Courting Suspicion

by Kimberly Dean

‘Help me talk to her. She doesn’t have to –’ He stopped and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I have no stipulations other than she stay with me and lay low. I’ll pay your full fee, and that will fix the problem for everybody.’

  Nina took a sip of her champagne. It wouldn’t fix his problem, which she’d suspected ever since the night of the break-in.

  Fascinating.

  ‘I’d be amenable to that if she is.’

  He nodded tersely. ‘I’ll get back to you.’

  She watched as he walked away. ‘You do that.’

  The cool customer wasn’t so calm and in control any more. He could handle politicians, unruly reporters and nervous hotel managers without breaking a sweat, but one mischievous redhead had him off his game. Nina wondered how much trouble Genieve was giving him – and just how ruffled the redhead was by him in return.

  No stipulations? She doubted that would be the case. Chemistry as strong as that couldn’t be one-sided, but if Haynes’ feelings weren’t reciprocated, there would be no contract. It was as simple as that.

  Happy with the night’s unexpected success, she dropped off her empty glass with another roving waitress. They always said it was best to quit when you were ahead, and she didn’t want to stick around to have another close call with the senator. It was time for her to find a bit of pleasure for herself. Tucking her clutch under her arm, she headed for the line where guests could join a tour of the Rotunda.

  It wasn’t that long, and she was willing to wait.

  She watched the people in front of her, smiling and enjoying being together. It was mainly couples going on the tour. Some were so young and involved, their heads bent together, that they weren’t even seeing the beautiful architecture or art around them.

  An unexpected pang of loneliness hit her. She smoothed her dress and tucked her hair behind her ear. She typically came to these events alone. It was easier to do her networking that way, and she liked to get in and out. Yet tonight she was all dressed up and didn’t want to go home alone.

  She wondered briefly what the score of the game was.

  She opened her purse and looked at her phone. The night was still young, but she’d received no messages.

  No messages at all.

  She sighed. She looked around for another waiter with champagne, but the line finally began moving forward. That perked her up a bit. She moved along with it, but flinched when a man fell into line with her. Instead of queuing up behind her, he stood way too close.

  She looked up at him questioningly and was met with a steely onyx gaze.

  ‘Need an escort?’

  Chapter Eight

  Nina gaped at him. It was Josh – or, from the look in his eyes, Detective Morgan. He had that steely, stubborn expression she’d become so accustomed to seeing over the past few months. She glanced around furtively. He was dressed in a tux, his face was cleanly shaven and his shoes looked spit-shined, but he still stood out like a sore thumb.

  To her, at least.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she whispered.

  ‘I could ask the same of you.’

  She was working, but she stopped herself at the last moment from saying so. ‘I’m a donor. I told you that this morning.’

  ‘Is Brody Haynes a donor, too?’

  Her lips flattened, and once again, she looked to see if anyone was watching.

  ‘What did he want?’ Josh asked.

  ‘That’s my business, not yours.’

  ‘Really? Because the guy was at my crime scene.’

  She tucked her hair behind her ear. She didn’t like being railroaded like this. How long had he been here? How long had he been watching her?

  How had she not noticed him?

  ‘Genieve,’ she said in frustration. ‘We talked about Genieve.’

  He seemed surprised at that, and she took the time to drag him fully out of the line of sight of most people. She wasn’t amused. She’d thought they’d reached a truce. She’d answered his questions, and he’d closed the investigation.

  Or so she’d thought.

  ‘Are you following me?’ she demanded.

  ‘I’m working.’

  She lifted an eyebrow.

  ‘Security.’ He showed his credentials before tucking them back in his pocket.

  She narrowed her eyes on him. The US Capitol Police protected Congress, the grounds and its visitors. She made it a habit to know those kinds of things, and she’d seen the uniformed police standing discreetly on guard around the perimeter of the event. ‘This isn’t your jurisdiction.’

  The line started moving, and his hand settled at the small of her back to encourage her along. ‘It’s Capitol Police’s gig, but Metro PD has municipal as well as federal responsibilities. We work together a lot.’

  She smoothly sidestepped out of his reach. ‘So you got a buddy to get you in.’

  ‘I’m volunteering my time. Seriously. We do that for off-hours shindigs like this.’

  ‘You weren’t on security detail as of this morning.’

  ‘All right,’ he confessed. ‘So I got a buddy to let me in.’

  Her heels clipped against the hard flooring, and the sound echoed off the sandstone walls. The rest of the guests were wearing nice shoes, too, but their steps didn’t have the ring that hers did. ‘You shouldn’t be here, Detective,’ she said low enough that only he could hear. ‘We shouldn’t be seen together.’

  ‘I don’t give a damn who sees us, Ms Lockwood.’ He rolled his shoulders, emphasising the hard physique that was under that dress jacket. ‘Shit. I take that back.’

  He let out a long breath. ‘Somebody has been watching us – or was interested enough to dig up dirt. I came here tonight because that picture of us at Nationals Park didn’t sit well with me.’

  Her steps slowed, and the people behind them adjusted their paths to move around them.

  ‘Let me be protective, Nina, just this once.’

  The look in his eyes changed, disarming her. Thrilling her. The hard-nosed detective was gone, and in his place was the man who’d taken her to bed last night. The way he looked at her was so inappropriate for the venue, she pressed her thighs together. ‘Just once?’

  He shrugged. ‘Give or take.’

  ‘You can’t shadow me like this.’

  She wasn’t totally mollified, but he was getting to her.

  ‘I know.’ When his hand settled at her back again, they moved to catch up with the other tour-goers. ‘But I had another motive. I wanted to see if anyone was paying particular attention to you.’

  Her brow furrowed. ‘You could have told me that.’

  ‘I needed you to behave as normal as possible.’

  ‘Did you notice anything?’

  His fingers tightened at her waist. His arm had somehow slid all the way around her. ‘That you behaving as normal attracts a lot of particular attention.’

  His gaze slid down her body. ‘Nice dress, by the way.’

  Heat unfurled inside her. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘I nearly swallowed my tongue when I first saw you in it.’

  Her lips twitched, and she became overly interested in an elaborate mural on the wall. ‘You look nice, too.’

  And that was the understatement of the year. Compared to him, Brody Haynes looked like a little boy playing dress-up. Morgan looked sleek, sharp and more than a little dangerous. She knew he was packing heat somewhere in all that finery, and it made her shiver inside. She’d unknowingly become a Bond girl.

  ‘I suppose it’s OK that you’re here,’ she said, ‘just this once.’

  ‘Relax. The construction guys aren’t going to tattle on us.’

  They were in the Capitol now, and sounds of honest labour echoed down the long corridor. The restoration crews worked overnight to avoid the public tours during the day and the workings of Congress. With the hollow halls and the soaring ceilings, the racket sounded loud and out of place.

  But private and real. Her customers were back in the Visitor Cent
er drinking champagne and eating hors d’oeuvres.

  Nina gave in. ‘Next time you come, you need to tell me first.’

  He let out a chuckle. ‘I’ll try, sweetheart, but I can’t promise anything.’

  Her forehead furrowed, but her face flushed with heat when she realised what she’d said. ‘Morgan,’ she hissed.

  He just laughed again and squeezed her waist. ‘Maybe next time you’ll invite me as your date.’

  The heat in her face crept down into her chest. Maybe.

  She looked at the rest of the couples in their tour group. They were all doing the same as her and Josh: talking quietly, holding hands and laughing together. The tension and longing inside her eased. She hadn’t wanted to be alone tonight. As annoyed at him as she was, she was glad he was here.

  After all, he’d been getting under her skin for months. Why should she expect one night in bed together to change that?

  ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I’ve been waiting for this all evening.’

  Her head swivelled around. ‘Really?’

  ‘If I’d had to watch any more politicians glad-handing, I would have punched someone.’

  The smile that spread across Nina’s face was real.

  He gave another tug, and they crossed the large circular room. The Rotunda was the heart of the Capitol. Nearly a hundred feet in diameter, it was located in the centre of the building, with the Senate off to one side and House of Representatives off to the other. Overhead, the Rotunda soared into the Dome. Nina accepted the flier Josh passed her, and she leaned closer to him when the guide began to speak.

  The Capitol Building was one of the country’s great feats of architecture. Despite the dysfunction going on within its legislative halls, the building itself was filled with impressive art and important artefacts. With the passage of time, though, also came unavoidable deterioration. Such beauty needed to be maintained, and that was the purpose of the Preservation Fund.

  Restoration crews were currently working on fixing and preserving both the exterior of the Capitol Dome and the interior of the Rotunda. Over time, the cast iron had been exposed to the elements. Rain, snow and even the sun had caused damage. Pit holes had allowed moisture to enter, causing cracks and opening joints. The effort to clear the rust and apply protective coatings had been significant. The exterior was nearly done, but the interior work was still in full swing.

  Nina felt Josh’s hand take hers. They were surrounded by paintings of historical events from the landing of Columbus to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Statues of presidents and important historical figures stood proudly. The looming space normally inspired awed silence, but tonight it was busy.

  ‘The guide said we could talk to the restorers,’ Josh said. ‘Want to go talk to that painter?’

  Nina nodded.

  She felt almost buoyant as they wandered around, learning about the work being done to remove lead paint, restore ironwork and repaint the artwork in historically accurate colours. The workers in their coveralls and boots were more fascinating than the people downstairs in all their finery.

  Nina looked straight up into the Dome as the painter told them about the doughnut-shaped canopy that had been put up to protect visitors from falling objects. The white skirting could have covered all of the dome, but they’d left the opening in the middle to allow people to still view the Apotheosis of Washington, the fresco painting way up top.

  She wobbled on her heels, and Josh’s arms wrapped around her from behind.

  The magnitude of the space was emphasised by how small the workers looked as they worked on the scaffolding that climbed the walls.

  ‘Impressive, isn’t it?’ he said.

  She rested her hands on his on her stomach. ‘Beautiful.’

  His chin rubbed against the top of her head. ‘That she is,’ he said softly.

  Nina knew her donation served a dual purpose. It gave her an ‘in’ to a rather exclusive group of people, but she was glad the money itself was going towards this work. Future generations needed to see this.

  ‘Are you still mad at me for crashing your party?’ he asked, close to her ear.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Good.’ His arms tightened around her. ‘Because I’m not feeling guilty.’

  Did he ever? He’d been barging into her office for months. She leaned back against him and rested her head against his chest.

  ‘Nina? Is that you?’

  Nina went still. The low baritone was familiar. When a handsome man in a well-fitting tux stepped up to her, a different kind of uneasiness came over her. She put a smile on her face and tried to nonchalantly step away from Josh.

  ‘Dane, how wonderful to see you.’

  The arms around her waist resisted, and she stiffened.

  ‘And Noelle,’ she said warmly. ‘You look beautiful.’

  Nina’s heart was pounding in her throat. She hadn’t seen her former employee or his date amongst the crowd. It showed just how distracting the detective was. Normally, she could have named everyone in the room.

  She moved more determinedly away from him, and he let her go. It flustered her to have been caught in a private moment. Even though her business was pleasure, she took pains to never mix the two.

  ‘This is … Josh,’ she said, gesturing to the handsome man who was watching her closely.

  He held out his hand. ‘Morgan. Nice to meet you.’

  ‘Morgan?’ Dane shook hands with a firm grip. ‘As in the detective I’ve heard so much about?’

  Nina’s breath came out in a slow, controlled exhale. She should have known. Dane was sharp, and he kept up to date with his friends in the office.

  The fact that she was out with a man would have made it back to the Luxxor anyway, but to be found with the detective?

  Her fingers bit into her clutch so hard, she felt the beads leaving impressions on her skin. She was a private person. She didn’t want her employees and friends analysing her love life.

  She hadn’t finished analysing it herself yet.

  ‘Isn’t this something?’ Noelle said in awe. She waved her hand at all the work going on. ‘I’ve got to figure out a way to get my class here on a school trip.’

  ‘You’re a teacher?’ Josh asked.

  ‘One of the best.’ Dane wrapped an arm around his girlfriend’s waist.

  Nina watched them with an aching jealousy. They made it look so easy. The two were young and in love. There were no scandals to manoeuvre around, no questionable areas of right and wrong. Had she ever been that young? That innocent and trusting?

  ‘I’m glad I ran into you,’ her former escort said. ‘You wanted me to ask around about Senator Gunderson?’

  Nina shot a look at Josh.

  ‘You’re investigating that case, right?’ Dane asked.

  ‘It’s mine.’ The detective folded his arms over his chest. In that tux, he looked big and intimidating. ‘How do you know the senator?’

  Only she must have heard the steel in his voice, because Dane kept rolling along.

  ‘I don’t know him personally. I work on the House side for Congresswoman Hill.’

  ‘And my father is Congressman Hatcher.’ Noelle looped her arm around Dane’s. They really were a beautiful couple, both with dark hair and friendly personalities.

  ‘What have you heard?’ Josh asked.

  His hard nose had scented a lead.

  Nina stared at Dane, trying to catch his eye. He needed to be careful. Whatever information he had couldn’t point back to Luxxor or Genieve. Just because she was with the detective didn’t mean he was on their side.

  ‘Well, if you’re looking for people who don’t like Gunderson, there’s a long list,’ he said. ‘I don’t know if I’d call them enemies. Mainly, people just think he’s lazy.’

  ‘Lazy,’ Josh repeated.

  ‘He doesn’t read bills, but depends on his staff to give him a CliffsNotes version of everything. He tends to vote his party’s line, but not because he’s a staunc
h party supporter.’

  ‘But because he’s lazy,’ Josh said. ‘I’m seeing a trend.’

  ‘His poor staff,’ Noelle said. ‘They work like crazy covering for him, but he barely gives them the time of day.’

  The young woman looked frustrated. She’d grown up in DC around the political mix. Her father was one of the rare congressmen with a reputation for working across party lines and reaching out to his constituency for input.

  ‘Gunderson spends most of his time working the DC scene,’ Dane agreed. ‘You know, showing up for photo ops and giving interviews.’

  The House staffer should know. As an escort, he’d spent plenty of time haunting the DC scene. Nina had helped him make contacts, but she’d never considered him for an exclusive contract. He’d been serious about the career he’d studied for, and he was too principled. Instead, she’d helped him get his foot in the door.

  He glanced around at the other guests and lowered his voice. ‘His challenger has caught onto him, though,’ he shared.

  ‘Murphy,’ Nina clarified.

  ‘Right, that’s the guy. He’s a former investigative journalist who became so frustrated by the stories he was covering and the inaction of officials, he decided to do something about it. He’s got some strong positions. He’s an intriguing candidate, actually, but he doesn’t have Gunderson’s flair.’

  ‘Or the hair.’

  Nina nodded in agreement, but Josh looked at Noelle strangely.

  ‘It’s the silver fox thing,’ the brunette said. ‘Trust me. I grew up in this world.’

  ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

  ‘I wish.’ Dane touched Nina’s arm, and she felt Josh’s gaze fall on the familiar touch. ‘I know it’s not much, but that’s all I was able to dig up so far.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I appreciate it.’

  Morgan was still looking at the hand. Dane dropped it, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. Josh eased back.

  ‘It’s good,’ he agreed. ‘Helpful.’

  Dane looked at his watch. ‘Sorry, but we need to be going. Noelle still needs to grade papers tonight.’

  The pretty teacher smiled. ‘We can see the progress every day, but it’s interesting to come see them working at night.’