Page 44 of Exposed

“How’d you manage to stay behind today?” He slipped off his shoes and she quickly stepped out of hers and led him to the office where Carlos kept his computer. Housekeeping had visited while they were at breakfast, so every surface gleamed and the scent of lemongrass hung in the air. She’d left thewindows open and the warm ocean breeze floated about the massive space.

“I told him I had been up half the night with cramps. I was surprised he was still willing to go snorkeling, but I guess Hector made him get out.”

She swung the office door open, Nate made his way to the desk, and slid in the chair in front of Carlos’s computer.

“Did he say anything else about Tony?”

She nodded as her hand steadied the door, keeping it ajar so they would hear if someone came in. Not that it would help much. They’d be screwed if Carlos came back early, though they were scheduled to be gone until dinner.

“Don’t worry. Dylan and Ashley are snorkeling on the same tour as Carlos and Hector.”

She tangled her fingers together in front of her waist, slowly crossed the room, and stopped at the desk. All she’d wanted since last night was more of Nate.

“He asked me if I had seen Tony when I stepped out to take Ethan’s call.” She rested her hip against the desk and Nate brought the computer to life. “I made it obvious I was offended and hurt by the accusation, and he apologized and admitted Hector had given him the idea. I think he’s going to be a problem.”

The cool, slickly polished surface reminded her of the dining room table in Nate’s suite. Desire pooled in the pit of her stomach and warmth spread to the insides of her thighs. God, she wanted him.

He didn’t take his attention away from the screen. “He’s a hell of a lot sharper than Tony. He confronted me in the hall last night and asked me if I’d seen Tony when I left dinner, the observant bastard. I think I sidelined him for now, but we need to be really careful.” His eyes lifted to hers and his lips twitched. “We can push through a few more days.”

He was so damn sexy. He’d gotten a lot of sun since they’d boarded the ship a few days ago, but Nate had always been tanned. She studied the thick column of his throat and dragged her gaze down to the strained seam of his shirt around his biceps.

C’mon, Maddie. Back to business.

“Have you been in contact with Davis?”

Nate dragged his gaze from the screen. “Yeah, I called him last night. He was hoping we’d have some intel by now. I told him we’d get into Carlos’s computers today and hopefully have some leads.” He nodded his head at the screen. “Any idea what his password is?” Nate pounded on the keyboard and a soft beep sounded from the device “Shit. Well it’s not that.” Maddie tucked the corner of her mouth in. She’d been trying to watch his keystrokes for weeks now, and hadn’t had much luck. “I know it starts with a V. V-I-E something. It must be Spanish.”

Nate’s lips compressed. “Hmm. Well that could be tricky.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Was it a long word or short?”

“Definitely short. Maybe five or six letters.”

He moved his thumb over the screen of his phone, no doubt searching Spanish words. She lifted herself and sat on the desk, her knee scant inches from Nate’s fingers. Her mind drifted to the many Spanish words she’d overheard Carlos speak, but nothing came into focus.

“Could it be a place?” Nate mused, as he rested his back in the chair. His gaze drifted down her body and landed on her slightly parted knees.

Her pulse kicked up and sent a steady vibration through her nerve endings. His eyes focused on the hem of her dress and her mouth went dry. She’d deliberately forgotten to wear panties. She swung her foot gently in the air, and her bare ankle brushed against his knee.

Her spine straightened. “He always talks about Old San Juan. Maybe it’s a street or something?”

Nate tore his eyes from her legs and typed on his phone. His mouth twisted into a smile. “Smart and beautiful. Old San Juan is also known as Viejo.”

“That’s it,” she cried. She bounced on the desk and shook Nate’s wrist. He chuckled and adjusted his fingers over the keyboard. “I’ve overheard him on the phone a few times and he’s used that word. Kind of strikes me as strange, being it’s also his password.”

Nate shrugged. “Some people have trouble remembering their passwords so they pick a common word.”

“Or something they know they won’t forget,” she said, pinching her chin between her thumb and forefinger.

Nate lifted his brows at her. “What are you getting at?”

“It’s just strange. The last time I heard him say ‘Viejo’ is when I overheard him talking to Hector about needing new bouncers for the club. I assumed he meant the one in Miami, but he also mentioned Diego would take care of it.”

“So?”

“So there’s no one named Diego at the club in Miami.”

Nate sat back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the desk. “If that’s right, then he could be operating a business from San Juan that we have no record of.” He shook his head. “We’ll have to do some more digging. In the meantime, let’s see if it works.”

His fingers glided over the keys. His shoulders relaxed and his eyes met hers. “Well, I’ll be damned. That was pretty easy.”

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