Sex, Lies and Surveillance (15 page)

“Are you going to tell me what I’m doing here? Or do I have to stake you in the desert and torture you?”

Merrianne Simmons sat across the table from Mal Tuesday night, looking at him with guileless baby blues. But underneath the corn-fed Iowa farm-girl appearance, there lurked the heart of a small but deadly predator.

Hiding a grin, he leaned back in his chair and contemplated the menu at The Plough and the Stars restaurant. “Sounds kinky. So, what’re you having?”

Merri pursed her lips and huffed before lifting her menu. “Your head on a platter. I have too much work to do to be screwing away time on this. I only agreed to come tonight because I owe you one. After tonight, my debt is paid.”

“I should get at least two for your brother’s wedding,” Mal muttered. “That three-ring circus you call a family is enough to make the Osbournes look normal.”

“Hey, that fire wasn’t Uncle Gene’s fault.” Merri rose to her family’s defense as he knew she would. “And the bridesmaid’s dress falling off was a bonus for you, I figure. What is this food, anyway?”

“Irish, I think.” Mal lowered his menu slightly so he could check out the entryway again.

Damn, she was late. Since they hadn’t gotten home from Reading until early this morning, Mal had gotten into the office at noon. Janey had already been there, looking none the worse for lack of sleep.

She’d asked how he was, how his aunt was. He’d been able to answer “fine” on both counts. She’d given him that sweet smile and said she was glad. And that had been the end of that. They’d both been busy the rest of the day.

Or rather, he’d made himself scarce the rest of the day, knowing what he’d be doing tonight.

He wanted to be pissed at Jimmy for asking him to do this but he knew it wasn’t Jimmy’s fault. Had he known how Mal felt about her? That Mal wouldn’t be able to say no when Jimmy asked him to follow Janey on a double date with Annie?

Jesus, he was an idiot.

He shook his head and his angelic-faced strawberry-blonde date happened to look up at that moment.

“What
are
you frowning about like a fool?” Irritation rang clear in her voice. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. Don’t I have enough problems back at the lab? I swear, this is
the
last time I do a favor for one of you hotshots.” She made the word sound like a curse. “Every time—every stinking time—I get the raw end of the deal. At least you’re feeding me. Even if it is… Ugh, do they really serve veal? I think I’ll have a salad.”

Mal laughed despite his black mood. They’d met three years ago when Merri—a twenty-one-year-old genius with a doctorate in advanced physics—had walked into the code lab and brought the house down with one cuttingly funny comment about their idiot former supervisor. It’d been X-rated and completely on target. She’d fit in immediately.

“You know, the first time I saw you, I thought you were twelve.” Mal knew it would rile her, and sure enough, she opened her mouth to blast him, but he pushed on. “I was positive you’d be eaten up by the bureaucracy. But you chewed ’em all up and spit ’em out first, didn’t you?”

The beginnings of a grin twitched at the corners of her mouth. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t try and butter me up, tough guy. You’re just as much of a pain in the ass as I am.”

“Maybe.” He shook his head. “But I’m cuter.”

Her answer was a distinctly unladylike snort after which she raised her menu so that only the top of her blonde head showed. No taller than five-two with waist-length hair she hated but wouldn’t cut, Merri had a tongue that could wound at twenty paces. Her green eyes turned hard as emeralds when you pushed her far enough, and she’d been pushed a lot as one of the only females supervisors in the code lab.

But the men she worked with would die for her. Mal knew he would. The fact that almost everyone who knew her couldn’t help but think of her as a kid sister didn’t hurt.

He wished he could place the DeMarcos’ kid sister in the same category. Lord knew he’d tried. But his resolution was failing fast. Last night, he didn’t know if he’d have made it to Reading in one piece if not for Janey.

She’d keep him from flying apart at the thought of losing his aunt. After Dev’s murder and his father’s death, he wasn’t prepared for another loss. He wasn’t—

The front door opened and Janey stepped through.

And Mal knew, with the fatalism of a pilot whose plane was going to crash, he had to have her or die from wanting.

“Hey, Mal. Are you okay?”

He heard Merri’s quiet question but couldn’t answer because his brain had disconnected from reality.

Janey hadn’t spotted him yet. But why would she, when she had a Norse god attached to her elbow?

Through a red haze, he watched Janey smile up at the muscle-bound buffoon, who probably had a pet name for his favorite Nautilus machine at the gym. Blond and blue-eyed—with teeth that gleamed brighter than his fake tan—the man was a walking L.L. Bean advertisement in his sweater and chinos.

What would that pretty face would look like after he punched it a few times? And he certainly would have to break the man’s fingers if his hand moved an inch higher on her bare elbow.

God, she looked radiant, seductive. Sexy. Her dress was plain black but cut low enough in front to show more cleavage than he’d ever seen her display.

Lust fired through his body, heating his blood.

Mal watched her hand her coat to her date, then laugh at something he had to bend down to say in her ear. Probably looking down her dress. Mal grabbed the edge of the table so hard it shook, causing a startled Merri to gasp softly and murmur, “Hey, Mal. What’s wrong?”

He couldn’t answer. He was expending all his energy trying to stay in his seat, when what he wanted to do was walk over there and put his hands around the man’s steroid-induced, thick-as-a-tree neck.

The foursome walked to the other side of the room to their table, where Mal still had an unobstructed view of her, though he didn’t think she’d seen him. He had no idea how Jimmy managed to arrange this table or even how he knew which table to get.

Oh, son. This is really bad. Worse even than that time you thought you were in love with that general’s daughter when you were seventeen.

That
had
been bad. This was worse. Mal couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt violent over a woman. She threatened his sanity. He couldn’t believe he’d let Jimmy talk him into this.

How much more of a mess could he make of his life?

“All right, come out of it.” Merri snapped two fingers in front of his eyes, and he focused on her worried face. “I think you’d better explain what the hell’s going on. Right now. You look like you’ve just seen the Ghost of Christmas Past.”

He snorted a bitter laugh. “Just my complete downfall.”

Merri looked at him closely for a full half minute, then discreetly knocked her purse off the arm of her chair. When she bent to pick it up, she scanned the room, knowing exactly when she got to the right table.

“Newcomers—brunette in the black dress, blonde in a white skirt that looks spray painted on. Two guys who look like walking ads for the Young Republicans on vacation. Which girl? The blonde?”

“No.”

Merri’s brows raised sky-high. “Not your usual type.”

That caught his attention. “What do you mean?”

Her expression said he was a fool to ask. “Oh please. You like them blonde, stacked and brainless. The better to forget when you move on.”

He opened his mouth …and found he didn’t have a damn thing to say in his defense. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a relationship that lasted longer than a month. It was true he’d never given a second thought to a woman he’d dated after they were gone. Though not all of his dates had been blonde. All right, most, but not all.

Maybe if he took Janey to bed, the need would be gone.

“So, what is it about this one?” Merri asked when he didn’t respond.

The waiter’s arrival saved him from answering, but he knew it would be a short reprieve. Merri’s relentlessness was legendary. Sure enough, she wore an impatient look of expectation by the time the waiter left.

Mal tried to formulate a coherent answer. “She’s going to hate me when she finds out who I really am.”

For the first time since he’d met her, Merri Simmons was speechless, her bright eyes wide with shock. Then she started to laugh, and her laugh was no ladylike titter. It was a full-out belly buster that she tried valiantly to hold in and finally fought it down.

Luckily, no one in the laid-back restaurant paid much attention to her outburst.

Mal, on the other hand, couldn’t catch his breath. Was this what it felt like to realize you were sinking into quicksand without a rope?

“Oh, that’s just too pathetic,” she finally managed to say as she gasped for air. “So why do you care what she thinks?”

Already feeling like an idiot, Mal simply shook his head and tried to throw Merri off the scent. “You wanna know more about this case, or what?”

She wouldn’t let him off the hook that easily. “No way, buddy. Spill. Come on, I’m a girl. You can tell me. I might even understand.”

A hard look at Merri—who deflected every jibe, joke and judgment with a quip—revealed that she was dead serious.

“She’s driving me insane,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here, watching her on a date. I want to kill her brother for asking me to do this but it’s my own damn fault. I listen to her voice all day and, at night, it follows me home and into my dreams. She makes a business suit sexy, for Christ’s sake. She’s intelligent and sweet and I think… Hell, I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“You like her.” Merri finished his unspoken thought as if she’d read his mind. Maybe his thoughts were transparent and he was becoming even more of a danger to himself and this case. “Do you really think there’s anything here? I’ve never heard anything skanky about the DeMarcos. I mean, my God, they’re, like, legendary—”

He held up a hand to stop her. “I’ve already had this discussion with Gallagher. As far as I can tell—”

Janey had seen him. He could tell the second she spotted him across the room because he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her for more than a few seconds.

She blinked a few times, leaned closer to her date—who nodded—then rose from the table and headed straight for him. He couldn’t pretend not to notice her because he couldn’t look away. She walked with a slow, steady stride, her legs looking incredibly long in heels higher than anything he’d ever seen her wear.

He stood, Aunt Gert’s training coming to the fore.

“Hi, Mal.” She stopped at their table, her tentative smile including Merri in its welcome. “I see you’ve found my mother’s favorite restaurant. Did she tell you about this place? Or did my brothers?”

The first thing he was going to do when he saw Jimmy was pop him in the nose.

“Actually—” he started.

“I asked him to bring me,” Merri broke in, a big grin on her face. “Hi, I’m Merri Simmons.” She held out her hand.

As Mal watched, Janey took the other woman’s hand. “Janey DeMarco. I work with Mal.”

“And I
used
to work with Mal. Nice to meet you, Janey. Can you join us for a few minutes?”

Mal sliced a look at his dinner companion that should have drawn blood. First he’d strangle Merri. Then he’d deal with Jimmy.

“No, I’m with some friends.” Janey gestured toward the other table. “I just wanted to say hi. I don’t want to interrupt.”

“You’re welcome to sit for a few minutes,” he offered gruffly. Anything to keep her away from Mr. I-Make-More-Money-Than-You-Ever-Will.

She looked ready to accept when Annie appeared by her side.

“Hello, Mal.” Annie shot him a grin, then turned to Merri, who looked like she’d just discovered a long-lost family member. “Hello.”

“Hi. Merri Simmons. I’m just up from Maryland for the day to visit Mal. We used to work together.”

“Really?” The blonde looked fascinated. “So you work for the government?”

“That’s right.” Merri nodded. “We worked together for several years.”

“Interesting,” Annie murmured, sliding a look at Janey. “Anyway, I’m just on my way to the ladies’ room. It was nice to meet you both.”

Merri, damn her, jumped out of her seat like she’d been kicked in the ass. “I think I’ll just tag along, if you don’t mind. Be right back, Mal.”

And they were gone, leaving him alone with Janey. The urge to sweep her out of the restaurant and back to his apartment nearly overwhelmed him.

Instead, he pointed to a chair. “Sit down. Your…date isn’t going anywhere.”

And why would he, Mal thought wryly, when this woman would be coming back to him?

“So, you and Merri used to work together? In the code lab?”

“Yeah. She’s the supervisor of my old team.”

When Mal fell silent, Janey’s heart dropped into her stomach. He was the last person she’d expected tonight. Nic wouldn’t have surprised her, but he was in Jersey. And she doubted Jimmy would’ve been able to get away from their mother’s watchful eye after his accident yesterday.

At first, she couldn’t believe Mal’d fallen prey to her brothers’ schemes to keep an eye on her. But then she’d seen his date.

He’d brought a woman. A delicate beauty, with sparkling blue eyes, masses of blond hair, a tiny little body and a laugh that traveled the room. Vivacious described her perfectly.

The exact opposite of staid, dependable Janey, who’d had to dig deep into her underwear drawer to find panties that weren’t plain cotton.

She cut off those thoughts, gaze still pasted to the table. She was not jealous, damn it. A few kisses and one wonderful orgasm did not give her any rights.

She started to rise, feeling incredibly awkward. “Well, I certainly don’t want to interrupt your date—”

“It’s not a date, Janey.” He reached for her hand before she could leave. “It’s two old friends having dinner. I want to make that clear.”

His hand completely enveloped hers. The heat of his body seeped into hers and her blood began to chug though her veins, making it hard to catch her breath. She wanted to lace her fingers with his and let him lead her out of here. Take her home.