Profile for Seduction

by Karen Whiddon

  “Maybe.” Far from angry, he searched her face. “He gave me a long warning about interdepartment affairs and all that.”

  Suddenly, the joke didn’t seem like a good idea after all. “I guess he took me seriously.”

  He gave her a wry smile. “Sort of.”

  “If you want, I’ll call him and let him know I was only feeding him a line of B.S.”

  “Not necessary.” Something in his tone…

  Damn. “What did you tell him?”

  Now his smile blossomed into a full-out, butt-kicking grin, taking her breath away. “I told him I’d be gentle.”

  Stunned speechless, for a second she couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Eyeing him standing slightly in front of her, silhouetted by the outside light, so big and perfect and beautiful and masculine. They were trying to catch a crazed serial killer, and right this instant all she could think was that she didn’t want Marc to be gentle, she wanted hard and rough and furious. Whoa. Better. Stop. Now.

  Face flaming, she mustered a smile, aware hers was only a pale imitation of his. “Don’t even go there.”

  “You started it,” he quipped. Then, smile slowly vanishing, he gave her a serious look. “Just remember. Don’t start something you can’t finish.”

  And there he had it. Playacting aside, this was his way of reminding her that, no matter what, this was only a ruse to catch Feiney. As if he had to. She understood that better than anyone.

  “Duly noted.” And understood. She’d do well to keep that in mind, especially concerning the burgeoning and completely inappropriate desire she felt for him.

  One of the black-clad men stepped outside. “Guys, this is gonna take a lot longer than we expected. So far we’ve found two hidden video feeds, but there could be more. No audio yet, though.”

  Lea glanced at Marc, then back at the electronics expert. “How is that possible? We weren’t gone that long.”

  “Who knows? It depends how many people were here doing the installing.”

  “I seriously thought there was only one camera. The fact that he did more…” She swallowed.

  The tech whistled. “He’s good. Really good. Honestly, from the scope of this setup, it was done over several hours, at the least. Unless he had a team helping him.”

  “That’s feasible,” Marc said. “We don’t know who all might be helping him on the outside. Someone has to be.”

  The tech nodded. “Anyway, we’re hard at work removing everything.”

  “Except one,” Marc interrupted.

  “Exactly.” The guy rubbed the back of his neck. “My point is, this could take all night. If you want to get any sleep at all tonight, you’d better go somewhere else.” With that, he turned and went back inside.

  Displaced and stunned, Lea waited for the familiar energy of her rage, but it never came. Instead, she found herself wondering what exactly Feiney had witnessed.

  Marc was apparently thinking the same thing. “If the bugs and cameras have been there all along…”

  “Then he knew everything we planned, even before we did it.”

  “Exactly.” A muscle worked in his jaw. “Except for the little plan we hatched out here on the landing.”

  “What I don’t get is why he tipped me off. I mean, why’d he even bother to tell me he was watching me?”

  “The game, Lea. You’ve got to keep that in mind. He’s playing with us because it’s all a source of amusement and entertainment. He was probably getting bored and decided to ratchet up things a notch.”

  Feeling hollow and exhausted, she nodded, missing the comfort of her familiar anger and not sure why she couldn’t find it. Maybe in the morning. Assuming she was able to get a good night’s rest.

  Looking up, she found Marc watching her.

  “What do you want to do?” he asked. “Wait for the techs to finish or go find a hotel?”

  She didn’t even have to think. “Hotel. I don’t even care where.”

  “Come on then. Let’s go.” He took her arm. Again, she had the nearly overwhelming urge to lean into him, which should have pissed her off but instead only made her feel confused.

  Exhaustion. That had to be why. She’d feel more like herself in the morning.

  “Let me grab a few things,” she said.

  Instantly, he agreed. Shoulder to shoulder, they went back inside the apartment.

  In the living room, she stopped.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m not all right. Not only has that SOB broken into my home, but he’s invaded my privacy with his stupid cameras.”

  She turned slowly, her hazel eyes spitting fire as she held out her middle finger. “Feiney, if you’re watching, this is for you.”

  Glancing at Marc, she saw only admiration in his expression. She waited for him to say something.

  Instead, he laughed. “I’m sure he’s watching or taping. If he doesn’t have a microphone in here, he can probably hear us from one in another room. He’s probably glued to the monitor because he knows it won’t be long before our people locate all his cameras and mikes and take them down.”

  “True.” Lowering her arm, she strolled past him on her way to the bedroom. “The sooner the better.”

  After she’d tossed a change of clothing into a small gym bag, she met Marc back near the front door, sidestepping busy electronics technicians who were removing her picture frames and inspecting every one of her belongings, from lamps to knickknacks. Trying not to let this bother her, she focused on Marc’s steady blue gaze. “Are you ready?”

  “I am.” He held the door for her. Once it closed behind them, he took her arm.

  “By the way,” he continued, as they clattered down the stairs. “Change of plan. We’re sharing a room. Hold on.”

  He held up a hand as she started to argue. “Two beds, all right? Two beds. But I’m not letting you out of my sight until Feiney is back behind bars.”

  Something was wrong with Lea. Putting the car in Drive as he pulled out of the apartment complex parking lot, he glanced over at her, sitting like a silent lump in the passenger seat. He couldn’t say for sure why, but she seemed like a shadow of herself, a wraith without impetus. Weird that he even thought in those terms, but there it was.

  Maybe after she got some rest, she’d feel better. He could only hope her rapid change of mood was due to apprehension about their upcoming charade. He had to confess, if only to himself, that he was looking forward to it.

  She shifted in her seat, drawing his eye. Her delicately carved facial structure and sinful mouth directly contrasted her normal no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners attitude. This at first was what had intrigued him about her, what he thought drew all the guys—the challenge.

  But now, having come to know her, he understood it was more than that. Lea Cordasic was broken in ways he couldn’t even begin to comprehend. He wanted to help her heal.

  As he did nearly every day, he made a silent vow to keep her safe. He couldn’t help but remember how, as a child, he’d longed for someone to do the same for him.

  Once out on Highway 183, he drove to Loop 820. Glancing again at Lea, he saw that she appeared to have fallen asleep.

  He’d stayed at the Suites Hotel in Fort Worth before and that’s where he took her now. Once there, he found a parking spot and woke her.

  Taking her arm, he led her inside. Still silent, her hair tousled and her eyes sleepy, she looked so unwittingly seductive he wanted to groan.

  At the front desk, Marc got a room for one night, using his personal credit card, and asked for two keys. The clerk eyed their lack of luggage with a raised brow, but didn’t comment. Which was probably a good thing, as Marc wasn’t in the mood for crap. The clerk probably believed they were illicit lovers booking a room for a one-night tryst. Any other time, Marc might have found that amusing. Not tonight.

  Their room was at the end of a long hallway. Side by side, they silently walked to it. Lea stood back as Marc inserted
his card key, then brushed past him as he held the door open. Holding herself stiffly, she seemed uncomfortable, and the way she avoided looking at him told him she was upset about something.

  “Nice room.” Her impersonal tone seconded his hunch that something was up. Wary, he didn’t respond, other than with a slow nod. Busying himself with making sure the dead bolt was locked, he put the chain on for good measure before turning around.

  “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

  She blinked, her smoky hazel eyes meeting his before skittering away. “Just tired.” With that, she dropped onto the sofa and nudged off her shoes. Gazing around the room, she leaned back and sighed. “Whew. I’m seriously exhausted.”

  “Two beds,” he said, aware she was only reinforcing her boundaries.

  She gave him an impersonal smile, then closed her eyes and let her head loll against the back cushion. Almost as if he wasn’t there.

  Standing in the doorway, Marc stared at her, aching with more than mere desire. He found her unbelievably beautiful and unbearably sexy. She was made of much sterner stuff than he would have ever guessed.

  He wanted her. Unfortunately, he was apparently the only one who felt such desire. Lea appeared determined to keep things on a professional footing, to separate their acting from reality. A lesson he’d do well to remember. If only he could convince his body of that.

  He was in danger around her. Danger of losing control, of taking the playacting one step too far. In fact, every time he even thought about the heat they’d generated together, his body instantly responded. He didn’t know which was worse—that, or the fact that she appeared to be oblivious to her effect on him.

  She made a sound, a slight sigh or yawn, drawing his attention.

  “I don’t know about you,” he said, feigning a yawn, “but I’m bushed. Wanna catch some shut-eye so we can hit the door running first thing in the morning?”

  One of the guys. It was exactly the right tone to take with her. He could tell by the quick glow of relief in her eyes. Rolling her neck, she visibly relaxed.

  “Good idea.” One corner of her mouth lifted in a halfhearted smile. “You want the bathroom first?”

  Telling her to go ahead, he watched her walk away, wondering, once this was all over, if he’d ever see her again.

  Waking to the sound of the phone ringing loudly, the first thing Lea realized was that she was pissed. The second, she felt back to normal.

  Despite an uncomfortable night trying to sleep while listening to the sound of Marc tossing and turning, she felt rested, rejuvenated and ready to tackle the day.

  All that, despite the fact that the bedside clock read 5:00 a.m. and the sun hadn’t even risen yet.

  In the bed next to hers, a tousle-haired Marc held his cell phone to his ear. As she watched, he grunted a response to something the caller said, then closed the phone.

  “That was the all clear,” he said, his voice husky from sleep. “We can go home now.”

  Home. For an instant she felt a sharp, swift ache, before she had time to think. Then the familiar and welcome resentment filled her. The all clear meant she’d soon be back in her apartment with Marc, both of them acting like lovers and pretending they didn’t know that Feiney was still watching.

  Even thinking about that filled her with an odd mixture of fury and—if she was honest with herself—anticipation.

  Shaking off the thought, she pushed back the covers and sprinted for the solo bathroom. “Dibs on the shower,” she said, right before closing the door on him.

  Later, when both of them had dressed and showered, Lea was about to mention grabbing breakfast somewhere when Marc’s stomach growled. Loudly. To her amazement—and probably his—she laughed out loud.

  “We’ll grab something on the way,” he said, correctly interpreting her amusement. “The electronics team is waiting for us at your place.”

  After a quick stop for breakfast sandwiches and coffee, they arrived at her apartment complex.

  A group of three men and one woman stood waiting on the landing outside her door, looking none too happy to still be out at this hour of the morning. Nevertheless, their professional demeanor indicated they’d done exactly what they’d been asked to do.

  “How’d it go?” Lea asked softly.

  “It took us less than five minutes to find the first camera, the one in the den.” The team leader, the same guy who’d told them this job would take all night, dragged his hand through his unruly shock of hair. “The rest were not so easy. That place had more cameras—and remote listening devices—than twenty first-rate interrogation rooms. Your perp placed cameras in the hall, in both bathrooms, in the master bedroom and guest bedroom, as well as one in the entrance.”

  “You removed all those?”

  “Yes.”

  Marc followed the team down the stairs to the parking lot. “What about the other one, the one you left? Where is it?”

  “In the kitchen.” The guy rolled his eyes. “Mounted inside that vase on top of the refrigerator. Whoever’s monitoring it has a partial view of the den and dining area.”

  Lea winced. “Ouch.”

  “Yeah, but that one seemed like it was the least invasive, you know? And since you wanted me to leave one…”

  “You did perfect. Thanks, man.” Marc clasped him on the arm. “I appreciate it.”

  Though he nodded at Marc, the team leader looked at Lea. They didn’t know each other personally, but they both worked for the Bureau and so shared a peculiar sort of camaraderie.

  “Thank you.” She held out her hand. “I really appreciate this.”

  “No problem.” Giving her hand a quick squeeze, he dipped his chin, motioned to the rest of his team and they got back in the van and drove off.

  “Come on.” Lea started for the stairs, relieved when Marc followed without comment. All she could think of was the camera in the kitchen and the act Marc wanted them to put on for Feiney’s benefit.

  But halfway there, right before they reached the large light pole, she grabbed his arm. “Get down.”

  He obeyed without question, dropping to the ground next to her and pulling his weapon. “What did you see?”

  “Someone over there.” Rising to a half crouch, she had her weapon out, too, as she darted sideways next to a large pickup truck, using it as cover. Heart pounding, she glanced back at him. “I heard a scream. It might be nothing.”

  “But we can’t take a chance.” This time he lunged forward, letting the large concrete base of the light pole shield him.

  A moment later, someone screamed again.

  Exchanging a glance with Marc, Lea took off at a run with him right behind her. Still using parked cars to shield them, they went in the direction of the sound, hoping and praying that Feiney hadn’t grabbed someone else so close to Lea’s home.

  The scream came again. A woman—a teenager, actually—ran around the corner, skidding to a stop when she saw them. Close on her heels was a teenage boy. His goofy, besotted grin vanished the instant he saw them and their guns.

  Instantly, Lea lowered hers. A second later, Marc did the same.

  “Did you scream?” Lea asked, her voice stern though her heart still thudded hard in her chest.

  When neither kid answered immediately, she repeated the question, making her tone hard, the law-enforcement voice, demanding an answer.

  Sulky, the girl nodded, her long brown ponytail swinging. “We were just playin’.”

  The boy still hadn’t taken his eyes from their weapons. Despite his tough-guy appearance, Lea thought it might be the first time the kid had seen a Glock.

  Exchanging a look with Marc, Lea holstered her gun. “Come on.” Marc did the same.

  He held out his hand. “Let’s go.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, she took it, glancing over her shoulder as the kids ran off.

  “Better safe than sorry,” she said, sounding aggravated and relieved at the same time. “With all this craziness from Feiney, you
never know.”

  “True.” He squeezed her hand, reminding her of what lay ahead.

  To distract herself, she focused on thoughts of Feiney, successfully bringing back the edges of her antagonism, enough to give her the energy to keep moving forward. “What’s frustrating is we keep expecting him to do something. Meanwhile, he’s holed up, torturing that poor girl and messing with us.”

  “True. But maybe once he witnesses our little act of devotion, he’ll make a move.”

  And to that, she had nothing to say at all. With every fiber of her being, she forced herself to concentrate on what she had to do next and believing she’d find a way to remain in control.

  His grin widened. “If we hurry.” He squeezed her hand, reminding her that their fingers were still linked and making her break into a light sweat. “Ready?”

  Feeling anything but, she nodded.

  “Lea?” Stopping, he made her look at him. “It’s going to be all right. We’re going to get this bastard.”

  “I have no doubt.” To her amazement, she realized she actually believed it. Amazing. Was it because she had so much faith in Marc, or because she was learning to have faith in herself again? She didn’t have time to ponder the question. For now, they had a show to put on and a lure to cast.

  Together, they turned back toward her apartment. As he reached out for the doorknob, she stopped and looked up at him.

  “I just want you to know that I…”

  “Shh.” He smiled as he said it, though his blue eyes had darkened. “Remember, whatever it takes.”

  He was right. Of course. Still, she worried. Not about performing in front of a monster—no longer that, since Marc was right and she would do whatever it took to catch Feiney.

  Mostly, she worried simply that in the middle of pretending to make out with Marc, she’d forget she was playacting. That she’d find she enjoyed kissing him way too much.

  One final squeeze of her hand for reassurance and they started forward.

  Chapter 10

  Once inside, Marc carefully closed the door behind him. He knew that in order to make this believable, he’d have to take the lead.