freshly shaven, crisp and cool regardless of the heat in khakis and a white cotton shirt. He was barefoot, his sandy brown hair neatly cut. He wore a musky aftershave that was pleasant and not overpowering.
Sage ran a hand self-consciously through her messy hair—she must look like a street rat in comparison, though he didn’t give one glimmer of noticing, behavior befitting of a real gentleman. EJ smiled and shook Ian’s hand, stepping back to invite them in.
“EJ, I was hoping you might have time to help me out with something. Something…delicate.”
EJ’s brow creased and he nodded. “Of course. I’ve just fixed a late breakfast—are you two hungry? There’s plenty. I got a little carried away at the market this morning.”
“Sounds good.” Ian locked glances with his friend. “Are you alone?”
“Millie’s upstairs getting dressed. She’ll be down in a few minutes, but she’ll be delighted to see you.”
Ian slanted a skeptical smile, and Sage wondered who Millie was but didn’t ask. Ian guided her ahead of him, his hand impersonal at the small of her back. Sage knew it was a gesture meant to move her where he could keep her in sight, not affection of any kind, but still his touch warmed her skin.
They followed EJ into the kitchen, not saying a word. She wondered what Ian was going to tell EJ about her. She walked to a beautiful cherry dining table, admiring EJ’s taste, and he motioned for her to sit.
“Let me get some food and we can talk.”
Ian sat directly across from her, looking tired and stressed. His blue chambray shirt was rumpled, his gray eyes a little bleary. The sensuous mouth that had brought her such pleasure last night was set into a firm line. He didn’t make eye contact with her but glanced around the kitchen instead, making small talk as EJ carried some trays from the granite counter to the table.
The two men sat at the corner of the table, and Sage sat directly across, observing. Ian appeared rough-hewn set against EJ’s more refined, gentlemanly manner. Ian’s stone-colored eyes were cold next to the warm ocean-green ones of his friend, but just looking at Ian made her heart race.
The way his black hair fell over his forehead begged her to push it back with her fingers. She knew what he felt like, what he tasted like, and she knew being with him would be heaven with just a little bit of hell mixed in for spice. The memory was still sharp and made her intimate muscles clench slightly as she observed the angles of his face, more distinct with exhaustion, but she remembered how they’d softened when he’d made love to her.
Sage smiled to herself. Soft-spoken, refined gentlemen never had been her preference, much to her mother’s dismay. EJ reminded her of her father a little bit—they had the same aura of the well-bred. Ian was more of a mystery, more of a challenge.
She sighed, thinking of her family more in the last ten minutes than she had in the last week. They’d moved from Norfolk two years ago, wanting to be close to her sister, who had just had twins in Charleston. Sage hadn’t seen them in a while; she wasn’t allowed out of the state.
She missed them sometimes but didn’t know why. Just the sense of something familiar, something she belonged to even though she didn’t exactly fit their mold. Of course, she’d never really tried.
She hadn’t dated many boys and she’d gone out of her way to find ones her parents would be shocked by. That was part of how she had ended up with Locke, no doubt. But her attraction to Ian was something new. Her parents might even approve of him, though he wasn’t a native Southerner. It was something she would think about later. Right now she was starving.
“Oh, we have company! Ian! It’s been forever!” A sweet, lilting voice cut through Sage’s reverie. A petite, blond and gorgeous young woman entered the kitchen and went straight over to Ian, giving him a friendly hug before moving to EJ’s side. The woman moved gracefully between the men, fresh as a daisy, dressed in a white summer sheath and sandals. This must be Millie. As Millie slipped her arm possessively through EJ’s, Sage spotted the brilliant-cut diamond on her left hand as it sparkled brightly in the sunlight that lit the kitchen. EJ was clearly spoken for. Millie looked curiously at Sage, then back at Ian as he spoke.
“It’s good to see you, Millie. You’re as beautiful as ever,” he said, gracing Millie with a charming smile.
Millie pinkened slightly, and Sage fought the urge to roll her eyes. So this was what Ian was like when he let his guard down for a moment. Sage was speechless. Everything about him had…warmed.
“And who is our guest? Is this a friend of yours, Ian?”
Sage ignored the tightening of her chest as she watched his face change, and as he started to speak, she interrupted. She didn’t know how Ian would introduce her, but she didn’t feel like being publicly humiliated in front of people like EJ and Millie. She stood, pushing her hand out across the table and taking Millie’s milky white, French-manicured fingers in her own. She remembered how to do the lady handshake, though she despised it. It was so…weak.
“Hi, I’m Sage Matthews. I work with Ian.”
The lie came out smoothly, but for some reason a small crease formed on Millie’s smooth, pale brow. Then it cleared almost instantly.
“So this is a work visit? Well, any friend of Ian’s is certainly welcome anytime.”
She looked at the food EJ was setting on the table. “Darling, I see you’ve outdone yourself once again.” Millie fluttered becomingly and smiled at Sage. “I’m so lucky to have found a man who loves to cook, but whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re both here to help us eat all of this food. I swear, I will be a cow after a year of eating like this.”
Sage highly doubted it, especially as she saw how carefully Millie made her selection from the food assembled before them. EJ accepted her compliment silently, smiling warmly at his fiancée and pulling out her chair, then sitting himself and gesturing to Ian and Sage.
“Dig in.”
Sage didn’t need to be asked twice and loaded a plate up with pastry, fruit and scrambled eggs, eagerly accepting the large cup of coffee EJ handed her. Ian filled his plate, as well, and the rest of breakfast was taken up with small talk about EJ and Millie’s wedding plans. Sage only half listened, concentrating on one of the best breakfasts she’d ever eaten.
Ian kept the conversation centered on the couple and didn’t bring Sage into it. He obviously didn’t want to discuss their business with Millie present, which she was thankful for, no matter the reason. As the small talk faded, they ate quietly and a light tension stretched over the table.
Millie looked at Sage and then Ian. “I know you have business to discuss. I suppose I should make myself scarce.”
Millie was apparently not pleased that Ian was bringing business concerns to EJ’s a
ttention. Sage wondered why.
Ian sighed, standing as Millie stood. “Mil, I do have some things to talk about with EJ, but it’s been so nice to see you again. Don’t let us chase you away from your breakfast.”
Again he turned on the charm, and Sage wanted to gag. Well, not really, but still. Millie smiled and waved her hands at him. Was this the kind of woman Ian liked? The kind of woman he imagined marrying? Sage shifted uncomfortably in her chair, feeling even more grungy than she had when they’d arrived.
“No problem, Ian. I just worry that Ethan works too hard sometimes. But I’m his fiancée, not his mother. I have a lot to do myself and have lingered far longer than I should have. It has been wonderful seeing you again. And it’s good meeting you, Sage. I’ll leave you all to your business.”
It was a polite speech, stiffly delivered. Her disapproval was obvious as she leaned in to kiss EJ on his smoothly shaved cheek, but no one said a word as she exited the kitchen. EJ looked at Ian in half apology.
“Sorry about that. She gets upset when she even thinks I might be having anything to do with law enforcement again. But it happens from time to time, even now, and she has to accept that.”
“I know. I’m sorry we had to interrupt your morning, but this really couldn’t wait.”
EJ nodded, pushing his plate back. “Tell me.”
Ian explained the events of the last twelve hours to EJ, who listened attentively, nodding and giving Sage the occasional glance.
She realized suddenly, while she listened to Ian explain, that he’d used her name sparingly, only in introducing her to EJ. In fact, he’d not used her name once since he’d shown up at her home.
What was going on in that head of his that using her name had suddenly became taboo? Whatever it was, she didn’t like it. She realized as she pushed her empty plate away that EJ had addressed her. She looked at him, blinking and shaking her head.
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