Page 26 of Hidden

“Agent Mercer, I need to meet you as soon as possible.” The voice hit him like a sledgehammer, and his dick was immediately hard as he remembered the way she moaned beneath him on that rooftop.

“Who is this?” It was a stupid fucking question. He knew exactly who it was.

“Shit, sorry. It’s Carrie Davenport.”

“How the hell did you get my number? Who gave it to you, so I know who to fire?” It was better to respond with anger. The lust he felt surging through him right now was unwanted by both of them, not to mention inappropriate. Then again, taking her to the roof had been crossing every line in the book.

“Calm down, Agent. I’m a journalist. I have my ways. No need to fire anybody. Meet with me and I’ll tell you everything.” Her voice was stronger now, less timid than her greeting.

Peter moved out of the conference room and stood in a corner of the hallway as his men returned to their stations.

“Cut the shit and tell me what you want. Unwanted phone calls count as stalking you know.”

“I’m sure anyone you reported the stalking to would love to hear about your dick being inside me on Friday. I swear I’m not fucking stalking you. You’re going to want to hear what I have to say. When can you meet?”

Peter clenched the phone tighter. She was trying to coerce him into a meeting, and he wasn’t falling for it. He was going to kill whoever gave her his number.

“I’m not agreeing to anything until you tell me what’s going on, Miss Davenport.”

There was silence on the other end, and he thought she’d hung up on him.

“Are you someplace private?”

“Yes,” he lied. “Now spit it out.”

More hesitation, then she cleared her throat.

“I got a package from an anonymous tipster with photos and a note saying they can prove the things I was trying to tell you.”

“I have no interest in theories or unverified sources. I have to get back to work.” Anonymous tipsters were cowards or criminals in his experience. He had no time for either.

“Your name was in the second package.”

Well, that got his attention. But she could be lying to convince him to see her.

“Please. We need to meet.” Her voice cracked as she spoke, but Peter remained unmoved.

“I’m afraid I’m working fourteen hour shifts for the foreseeable future. There’s no way I can meet anytime soon.”

“Please don’t leave me hanging. Why wouldn’t you at least want to see a package that names you directly?”

She had a point, but his stubborn streak was showing, and he wasn’t giving in.

“I really have to go, Miss Davenport.”

“Someone tried to kidnap me from the Doll House last night. I saw you there before it happened,” she blurted.

“Excuse me? Why the hell didn’t you lead with that?” He stalked back into the now empty conference room and locked the door. “You have my attention. Tell me everything. If you’re in danger, you need to go to the police.”

“I have a feeling these people are more powerful than any police department.”

Her voice trembled, and it tugged at his heart. His cock and his incessant need to protect the women in his life had him ready to walk out of work right now to find her. The part of him who had been jaded by betrayal told him to stay right where he was.

His protective nature was winning out.

“You have my full attention. Tell me everything.”

“I’ve already told you all I’m comfortable with. I’ve received two packages. Someone told me I should trust you. I was at the Doll House gathering research. Someone put something in my drink, and I wound up in a limo being threatened. Someone pulled me out after staging an accident and put me in a cab. As they did, they slipped me a piece of paper with your number on it and told me to trust you.”

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