Frank DeMarco stood there, leaning against the doorjamb.
And Mal literally snapped to attention. Old habits.
“Yes, sir. How are you, sir?”
Frank’s mouth tilted at the corners.
“At ease, Malcolm. Is this a bad time?” Frank gestured toward his desk and, for a second, Mal wondered what the man saw there. Hell, maybe the guy read minds.
“No, sir. Did you need something?”
“No, just stopped to say hi. Can I come in?”
Son, you’re an idiot. The man just had his chest cracked open—
He waved Frank into his office. “Of course, sir. Please, have a seat.”
With a nod, Frank walked in, his gaze taking in everything in two seconds flat as he shut the door behind him.
Christ, what the hell was the man looking for?
To say Frank DeMarco intimidated him was an understatement.
At sixty-six, Frank retained the bearing of the decorated army officer he was. His features were remarkably similar to Nic’s but his once dark hair was now peppered with silver.
Mal had met Frank at his first interview, but the DeMarco patriarch didn’t spend a lot of time in the office anymore, thanks to his recent heart surgery.
Frank seemed to have recovered just fine, but the worry he’d seen in Janey’s eyes whenever she talked about her dad made Mal take a closer look at the man for weakness.
Unfaltering steel-blue eyes. Straight slash of a mouth.
Nope, the guy still intimidated the crap out of him.
Nodding a greeting, Mal let his genuine surprise show. “How are you, sir?”
“Not bad, not bad.” Frank waved to the chair next to him. “Sit down.”
Mal caught his eyebrows before they shot up. Shit. Had they discovered why he was here? What had tipped them off? What—
Don’t go off half cocked now, son. The man didn’t even speak yet.
Mal let his gaze slide away from Frank’s, not having to fake his unease, which was completely in character.
“So,” Frank said, “you settling in okay? Anything you need? Any questions?”
Mal’s radar blipped. Frank had the reputation for being a top-notch investigator and this sure sounded like the beginning of an inquisition.
Mal put on his best computer-geek grin. “Everything’s fine. It’s been an adjustment, sir, but a good one.”
“Good, glad to hear it.” Frank nodded, settling himself more comfortably on the chair. Like a man with a mission. “We really haven’t had much time to talk since you started. But Grace has good things to say about you. So does Janey. She’s pretty impressed with you.”
Damn it, that shouldn’t mess with his head. But anything to do with Janey made him hypersensitive. He just couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was—
Abruptly, he realized Frank had asked him a question. Backtracking, he tried to find it in his overloaded brain but couldn’t.
“I’m sorry, sir.” He grimaced, hating to look the fool in front of this man. “I missed that.”
“I asked how you like working here.” Frank repeated.
For just a second, Mal wished he could answer, “Fine, sir. I’m enjoying it,” and mean it. He said the words anyway, and Frank nodded.
“Good, because we’re happy to have you. How are you settling into Philadelphia? It’s not a bad city, once you get to know it.”
“Actually, the city’s got a lot going for it.” Mal answered honestly. “The food’s incredible, the people are friendly…usually,” he added, “and there’s enough to keep an amateur historian busy for years.”
Frank’s eyebrows lifted. “You like history? A man after my own heart.”
Frank sounded surprised and a little pleased. Good. He’d hit on something they had in common. Keep him talking, play on that. Get the man to open up, just a little, and maybe something would slip out.
Fat chance, son.
Yeah, well, he could hope.
“I’ve been meaning to get out to Valley Forge,” Mal continued, “but the closest I’ve gotten to a historical site has been driving by the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.”
“Well, there’s a lot to see, that’s for sure.” Then Frank frowned. “Gracie said you’ve been working long hours. You know we don’t expect that, right?”
“Yes, sir.” Mal shrugged. “I’m used to it. Old habits die hard.”
“Yes, they do. When I talked to your former boss, he said you were something of a workaholic. Gotta watch that. The stress’ll catch up with you.” Lifting a hand to his chest, Frank rubbed a spot just below his sternum. “And before you know it, you’re in an operating room on your back with your chest cut open, wondering how the hell you got there.”
A twinge of worry caught Mal off guard. What kind of stress would it put on Frank’s heart when he found out Mal’s true mission? And why should he care? This man could be partly responsible for Dev’s death.
With a sigh, Frank dropped his hand and sat a little straighter in his chair. “I’ve tried to talk to my own kids, but they don’t listen. Nic shrugged me off. I couldn’t even roust Jimmy out of the lab to talk to him and Janey…well, Janey…”
“Janey what?”
Mal’s head snapped up, his gaze arrowing toward the sound of her voice.
The woman in question stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest as she stared at Frank with raised eyebrows.
Jesus, he hadn’t even heard the door open.
You’re slipping, son.
“I didn’t know you were going to be in the office today, Dad. Is everything okay?”
Concern pinched her mouth into a frown and he saw fear in the tight lines of her body. But, if he were Frank, he’d be more than a little worried about the heated look in her eyes.
But Frank showed no fear. Hell, the man even grinned as he turned to face his daughter.
“I just stopped by to say hi. Mal and I got to talking and, since the man likes history, I thought maybe you could give him the city tour.”
Janey’s eyes narrowed as she leveled her gaze at Frank. That look would have broken a lesser man. Mal wondered how long he’d hold up under it. But Frank’s smile remained intact as Janey swung her gaze back to Mal.
Her bright eyes made his gut clench in reaction. Shit, shit and double shit.
“I’m sure I could find the time, if you’d like,” she said. “I did a lot of exploring when we moved here.” Then she gave her dad another look, one Mal couldn’t decipher. “Dad, I need to talk to Mal for a sec. If you’re not done, I’ll come back—”
“No, no.” Frank stuck out one large hand to Mal as he rose. “I just wanted to check in, see how everything’s going. I’ve got some work to do.”
Standing, Mal took Frank’s hand, respecting the firm shake. Respecting the man. But damn it, what he’d been sent here to do…
“It was nice to see you again, sir.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Frank said. “You’ll be seeing a lot more of me. Just let Janey know if you need anything.”
Before he left, Frank brushed a quick kiss on Janey’s cheek, then sauntered down the hall.
Janey turned to watch him walk away. Worry radiated from her in waves and, when she shook her head, that pit in his stomach opened even wider.
“Janey? You okay?”
She nodded before turning back to him, her gaze meshing with his for several seconds before she glanced at the hard drive in her hands. “I have a favor to ask. Please, feel free to say no. I’ll completely understand if you’re too swamped.” She held up the shiny metal box. “But this has been giving me fits. My cousin’s term paper is on here and she needs it by the end of the week. I can’t figure out what’s wrong. I realize you have your own work—”
“No problem.” Janey the unflappable needed help? He held out his hand for the drive. “I’ll take a look at it.”
Her momentarily narrowed eyes said maybe he’d been a little quick on the draw but he’d never been
one to turn down a damsel in distress. Got him in trouble more times than he cared to remember but this was Janey. No way would he say no.
Stepping closer, she held out the hard drive. “Thanks so much. I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
Yeah, and he didn’t have to guess what that was. Christ, this assignment was getting suckier by the minute.
She turned to go, but Mal, stupid idiot that he was, opened his mouth.
“So, what’s the term paper about?”
Janey’s feet stuck to the floor for a brief second before she turned back to Mal. She couldn’t really believe he was interested in her teenage cousin’s term paper, even if he did look genuinely curious.
Or maybe she wasn’t seeing straight because she was still pissed off at her dad. She knew what he’d been up to, asking her to show Mal around the city. Please. Her parents were spies. Didn’t they think she’d learned anything from them over the years?
She couldn’t believe—well, yes, she could believe he’d done it and, she knew if she walked out of this office right now, she’d track down her dad and give him a piece of her mind. And she couldn’t do that.
She couldn’t add to his stress.
So…term paper.
“It’s about women in the military. About my mom, mainly.”
“Sounds like a great subject.” He sat back in his chair and, since she felt awkward standing over him, she slid into the chair her dad had vacated.
“It is.” She let her gaze trace the lines of his face. Such strong lines. “She’s led an amazing life. And I’m sure I don’t even know the half of it.”
Mal nodded, shaggy hair brushing against the sides of his face. She had a thing for his hair. Wanted to run her fingers through it. See if it was as soft as it looked.
“Your parents’ careers are legendary.” His lips quirked. “They’re pretty intimidating, to tell you the truth.”
“Try being their daughter.”
Shit, that had come out whiny and petulant.
His head cocked to the side, gaze searching hers. “High expectations, huh?”
“You could say that.” At the very least. But it wasn’t her parents’ expectations that were high. It was all her.
“Must be tough, being the youngest. And a girl.”
Maybe Mal understood more than she gave him credit for.
And the lust monster she thought she’d been keeping successfully at bay drenched her body in heat as quickly as if she’d stepped into a sauna.
She’d always had a thing for smart guys. And this one came wrapped in a body as fine as any gold-medal swimmer’s.
For a few seconds, she let herself think about what she could do with that naked body and a few hours. Jeez, she’d take a few stolen minutes.
With only a few minutes, she wouldn’t stop to kiss his lips. No, she’d go straight for the smooth skin of his throat and let her hands settle on that broad chest.
Then maybe she’d rip his clothes off so she could feel his warm skin against her own.
She’d had another dream last night. A dream about him and her and a bed. He’d settled his body over hers, held her hands above her head and kissed his way from her throat to her breasts and lower—
Blinking, she felt a blush roast her cheeks. What the hell had they been talking about?
Oh, yeah. How hard it was for her to be a girl in this family.
Dropping her gaze, she stood and straightened her skirt. “Um, yeah. My parents and brothers are a little overprotective.”
And that hadn’t lessened with age.
She’d chafed against it as a teen. But even then, she’d understood. After what had happened to her as a child, she figured her parents had a right to be overprotective.
Just as she had the right not to let her kidnapping at age five affect her.
Still, she needed to remember that Mal was her parents’ employee. She shouldn’t even think about him outside work. Especially not naked and kissing her between—
“So, I should get back to work.” She backed toward the door, not meeting his gaze. She couldn’t. Because if she did, she might just throw caution to the wind and jump him. “Thanks again, Mal. I really appreciate it.”
***
“Hello, Janey. You’re looking beautiful as always.”
Mal’s fingers froze over the keyboard, where he was attempting to pry the information out of the hard drive Janey had given him.
It’d taken him a whole freaking hour after Janey had left his office to get his head cleared enough to get some legitimate work done. An entire hour where he tried not to think about Janey. And failed miserably for the most part.
Now, this unfamiliar voice with the arrogant edge made the hair on the back of his neck rise.
“Thank you, Mr. Bennett. I’m sorry, but my mother hasn’t returned from lunch yet.”
And what was up with Janey? She sounded…uptight. Unfriendly. Definitely not the Janey he’d come to know.
“No problem,” the man said. “I’ll just hang out here until she returns. Or better yet, why don’t you let me take you out to lunch?”
“That’s not possible, Mr. Bennett. I’ve got—”
“There’s this great little Italian restaurant down the street. Or we could do dinner tonight, say around seven?”
“No, I’m sorry—”
“I’ll pick you up, six-thirty or so.” His voice oozed sleaze. “Honey, this is an awfully lonely town if you don’t know anyone. No one will know. It’s just dinner.”
Dinner, my ass.
Every muscle in Mal’s body tensed as his hands curled into fists. The asshole in Janey’s office wanted her in his bed. And he wasn’t about to take no for an answer. Even though Janey had absolutely no interest in the man. He could hear it in her voice. Who the hell was this Bennett prick?
Screw him. Mal would make him take no if he had to shove the words down the guy’s throat. He didn’t care if the guy was a client. Janey didn’t deserve to be treated like this.
And if anyone’s getting her in bed, it’s going to be you, right, son?
Damn right.
Easing out of his office and down the hall, Mal heard the guy continue to talk right over Janey’s rejection.
“I know this great little place around the corner from my hotel,” Bennett continued. “We could have dinner and a couple of drinks. My latest picture’s playing in town, so we could catch a late showing of that.”
His picture? What the hell was he talking about?
“I’ve already seen your film,” Janey said. “It was very…fast-paced. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man decapitated by a truck door. But I’m afraid dinner is—”
“It’s a romantic little restaurant…”
Mal reached Janey’s office door and stepped into the doorway.
Standing behind her desk, arms crossed over her chest, Janey looked mad enough to spit. But he didn’t think she’d be able to because her mouth was pursed so tight.
Mal wanted to put himself between her and the asshole leaning on her desk who’d put that look on her face.
“Janey, I hate to interrupt but—”
The balding little prick whipped around, small eyes narrowed and a smirk on his face. “But you are interrupting. Come back later. She’s busy.”
Mal’s spine stiffened. He caught himself before he blew his cover completely and decked the guy.
“Yeah, well.” He forced himself to nod once in the guy’s direction, then ignored him to focus on Janey. “I need to talk to Janey for a second.”
And damn if that didn’t put a slight smile on her face…that quickly turned into a fierce scowl.
Whoa, what—
“Hey, Bennett. How’s it hanging? Saw your film. I don’t know about you, but I never get sick of gratuitous violence.”
Dominic DeMarco, the oldest DeMarco sibling, slid into the room.
Six feet two inches of rock-solid muscle, Nic gave Bennett a look that shoul
d’ve made the man’s balls try to crawl back into his body. Combined with the pitch-black hair that brushed along broad shoulders and the wicked slash of a scar across his neck, Nic looked like the former Army Ranger he was—someone you didn’t want to meet in a dark alley.
Apparently the man standing by Janey’s desk agreed, because he seemed to shrink in Nic’s proximity.
“I understand your wife’s doing much better after her hip operation,” Nic continued, coming to stand next to Mal. “Your children must enjoy having her home during the day.”
Finally, the name clicked. Randy Bennett was Hollywood’s flavor-of-the-week action director whose last picture had made more than $100 million and had been cited by Capitol Hill for peddling violence to children.
The Hollywood magnate stammered out a reply, thanking Nic for his interest.
Nic just nodded. “Why don’t you let me take you up to Mom’s office? I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable there.”
“Don’t you have a client coming in a few minutes, Nic?” Janey said. “I know you don’t like to keep your clients waiting.”
The tightness of her voice drew Mal’s gaze back to her. His eyebrows lifted at the anger in her tone. Hell, if her eyes were lasers, Nic would be a little pile of dust on the floor.
What the hell? Mal glanced back to Nic, who shrugged, as if his sister didn’t want to strip the skin away from his body with a dull knife. “I’m good. My clients are late. I’ll keep Bennett company until Mom gets back.”
Like he was at a tennis match, Mal flipped back to Janey for her response. Eyes still narrowed, she paused for five full seconds. Finally, her tone sweet as sugar, she said, “I’m sure Mr. Bennett will appreciate that.”
Mal stepped into the hall as Nic waved a much-subdued Bennett out of Janey’s office and toward the stairs at the back of the building.
Crisis averted. He stepped back in her office—
“Whoa!”
Mal dodged a speeding legal pad headed straight for his head, then stared wide-eyed as Janey swept her arms across her desk and knocked the stack of folders off her desk and onto the floor.
They fell with a thud and split apart, scattering paper everywhere.
She stared at her desk for a few minutes before she gave a purely feminine growl of disgust and spun to face the windows, hands on her hips.
Sex, Lies and Surveillance Page 3