Constant Craving (Task Force Hawaii #3)

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Yeah. I’m the oldest, and Dad was still active when I graduated from A&M. I really didn’t want people to think I got the job because of my dad.”

  “Makes sense. I wouldn’t like that either.”

  “What about your family?”

  “I would think you would know.”

  He stilled and his face went blank again. “Why do you say that?”

  “I told you, I knew that you would have files on us. I figured you knew about my family.”

  He seemed to let loose a breath, and his expression relaxed. “Yeah. You don’t mind?”

  She shook her head. “It’s part of the job, and you can’t work for the CIA and not expect it.”

  He nodded. “I didn’t want to offend you.”

  “So, you know about my grandfather?”

  “Uh, I am not sure what you are talking about.”

  “Grandpa Jackson insists he was in the Black Panthers.”

  “I didn’t see anything in your file about that.”

  “I asked about it at the CIA too. They had no idea what I was talking about. I looked for years and couldn’t find anything. He is going to be so disappointed when he finds out no one has a record of it.”

  “Really?”

  “He boasts that he was listed on the FBI watch list, or whatever they called it back in the day.”

  “I have to say that I would have remembered that from your file.”

  She shook her head. Her grandfather would definitely be upset if he knew. “I just won’t tell him.”

  “So, you’re an only child.”

  She nodded. “Mom wasn’t able to have any after me, and my father said I was enough to handle. I had a very weird upbringing.”

  “How?”

  “I grew up in Atlanta society, which meant I was a deb, but with no boys in the family, my father taught me how to hunt and fish. I can pour a great cup of tea and I know how to dress a deer.”

  “I bet he doesn’t regret that.”

  “Nope. He says I was the one thing that kept the family together.”

  “How is that?”

  “My father is white. And not just white, but old Southern money white. Like in, his family probably owned slaves to work on their plantation. My mom is black, with a father who likes to run around telling people he was a Black Panther. My grandparents did not—do not—get along. Mom and Dad actually eloped because the stress of dealing with both families was too much. My grandfather refused to acknowledge my father, and my grandmother just could not forgive her son for not having a proper wedding.”

  “But you changed that?”

  “Grandchildren always do, right? My grandmother had no daughters, then I come along. It just took one visit and my grandmother forgave them—as did my grandpa.”

  He smiled that full smile, the one the reached his eyes. “That sounds like you did save the family.”

  “Ah, they would have worked it out. Those two mellowed as they got older. They still hate each other, but they pretend not to when we are together for holidays.”

  He just kept staring at her as if she had told the greatest story ever, so she asked, “Are you going to tell me what your real name is?”

  His smile faded. “My name is TJ.”

  She couldn’t fight the small smile. “Really?”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe, but now that was actually an odd reaction to a simple question.”

  “I get a lot of crap about it at work, too.”

  Not a complete lie, but there was something else there. It was beneath the surface, something he didn’t reveal to just anyone. No worries on her part, because she could always find things out—and she would find out. She decided to change the subject.

  “You said your father was in the Rangers. What does he do now?”

  “They own a comic book shop in San Antonio. Well, a suburb outside of San Antonio.”

  “What?” She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them, TJ was looking at her as if she had lost her mind. “Be still my heart. Your parents are the owners of Ranger Comics?”

  “Heard of them?”

  “Of course I have. They’re fantastic. I have never been, but I’ve special ordered from them. Wow.”

  “Small world,” he murmured as he scooped up another forkful of his Lau Lau.

  “The comic world is. And you said all three brothers are in the Texas Rangers?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I just can’t imagine what it was like raising four boys.”

  “There is a gap between us. I was around for several years before the other losers came along.”

  She smiled. “Relationships between brothers are always fascinating.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, you all call each other names, put each other down. But there is no doubt in my mind that you would fight anyone who dared to threaten one of your brothers. And vice versa.”

  “Guilty, but I think that is the way of family.”

  She nodded. “Yep.”

  “In fact, that’s the way of it for TFH. Or that’s the feeling I get.”

  “Yes, I think of them as family. It’s funny because I worked with the CIA for longer, and I didn’t make one friend there. Not a close one. I wouldn’t hesitate to call someone from TFH if I needed help.”

  “It was the CIA. How can anyone trust their coworkers there?”

  She laughed. “I forgot about the interagency bitchiness of DC, but I think you are right. Hard to trust spies, even if you were one yourself.”

  “Especially if you are one.”

  She sighed. “Yeah. But, here, it’s different.”

  “That makes you lucky.”

  “I know that, and I relish it. Truth is, I would lay down my life for any of them and I know they would do the same for me.”

  “That says a lot about TFH.”

  “Yeah it does. But then, you probably read into that when you snooped on us.”

  For a second he didn’t say anything, but in the next instant, he threw back his head and laughed. Feeling even more relaxed, she sipped her water and smiled. She didn’t know where this was going, or even if it was going anywhere, but Charity was sure she would enjoy the ride.

  TJ accompanied her on the elevator up to her apartment. She had told him he didn’t need to, but his mother had raised him right. Plus, he wanted a few more minutes in her company. It was probably a bad idea to get this infatuated with her. Even if he wasn’t on the job, he didn’t often fall this fast for a woman. A smart man would walk away and just be friendly. For the first time in his career, he was having a problem doing just that.

  “I had a really good time tonight,” she said, as she stepped off the elevator and into the hallway.

  “I did too.”

  And then he said nothing else. He couldn’t. His mind had gone blank, as it had a few times during the date. For some reason, his palms were sweating and his heart was thumping hard against his chest. Hell, there was a good chance he might pass out if he wasn’t careful about it. He was more nervous than he had been the first time he had approached a girl to ask her out.

  “I would like to do it again, if you’re open to it.”

  He should say no. First, he rarely had women pursue him. It was probably old fashioned, but he liked to be the one who initiated interaction. Secondly, during the date, he had realized he wanted more than just the investigation. If she turned up clean, he wanted a real date. But, as he had proven throughout the day, he didn’t always think straight when it came to Charity.

  “I’d like that too.”

  She stopped at her door and smiled up at him. “Thanks again for tonight.”

  She leaned in close, and he could catch her scent then. Lavender. With the smoothest of moves, she brushed her mouth against his and was pulling away before he was ready. Just a simple taste, one that called to something in him. Something primal. Instinct took over. He slipped his hands around her waist and drew her closer, de
epening the kiss.

  He slanted his mouth over hers again and again. The small moan she released sunk into his blood and caused the ancient beat of lust to grow louder. The world faded away. He wanted her. Right there. Right then. Without thinking, he pressed himself closer. His cock strained against the zipper of his cargo pants.

  Charity wrapped her leg around his and slid it against his. Now. It had to be now. Then, he heard a door shut down the hall. Reality crashed down onto the pleasant lust-fueled moment, and he forced himself to step back.

  She frowned, and without opening her eyes, she moved closer to him, but he stopped her.

  “Charity.”

  Her eyes fluttered open, then he saw the heat in her cheeks.

  “Well...that definitely escalated quickly.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, it did.” He couldn’t resist her swollen lips, so TJ swooped down for one more quick kiss. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  She nodded. “Thanks for dinner.”

  “You are more than welcomed. Good night.”

  She didn’t move. “You could come in for a drink.”

  Yes. Yes. Yes.

  But he shook his head. “No. I think we both know it won’t be just a drink, and I am not sure either of us is ready for that step yet.”

  “Okay. But...”

  “No,” he said with a laugh. “Now, go on, so I know you’re inside.”

  She nodded and unlocked the door. “Night, TJ.”

  “Night, Charity.”

  Once he heard her shut the door, he waited for the lock. He knew she had Drew in there with her, but he still wanted to make sure. Once he heard it, he started back to the elevator. Now that he had gotten to know Charity, he wasn’t sure she was the person they wanted. Yes, part of it was his own personal feelings for her. She was funny, gorgeous, smart, and damn, he loved that laugh of hers.

  There was also a streak of pride. Not arrogance, but pride in her work. It was odd all the way around that she would be tied up in something with Foley. A woman like her was a little too smart—common sense wise—to fall for Foley.

  With a sigh, he stepped onto the elevator. He needed to find out the questions to the answers and do it soon. He needed to make sure of who she was before they made it into bed. Truth was, he would have broken his rule about first dates with women like Charity. If there hadn’t been an investigation going on, he might have just let her persuade him into bed.

  But he had a job, and he couldn’t risk screwing it up.

  Charity practically danced into work the next morning. She was still buzzing from the date with TJ. It was so amazing to have met a man who thought like she did. When she stepped into the room, she found Adam, Del and Emma. She did not like the look all of them were giving her.

  “What’s up?”

  “I think you need to sit down,” Adam said. He was using that voice he used to keep people calm. That was so not a good sign.

  “Tell me what’s going on.”

  “I’ll tell you what is going on,” Emma growled. “That Hammer person is a bastard.”

  Charity blinked. “What?”

  Emma opened her mouth, but Del stepped in. “Listen, apparently Hammer is officially our liaison with the FBI, but Emma did some digging and found out things about him.”

  “What kind of things?”

  “He’s looking into all of us, but especially you.”

  “And how is that different than when you met Del? Lord knows, you probably hacked Del’s file before you came to work here.”

  “Emma didn’t do that.”

  Emma stayed quiet. Then, he looked at her.

  “Dammit, Emma.”

  “I didn’t do it. I told you about this. Sean did it.”

  Emma’s brother was a security expert and was overly protective of his sister.

  Del shook his head. “Your situation is different. Emma found digital fingerprints on your leave records, your financial records, and your personal computer.”

  Charity’s mind went blank. She just could not think straight.

  “Also,” Emma said, “I talked to a few of my friends. You remember the name Foley?”

  “Yeah. He’s wanted by the FBI and Europol. He finds himself an idiot to use…”

  The moment it sank in, Charity stomach turned.

  “Oh no.”

  “Oh, yes,” Emma said.

  “He thinks I’m the idiot.”

  Emma stepped closer and rubbed her hand down Charity’s arm. For a woman who had issues with physical contact, it meant a lot that she was trying to sooth Charity. It also told her that the situation was completely screwed up.

  “But we know that isn’t true.”

  She looked at Del. “I’m sorry.”

  “This isn’t your fault. We’re going to have to work out what is going on here, and why they latched onto you. For right now, I want you to pretend everything is the same.”

  “I’m horrible at that. Maybe I’ll just avoid him.”

  “That will make him suspicious. He will think you’re avoiding him because of guilt.”

  She wanted to growl. “Dammit. This isn’t fair.”

  “Give Emma a little more time, and I’m going to talk to a few people I know. We will get this cleared up.”

  “Then Del can beat him up.”

  “Emma,” Del said, “please stop telling people I can beat other people up.”

  “What? I would do it but I’m pregnant.”

  Charity shook her head. “I don’t want to beat him up.”

  “Oh, come on. Maybe you want to hurt him a little bit?”

  She sighed. “No, not physically. But I do want to make him look like an idiot.”

  “Good, because I plan on doing that. I’ll talk to some friends, Del is going to talk to some of his contacts, and Marcus is going to talk to Tamilya. She still has some contacts at the FBI. By the time this is done, we will make him feel as if he is the stupidest man at the FBI, and that is saying a lot.”

  “Thanks. I-I need a few moments.”

  “Sure,” Del said. “And feel free to take some personal time today.”

  She nodded and walked out of the office, her mind still spinning from the revelations. It wasn’t like she was in love with TJ, but the one thing she valued was the truth. He had lied to her…and worse…he had used her. He could have turned her down, and he didn’t need to kiss her the way he had the night before.

  And for that, she would gladly make him cry. But first, she thought as she stepped off the elevator, she was going to give herself permission to wallow. Because, while she might not have been in love with him, it didn’t mean being used hurt any less.

  Chapter Six

  TJ spent the next morning going through the piles of information about Charity. There was something that had been bugging him since he had gotten the first financial reports. Charity seemingly had a lot of money. It was usually a red flag. She didn’t have a huge salary to explain the cash. Foley was very generous when he latched onto someone. Money or gifts were big and unexpected for the person he had targeted. So, it made sense that when a woman who earns a modest income buys an apartment worth close to a million dollars, the FBI took notice. Some superficial digging had uncovered a trust set up by her grandfather on her father’s side. That explained the money she had to pay for that fantastic apartment.

  Still, the connection the FBI made was bothering him. Why would their tracking show that she had a connection to Foley? There was only one breach. Granted, it was for operatives in the Far East, and the hack had been successful. It made him think that it wasn’t the only hack—or there was more to come. Granted, they had assumed Foley sold the information after he acquired it, but from the report he read, there was no indication that had happened. After looking over her record, TJ had no doubt Charity could hack into the FBI computers. There was a problem with that. The woman was just too damned smart to get caught, let alone do it from her computer at work.

  Irritated, he pushed away from his
desk and stood. Rubbing the ache on the back of his neck, he looked out the window, not really seeing what was there. He knew there was some kind of connection he just wasn’t making—and the FBI wasn’t either. Truth was, he was wondering why Remington had latched onto her. It was out of character for him to jump to conclusions, but then, Remington hadn’t been the same since their last run in with Foley.

  A knock at the door broke into his turbulent thoughts.

  “Come in,” he said.

  The door opened enough for his boss to pop his head in. “Hey, I just sent you the documentation on that Edwards woman. Looks like there is a good chance that she had nothing to do with the hack. I wanted to make sure you got it before I headed out to the airport.”

  “You going to DC?”

  He winced. His boss hated meetings more than TJ did, and he particularly hated DC. He’d been born and raised in California, and after his stint at the Academy, Tsu had avoided DC as much as possible. “No, thank God. Seattle. Tech con they are making me attend.”

  TJ chuckled. “Have fun.”

  Another wince. “It’s supposed to rain all week. And the high is only going to be in the fifties. Who wants to live in weather like that?”

  “Apparently a lot of people since Seattle is crowded.”

  “Mass insanity if you ask me. What’s the use of living by the ocean if you can’t surf?”

  Tsu left TJ alone and he pulled up the docs. When he read through them, he knew that there was no way that she was the one helping Foley. He grabbed his phone and called Remington.

  “I think we have an issue with Charity Edwards.”

  “How so?”

  “I’m emailing you the information that Tsu gave me. Edwards was in LA at the time of the first hack. There is no way it was her.”

  He heard Remington clicking on his keyboard over the phone. “Hmm, yes, but we need this verified. There is no proof that she was there. I don’t think we can dismiss her.”

  There was a tone in Remington’s voice that TJ recognized. It was the obsession that had lead them down a dangerous path. TJ had gone along the last time, but he wasn’t going to do it blindly. Mentors could also make mistakes, and Remington had been making his fair share of them the last few years. Last time, TJ had almost died because of it.