by Lisa Cardiff
Beneath her sharp tongue and thick armor, I sensed uncertainty and loneliness. For a fleeting second, I wanted to delve into the layers that made Trinity Jones tick. I shook my head. What the hell was I doing waxing poetic about some woman who broke into my home and searched my personal and work files?
“Why did you take these files?” I yelled, angrier with myself now than with her.
She flinched, but immediately shrugged nonchalantly, trying to cover her reaction. “They looked interesting.”
“You’re lying.”
“So what? What are you going to do about it?”
The muscle in my jaw twitched from clenching my teeth. “Stay away from me, Jones. The trick you pulled at Representative Lang’s home was business and I’ll let it go for now. But if I find out you or Miles are meddling in my private matters, I won’t hesitate to destroy both of you.”
Warning delivered, I walked to my front door, not bothering to turn around to see if she was following me. I flung open the door. She took a few steps, her shoes clicking against the floor, before pausing at the threshold.
She stared at me, assessing me, trying to read my thoughts. “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”
“Yes, and that’s what separates the good agents from the bad agents.”
“And what’s that exactly?”
“The intelligent ones recognize when they’ve been beaten and they cut their losses and move on. The dumb ones just keep spinning their wheels, wasting more time and resources all to come to the same conclusion.”
She leaned forward, and she was so close to me. The tip of her pink tongue darted out of her mouth. Awareness swirled through the air, and invisible arrows prickled my suddenly feverish skin. Dammit, I had the urge to kiss her again. I doubted she’d appreciate the gesture, especially after I just finished insulting her intellect.
Instead, I twisted a silky strand of her hair around my finger, my gaze glued to the contrast between my skin and her inky mane.
Dark and light.
Night and Day.
Yin and yang.
Mixed messages swirled in the air, making it heavy. She froze, her eyes wide with shock and something elusive.
Desire?
Anger?
Interest?
Compassion?
Incapable of stopping myself, I slanted forward, halving the space between us. I could hear the chaotic drum of her heart. She smelled citrusy—almost like a lemon meringue pie—and I had the ridiculous urge to lick the long column of her throat. Her breath caught and her lips parted, a faint blush moving up her cheeks. Time suspended, shimmering around us with unleashed potential. A hundred thoughts trickled through my mind, sending a dark, unsettling heat rippling through my body. If I were a gambling man, I would’ve bet she wanted me to kiss her and a whole lot more. I felt like I was losing my mind because there was no way anything could happen between us.
Her warm chocolate eyes hardened, turning black, and all too soon, she snapped out of whatever trance we were under. She slapped my hand away. “I’m not afraid of you, Knox Black.” The smoky warmth of her voice made my heart bang against my ribcage.
She turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her. And then, she was gone, leaving a whirl of citrus perfume and still unanswered questions in her wake. Dumbfounded, I stared at the closed door wondering what in the hell just happened and why I let Trinity Jones walk out of here without interrogating her.
CHAPTER SIX
Trinity
Loud music filled the bar where I used to work as a bartender. I recognized some of the faces of long time customers, and I waved to a few of my former coworkers as my heels clicked over the worn wide planked floor. People were packed wall-to-wall in the narrow space, slamming back beers and other concoctions. Excited, boisterous and carefree voices rang out, celebrating the beginning of a new weekend.
I plopped down on the barstool across from my best friend, Leslie. She owned the bar where I found my first job after I moved to D.C. I showed up for a job interview, and she hired me on the spot.
Originally, I had planned to work nights and attend community college during the day. It never happened. I never had enough money to spare. Between rent and other meager living expenses, I couldn’t save more than a hundred or so dollars a month. Every time I got close to having enough money for a class or two, some event would derail everything, and I’d have to start all over again.
“I didn’t think you’d show,” Leslie said as she slid a drink across the translucent, backlit onyx counter.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m running later than I expected.” I lifted the cup to my lips and frowned when the warm, smoky liquid splashed onto my tongue. When we were dating, Miles’s habit of ordering bourbon neat rubbed off on me. At the time, I thought it was sophisticated, but now I acknowledged the truth. I hated the taste of whiskey. I was a vodka girl. I gulped it down anyway, craving the relaxation found at the bottom of a few drinks.
She sucked her lips into her mouth. “What happened?”
I glanced to the side, taking in the drunken people walking in jagged lines. “I had a shitty night and even shittier day. I need a drink or five.” I fought to keep the smirk off my face. My explanation had to be the understatement of the century.
She shifted forward, bracing her pointy elbows on the smooth countertop. Leslie was my complete opposite. She resembled a dainty little elf with light blonde, almost white hair and fine facial features.
“What happened?”
I groaned, slumping in my seat. “I had some stuff to take care of for Miles.” I never shared what kind of work I did. I couldn’t. Unfortunately, the confrontation with Knox Black last night paled in comparison to what happened today. When I told Miles that Knox had already handed the thumb drives over to his client, he fucking lost his mind. He screamed. He broke things. He threw his files off his desk.
Her sky blue eyes narrowed. “Why are you still working for him?”
“The money—”
She held up her hand. “Don’t lie to me. You don’t need the money. Not like when you showed up for an interview at the bar three years ago. You were desperate, but you’re not anymore.”
“I’m not doing it for me. I’m doing it for Faith. She needs me. I promised her I’d help her any way I could.” I may have left my sister in the care of my inattentive uncle when I moved, but I never forgot about her. I sent her money every month starting the day I received my first paycheck. Now, I paid her college tuition. I wanted her to have opportunities I never had. I owed her that. I wouldn’t be like my mom and abandon my family. Family first. Since the day my mom left, I lived by that mantra. Even if they didn’t want it, all of my family members had my unconditional loyalty.
She raised her eyebrows. “Faith can get a loan like thousands of other college kids. It won’t kill her, and you’ll find something else soon enough. You’ve already wasted too many years of your life on him. You need to get the hell away from him while you’re still able. He’s not going to give up on you.”
I looked down, the tips of my ears burning. She was referencing my hook-up with Miles a couple of weeks ago. I shouldn’t have breathed a word about it, but I was an emotional mess after it happened. I felt like I had betrayed her and myself, and in a moment of weakness I confessed everything. In retrospect, it wasn’t the best idea. She never let a single opportunity slip to note her disapproval of my continued relationship with him, even though it had been strictly professional for the past few weeks. She’d lose it if she knew I promised him I’d think about giving him another chance.
“I know. I’m going to start looking for something else soon. I’ve put out some feelers. It won’t be long now.” The truth was, I hadn’t done a damn thing. The fear of Miles finding out I was looking for a new job paralyzed me.
In a matter of days, I probably wouldn’t have an alternative. Normally, Miles approached our missions with a cool efficiency that I admired, but today he was crazed. I walked out of his off
ice, mid-tantrum, and sent every one of his calls to voicemail since then. Something about the information on Representative Lang’s personal computer had him on edge. In fact, Miles had been acting weird for months. Every time I pushed for answers, he deflected all of my questions.
“Good.” She patted me on the arm. “I’d hate for you to waste any more time on that asshole.”
Smiling faintly, I tapped the side of my glass. “So I found some new information about my mom.”
Her eyes widened. “What? How?”
I shifted in my seat. “I came across her name on a file while I was doing some research for Miles. I didn’t get the chance to read it, but who knows?” I shrugged. “This might be the break I’ve been looking for.”
“What are you going to do?”
I chuckled. “Try to get my hands on that file again and make a copy.”
“Is it at Miles’s office?”
I chewed on the inside of my lower lip. “Not exactly.”
She studied me curiously, her lips stretched into a pinched line. “Do I even want to ask?”
“No. Please don’t.”
She shook her head, and her short hair danced around her face like a puff of cotton. “You haven’t told me much about what you do for Miles, but I put together enough bits and pieces of information to know it’s not exactly risk-free.” She sighed. “Be careful, okay? Don’t put yourself in any more danger to dig up dirt on your mom. Some things are better left in the past. Maybe your mom falls into that category. If she wanted to be part of your life, she would’ve made it happen, or at least contacted you.”
I couldn’t respond because, at this point, I refused to stop looking. I needed to know what happened to my mother. After spending the first years of my life drifting from place to place, my mom settled down in a small town. It didn’t last long. She ended up pregnant with Faith, and we moved in with my uncle.
Not too long after Faith was born, my mom didn’t come home from work one night. I spent an entire week glued to our front window crying and waiting for her to return until one day my uncle couldn’t take it anymore. He told me she’d never come back. He was right. I never heard a word from her again, and my uncle refused to talk about her. Every lead I had on her was a dead end…until now. Knox Black held the key. I was certain of it.
Impatiently, I bounced my leg up and down. “We’ll see. I haven’t decided what, if anything, I’m going to do with the information,” I finally answered.
Staring over at me, she wiped the counter with a damp towel, silently absorbing my words. “Okay. Just think before you jump.”
“Hey, Les,” a guy I vaguely recognized shouted from the end of the bar. “Can I get a refill?” He raised his empty glass, waving it back and forth.
“I’m on it,” she said before turning her attention back to me. “Are you stickin’ around for a while? I’m off in an hour if you want to grab something to eat.”
Twirling a paper coaster in circles, I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I’m dead on my feet.”
She lifted the bottle of caramel-colored whiskey and leaned over the bar. I slapped my hand over the top of my glass. “I’ll have vodka on the rocks this time.”
Relief washed over her face, and she smirked. “About fucking time, Trinity. I was wondering when you’d start being yourself again instead embracing the persona Miles created.” She squeezed my hand. “Don’t let anyone make you feel less than you are. You’ve lived through some crappy stuff, but you made it through without becoming a hard person. You should wear your life experiences as a badge of honor instead of a black mark.”
I crossed then uncrossed my legs, letting her words sink in. “I know. I got lost for a while, but I’m my own person. I won’t get wrapped up in anyone else ever again.” I couldn’t. I had to stay focused so I could help Faith. Even if I worked things out with Miles, it’d be different this time. I wouldn’t lose my identity. I wouldn’t blindly follow him or believe him. I’d keep my eyes open.
Genuine relief washed over her face, and she knocked her knuckles against the counter two times. “Let’s hope so.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Knox
From the living room of Trinity Jones’s townhome, I heard keys jingle outside the door. The deadbolt clicked and the heavy paneled door pushed open.
About freaking time.
“Jesus, Knox.” Trinity froze mid-step with her hand over her heart. “What are you doing here?”
Leaning back in the chair, I propped my arms behind my head. “Returning the favor of an uninvited visit.”
As she hung her purse on a hook adjacent to the front door, her gaze flitted around the room. I’d spent the last hour rifling through her kitchen cabinets, the makeshift desk pushed against the living room wall and her bedroom. For someone in her mid-twenties, she hadn’t accumulated much stuff. Needless to say, I didn’t find anything of interest in her home. Either she lived a tediously boring life, or she routinely discarded every last piece of personal information. My instincts told me Trinity had something to hide. But didn’t we all?
She placed a small brown paper bag on the rectangular, glass entry table and leaned her shoulder against the wall. “I see that. I’m sorry you wasted your time.”
“So, tell me.” I propped my leather-soled boots onto the metal coffee table resembling a steel drum. A loud thud boomed throughout the room. “Did you tell your boyfriend I already passed along the thumb drives?”
“I did.” She licked her lower lip and glanced to the side, a tan colored cat slipping between her legs, then scurrying down the hallway. That cat had been driving me crazy for the past hour, hissing at me and stalking me from room to room. “And stop referring to him as my boyfriend,” she added. “He’s a business associate. That’s it.”
I chuckled. “I bet he blew up when you told him the thumb drives were gone.”
She pushed away from the wall and took a few steps toward me. The thick cream rug swallowed up the clattering noise of her heels. “Nobody likes to fail. Miles isn’t any different.”
“True, but I’m sure it’s worse when his ass is on the line.” I tapped my finger against my lips. “Tell me. Did he pout or throw a tantrum?”
Her eyes narrowed fractionally, and she folded her arms across her torso. “Why do you care?”
Placing my feet back on the floor, I leaned forward, planting my hands on the tops of my knees. “Jones, tell me what you know about the content of those thumb drives.”
She shrugged, but I didn’t miss the anger flash across her face before she could suppress it. “I don’t know anything. It’s not my job to know.”
I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth twice. “And that’s where you’re going to get yourself into trouble.”
Deep lines marred the smooth skin above the bridge of her nose. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I stood and circled the coffee table once before I addressed her question. “You should never agree to a job unless you know every person involved and their motives.”
“Miles screens the clients. He makes sure we don’t jump into anything…” She paused for a flash of a second as though she couldn’t find the right word. “Unsavory.”
I barked out a laugh. “Everything about Miles is unsavory.”
“You’re entitled to your opinion.” She flicked her hand dismissively, her red iridescent fingernails catching the light. “But I know for a fact Miles makes sure we stay on the right side of the law.”
I pressed my lips together. “There are so many things wrong about that statement, I don’t know where to start.”
“Go ahead,” she said wearily. “I know you’re dying to tell me exactly what you think.” When I didn’t respond, she rolled her eyes. “I don’t have all night. Either finish your lecture or let me go to sleep. I’m ready for this day to end.”
“Let me make this simple.” I blew out a breath, trying to release some of the frustration boxed inside my chest. Miles had thwarted
my moves for months now. I was damn sick of it. “Do you trust Miles to make the right decision every single time? Because that’s what you’re saying when you follow him blindly.”
Cringing, she ducked her head as she chewed on her lower lip. She looked so defeated. I closed the space between us and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at me when she answered. Instead, she blinked her eyes what seemed like a hundred times, then closed them as if she were pained.
My gut knotted with concern. What this woman did or didn’t do shouldn’t matter to me. Life wasn’t a picnic. People needed to look out for their interests because, at the end of the day, there were very few people who cared if you sink or swim. For some reason, I cared what happened to Trinity Jones. Twisted as it was, I couldn’t stop thinking about her from the moment she strutted into Lang’s study with her gun pointed at me. I was self-aware enough to realize I was interested in her on more than a professional level. Too bad—warm, fuzzy feelings chock full of sentiment didn’t have a place in my life.
I came here tonight for one reason. I hadn’t found enough information on the thumb drives from Lang’s computer to force him to resign, but I had a feeling Miles had all the information I needed. If I convinced Trinity to flip sides without alerting Miles, I could wrap up this case. I’d been chasing dead ends from Moscow to D.C. and everywhere in between for over six months. Jack hadn’t wanted me to take this mission, and I refused to stop now that I was so close. It slowly evolved from a paycheck into an obsession.
If I had to use the attraction simmering between Trinity and me to succeed, I’d do it. But I had to be smart about it for a couple of reasons. Most importantly, I needed to find out how much she actually knew about this case and whether she had a vested interest in the outcome, other than her job.
Second, Trinity wasn’t like any woman I knew. Generally, I lumped the women in my life into two categories—women who wanted a nostrings fuck and women who wanted marriage. I sought out the former and avoided the latter like the plague. Trinity didn’t fit neatly into either category and that alone gave me pause about my course of action.