Sex, Lies and Surveillance (22 page)

“Have a good trip. I hope it turns out well.”

Grace paused. “Is everything okay, Mal? You look a little under the weather this morning. Your aunt still on the mend?”

Yeah, well, lack of sleep and a lot of sex will do that to you, won’t it, son?

Did he imagine it or did she stare at him a little too hard? “My aunt’s fine. I’m just tired. Bennett’s case is coming along pretty well. I think I’ve got a lead.”

Her smile erased the intensity. “Well, that is good news. I have a plane to catch or I’d ask for details. You can reach me on the cell if you need me. For anything else, let Janey or Annie know what you need. I’m so glad that girl finally decided to take us up on a job. Janey could use the help, even though she’d never ask for it. I’ve got Annie with the father finessing the banks for the money. She should be back soon. Goodbye.”

Down the hall, he heard Grace greet Janey.

“Okay, you’ve got the fort. Your father’s trying to keep Jimmy from going stir crazy. They’re going to the movies. God help the theater manager. You know how your dad is about the sound. Is everything okay, honey?”

Shit. Grace was the sharpest person he’d ever met. She could pick up on the slightest inflections of voice and extrapolate from there.

“Yeah, Mom. Sorry, just preoccupied. I’m doing a little research for Mal, to help him clear Bennett’s case.”

Grace paused and Mal held his breath, expecting her to order Janey away from the case. “I thought you were working for the jewelers down the street.” Grace’s tone had tightened. “Did you find out how the thieves cracked their security system yet?”

“Yes, I did and I’ve already sent my recommendations by email and told them to call so we could talk more in depth. Is there something else you wanted to talk about, Mom? Is something wrong?”

Damn, Janey knew how to hold her own. She’d just turned the tables on Grace.

And apparently her mother blinked first.

“Nope, not a thing. Wish me luck. And pray for the boy. This has had to be a horrendous experience for him. Love you.”

Then he heard Grace walk out the door.

And he and Janey were alone.

Great, just what he needed.

No, what he needed was Janey. But he didn’t have any idea how to work this case and still end up with the girl. Not now. Not after last night.

He dropped his head on his desk, much more softly than he had a week ago, when Janey had touched him for the first time.

She’d rubbed his shoulders, putting her mark on him back then. Maybe he’d really never had a chance.

Had it only been a week?

He felt like howling at the moon. He’d never been a coward before. On the contrary, he typically faced problems head-on, which had gotten him compared to his father more than a few times. And not in a complimentary way.

But he always got the job done.

What if it turned out that Janey was into something illegal? If she was somehow involved in Dev’s death? How the hell would he deal with that?

When the front door opened and closed, Mal was ready for any distraction.

“Good morning, Janey. How are you today?”

Anything except Bennett.

Mal was out of his seat and halfway to Janey’s office by the time the man had finished his second sentence. He skidded to a stop in the hall outside her door as he heard her answer.

“Good morning, Mr. Bennett.” She sounded more confident than she had the last time she’d spoken to him alone. “Did you need something?”

“Just a few minutes of your time. It’s always the highlight of my day.”

A slight pause and Mal could imagine Janey rolling her eyes at Bennett’s smirky comment.

“You look lovely today,” Bennett continued. “I see you’re recovered from the other night’s trouble.”

That bastard. Since he was the cause of that “trouble,” maybe he should consider—

“I wanted to check your progress on the case. I passed your mother on the way out. She said you had a new lead.”

“That’s right. What can you tell me about your parents’ neighbor?”

Janey’s tone held Mal in place. He didn’t want to interrupt her since she seemed to be doing fine on her own, but he didn’t want to go back to his office in case Bennett tried anything. He didn’t trust the guy.

“You mean Mrs. Wilson?”

“No, I mean the younger woman.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s her daughter, Carla. We went to school together. She was a couple of years older. You think she’s the stalker?” Bennett’s laugh was condescending. “No way.”

“You spoke to her last night. What did she say?”

“She just said hi and something about the new film being really good.”

That should have been your first clue, buddy.

“I’m telling you, you’re off base there. Carla’s no stalker.”

“Tell me again when you started to receive the newest letters.”

“Just before Christmas.”

“When you’d decided you were going to film in Pennsylvania?” He heard the contemplation in Janey’s tone.

“Yeah.”

“But you hadn’t announced it publicly yet.”

Confusion laced Bennett’s next statement. “I don’t see where you’re going with this.”
No shit
. But Mal did. She was damn smart.

“Did you tell your parents?”

“Of course. My dad’s been after me to film in the state for a while now.”

“And your parents told Mrs. Wilson.”

“Probably. They’ve lived next door to each other for at least thirty years.” Bennett paused and Mal could practically hear the man’s brain working. “All right, I see where you’re going with this. What do you propose?”

Mal didn’t have a clue. They hadn’t gotten this far in their discussion. Though Janey obviously had a plan.

“I’m going to suggest we flush out your stalker.”

“How?”

By then, Mal knew exactly how and he stepped into her doorway before she could open her mouth again. “Could I speak to you a second?”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Of course. Excuse me, Mr. Bennett.”

Mal closed the door behind them in his office then leaned on the door. “No way.”

She hopped onto his desk, crossing her legs and leaning back. His blood started to heat and his cock started to harden at the suggestion in her eyes. She knew what she did to him, the little witch. “This is the easiest and fastest way to end this.”

“If this is the right woman, she’s already tried to run you down. If she sees you with him again, it might push her over the edge. We don’t know what she’ll do next.”

She smiled, which just made him harder. “I have no doubt you can keep me safe. Mom wants you to clear this case as soon as possible.”

The trust in her eyes was going to be his undoing. “I also know she’ll hang me out to dry for using you as bait, not to mention what your father and brothers will do to me.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

The words slashed into his chest like a razor. Yeah, he trusted her. He just didn’t know if he could trust himself. The last person who’d trusted him to keep him safe had been Dev. And look how that had ended. Plus, he had more on the line than his job. If anything happened to Janey…

The look in her eyes mesmerized, made him want to say yes to anything she said.

“Yes, I trust you, Jane.”

“Then we can do this. Together.”

Together. Yeah. Great.

His cell phone rang and Janey hopped off his desk. “I’ll let Bennett know our decision.” She walked up to him and let her index finger trail across his chest. “I’ll set something up for tonight. Answer your phone, Mal.”

He moved away from the door so she could exit and watched her walk away. Only when she was out of sight did he answer his cell.

“What?”

“Ooh. Sounds like somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Or should I say
in
the wrong bed?”

Mal swallowed a nasty retort that simply would have given Merri more ammunition. “You shouldn’t say either. What’s up, Merri?”

“Well, I got lucky, and I guess since you did too, we’re on a roll.”

“Damn it—”

“Okay, okay.” Her laugh rang over the phone line, making it crackle. “But come on, buddy. I never have anything good on you.”

“Merri, it’s just not that simple.”

She paused and her tone became serious. “Relationships never are. But you wouldn’t know that, would you?”

He wanted to toss the cell phone across the room but held on to his temper with the last bit of rationality he had. “Do you have something for me or not?”

She huffed. “Took me a while. You know interagency communication is shit, right? Well, guess who’s tracing illegally imported guns? The Philadelphia police had a rash of robberies last year, traced the guns to Carabini. Some undercover detective named…Luke Nabosny’s been working that angle since then. I suspect your girl’s been helping him track them, since most of the deals were made electronically. You’ll need to confirm that with Nabosny. And while you’re at it, you might want to ask Janey if she still wants that job they offered her here. If she is the one, she’s got some mad skills and I could use her. Did you know the Russian mob’s offered a reward to anyone who can figure out how the Philly police keep intercepting their shipments? If they ever find out it was Janey, she’s gonna have some real problems on her hands.”

Mal couldn’t seem to get enough air. And his ears were ringing.

“Mal?”

He sucked in air. “Yeah. Thanks, Merri. I’ll call you back later.”

“Are you okay?”

No. Hell, no.
“Yeah. I’ll talk to you later.”

He slipped the phone back into his shirt pocket. Now what? His chest felt like someone had put it in a vise and was cranking it closed. He reached for the antacids in his pocket.

First things first. He had to verify Merri’s information. Shouldn’t take long, as Merri was never wrong. She was the best damn ferret the lab had ever had.

He leaned back in his chair and swiveled around to stare out the window.

He should have known there’d be a reasonable explanation. Should’ve trusted her more. Hell, he never should’ve doubted her in the first place. Should’ve known the DeMarcos wouldn’t have had anything to do with the man who’d imported the gun that had killed Dev.

And where did that leave him? Was he finally ready to let go of the guilt over Dev’s murder? He needed to think, needed some time to work through it all. Time he didn’t have.

When had it gotten so damn quiet?

Oh, hell. He’d left Janey alone with Bennett.

He raced back to her office, but she wasn’t there.

Irrational fear ripped through him.

“Hey, Mal.” Annie glided through the front door, looking like a hot lawyer in a knee-length dark skirt and loose jacket. “Whoa, what’s wrong? You look freaked.”

“I can’t find Janey. And Bennett was just here.”

Annie didn’t seem to see the urgency. “Did you check the rest of the building? Like maybe the lab…”

She pointed behind him.

He turned to find Janey staring at him from the stairway to the lab with wide eyes.

“Where were you?” he bit out.

Her eyes widened even more, but he couldn’t help himself. All the fear, all the guilt ate at his conscience. He didn’t like being in the position of having to worry about someone else again.

“In the lab. I thought you’d feel better if you could listen to the conversation tonight.” She held up a small metal briefcase. “A few of Jimmy’s toys. Hey, Annie, when’d you get back?” She turned and walked into her office, leaving Mal fuming in the hall.

Annie gave him a strange look, then followed her. “Just now. I actually did something constructive today. Those German classes I took in college because of that cute TA came in handy.”

“Oh, I remember him. He was a doll—blond, blue-eyed, built like a wrestler. You always were a quick study with languages.”

“I was a quick study on guys,” was Annie’s droll reply.

Mal felt like he’d been kicked in the chest. The banter between the women rasped on his nerves. He tried to calm down but knew it wasn’t going to happen unless he got out of the building.

He didn’t bother to grab his jacket. He stopped in the doorway of Janey’s office, which she now shared with Annie. “I need some air. I’ll be gone a few minutes.”

He walked out before she could say anything.

Mal headed down Market Street until he found a recessed doorway, then stopped to pull out his cell.

“Gallagher here.”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Whatcha got for me, Mal?”

“I don’t think there’s anything here.”

“You think?” Gallagher had a definite bite in his tone.

Mal sighed. “Okay, there’s nothing here.”

“Still need proof.”

Mal pushed a hand through his hair, wanting to rip it out by the roots. “I should have some by the end of the day, but I have a…situation.”

Gallagher paused. “What kind of a situation?”

Good question. Damn, he missed his dad. He could have told his father anything and the old man would have known the exact right thing to say. He trusted Gallagher with his life, had known the man to come through for him on numerous occasions. But could he trust him with this?

“Does it have to do with the case?” Gallagher prompted.

Mal shook his head. “Yeah. I think… I’m developing an emotional attachment to Janey DeMarco.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

Hell, Gallagher was going to make him say it. “I think I’m in love with her.”

Another pause. “You’re doing a lot of thinking today, Mal. Know anything for sure?”

“Yeah, I know I’ve fucked this up completely.”

An elderly woman walking by gave him a scowl as she walked by with her handbag clutched close to her chest. Great, now he was scaring the natives.

“Let’s not go there just yet,” Gallagher said. “Tell me what you got and we’ll see.”

Five minutes later, Mal had relayed all of his information. Gallagher hadn’t made more than an interested “hmm” the entire time.

“So, basically you have enough information that, if I pulled you out right now, you could clear the DeMarcos of any wrongdoing?”

“You can’t pull me today. I’ve got something to wrap up tonight.”

“Something involving a young woman?” Mal couldn’t tell if Gallagher was pissed off or amused. He’d take the latter over the former.

“Yeah, I’m working a case for them. A case that could put her in danger.”

“Mal, I’m not gonna say you’re not in a raft of shit with me, but God help you if you let anything happen to Frank and Grace’s only daughter. I expect a report on my desk by 0800 tomorrow. With facts. Then I want you back here for a full explanation by the afternoon. Got that?”

Gallagher didn’t wait for Mal’s “Aye-aye, sir.” He just hung up, leaving Mal with no easy answers.

And a heavy sense of impending doom.

***

“So, do you want to get something to eat?”

Mal shook his head as she opened the door to her home and waved him through.

Janey didn’t know whether to kiss him or hit him. He’d been so quiet all afternoon. It was making her nuts.

“I want to go over that equipment you brought home. Make sure I know how to use it.”

She wanted to nudge him along with her toward her bedroom. “I guess I’ll take a bath. Do you want to change first?”

Did she imagine it or did he almost drop the case with the equipment?

“No, that’s… I’m good. You can just… I’ll just take this stuff over to the table.”

No, the man definitely couldn’t take a hint. So she retreated to her room, where she shed her work clothes in favor of her silk robe. She wasn’t up to parading around naked in front of him yet.

She left the door to the bathroom open just a crack, then started her bath. Water gushed from the spigot, loud enough to tune out the sounds of Mal working in the next room. The tub was made for two, deep and huge, with whirlpool jets on all sides.

She’d never asked another person to join her in it before. Had never wanted to ask another person. She wanted to ask Mal. But she didn’t want to be turned down.

He’d been so quiet all afternoon. She hated that she couldn’t tell if it was because he was worried about tonight. Or worried about last night.

It felt awful to second guess what had been the best night of her life, and she her body tightened in protest.

Releasing her hair from its braid, she added vanilla bubble bath, then shut off the water and slipped into the tub. Scented vapor rose into the air and the heat began loosening her muscles as she submerged to her shoulders. Sighing, she closed her eyes and dipped her head beneath the water to drench her hair.

What she wouldn’t give to have Mal here with her, pampering her. Loving her.

Did she love him?

Well, the short answer to that question was yes.

Janey swore the air in the room grew heavier, hotter.

She opened her eyes to find Mal watching her from the doorway with an intensity that gave her goose bumps. He leaned against the doorjamb, tall and dark. His hair, messy and curling, was pushed behind his ears carelessly. She loved his hair, loved the feel of it between her fingers.

He’d taken off his tie, undone the top two buttons on his white oxford and rolled up the sleeves. It was strange how just the sight of his watch on his bare wrist could excite her.

“You want some company?”

Mal knew he shouldn’t be here, but he’d been unable to ignore the lure of the sound of water. And the fact that Janey was naked.

The wanting was a constant gnawing at this gut, a drain on his ability to breathe, to reason.

She didn’t answer, only nodded, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

He was digging himself a deeper hole. He knew that but couldn’t stop.

While she watched, he released the buttons on his shirt and shrugged out of it. He could hear her breathing shallow out and speed up.

He reached for the button on his jeans and her lips tilted upward slightly.

By the time he’d pushed them off his hips and stepped out, her expression had cleared, but her gaze smoldered.

When he was naked, he ached for her. Her eyes swept down his body, trailing fire.

“Move forward.”

She did as he asked, allowing him to slide behind her. He was barely in the water when she leaned into him, settled her head onto his shoulder and nestled her bottom against his crotch.

The softness of her skin acted like a stimulant to his already heightened nerve endings, making his cock twitch in anticipation. The little witch must have felt his reaction, because she wriggled into him further.

In response, he twisted her wet hair around his fist and gently pulled her head back until he could nibble at her neck.

A shudder ran through her and she moaned, but she continued to lie against him, her arms resting on the sides of the tub.

When he reached for the mesh sponge lying on the wide rim, her hands curled into fists.

He grabbed one of the tubes sitting on the side and squeezed gel onto the sponge. “Lean forward.”

She hesitated only a moment. He dipped the sponge into the vanilla-scented water and, with gentle strokes, he washed her back, moving the heavy mass of her wet hair over her shoulder to expose her skin. When he’d finished her back, he pulled her against him again and started on her front.

He soaped her full breasts, playing with the nipples until they became hard pebbles. When he slipped his fingers between her legs and parted the soft dark curls there, she let her legs fall apart to accommodate him. His other hand cupped one slick breast.

She gave herself completely into his care, and he wanted to be worthy of her trust, wanted to turn her around and sink into her, to console himself in her body.

Instead, he slipped one finger into her warm channel and pressed his thumb against her clit.

Janey arched into his touch, a low moan rumbling in her chest. He flicked that tiny bundle of nerves, circled it with ever-increasing pressure as she began to tremble. Her hands clenched on the sides of the tub, her head kicking back into his shoulder. His own muscles tightened as he felt her sex tighten around his finger.

When she came, he groaned as she cried out and arched against his hand. He wrung out her orgasm, denying himself, as if that could make up for all of his lies.

She tried to move, to turn in his arms, but he held her fast.

“Just stay. Let me hold you.”

And she did.

***

When Janey exited the bathroom, Mal could have swallowed his tongue and he might not have noticed.

He’d known she was gorgeous. But she’d always been gorgeous in his eyes, even in plain business skirts and tailored shirts.

Tonight, she wore her mother’s confidence, her father’s cool intensity and her own unique appeal.

Still, her tone was hesitant. “So, what do you think?”

He wasn’t sure he could think right now. He’d yet to decide where to look first. Her shiny blue dress with its wide shoulder straps and plunging neckline drew the eye to any number of spots—from her curved hips, to her luscious breasts, to just below her knees, covering the bruises he knew were still there from the other night.

The neckline left the slim column of her throat exposed, leading the eye to the dusky hollow between her breasts. He didn’t see how she could wear a bra with that dress, so he would just assume she wasn’t wearing one.

Damn. Not a good thing to think about now.

With her unbound hair flowing like silk over her shoulders, siren-red lipstick on her mouth and mascara that made her eyes look huge, she was going to attract the attention of every red-blooded male in the tri-state area.

“I don’t think I can let you leave the room.”

Her heated expression made his heart shift into overdrive even more than her unaccustomed finery. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was meant as one.”

She walked to the couch where he sat and picked up her purse.

“You’ve got the stun gun?” he asked.

She drew it out and held it up. “Yes.”

“The Mace?”

She dug in again, extracted the small cylinder, shook it at him.

“Cell phone?”

She put the Mace away and showed him the phone. “Mal, we’re going to be in a crowded restaurant. I’m sure I’ll be fine. And you’ll be only seconds away.”

He knew that. Rationally. He also knew the last person he’d worked with was dead.

“I want to check the earring transmitters once more—”

“Mal.” She stared straight into his eyes. “I have enough brothers.”

“I’m not your brother.”

“Then stop acting like one.”

“Janey, I—” He nearly reached for her, but if he did, he might not let her go. Or he might spill his guts and they couldn’t have that conversation now. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Do you trust me?”

His world jolted on its axis for one brief second at that one word—trust. “Yes.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

The truth slipped out before he could catch it. “Circumstances beyond my control.”

Janey picked up her purse, looked at her watch. “You can’t control everything. Some things have to be left to chance. And I’m just starting to realize that that’s where the fun is.” She paused, as if considering something. “You know, my parents are legends in the intelligence community. Nic spent several years in Special Forces. Jimmy is one of the youngest PhD’s in MIT’s history. I have a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in languages.”

“Jane—”

She cut him off with a raised hand. “Hear me out. I came to work for my parents right out of college. Mom and Dad hate paperwork. Nic was always off somewhere, so he couldn’t be bothered with it, and Jimmy can barely remember to eat, much less fill out forms when he’s working on a new project. Secretaries can’t be trusted. One actually wrote a book about us, though it never got published.” She turned a curious gaze on him. “They trust me. And I love them dearly. But they want to keep me in this little cocoon. And I’m tired of being there.”

She moved until she stood directly in front of him, staring down into his eyes. “I like where I am now. Who I’m with. What I’m doing.” She bent over and laid a soft kiss on his lips at the exact moment the doorbell rang. “I’ll see you later.”