Page 15 of The Agent
Caleb ran a hand through his hair, pausing near the front door. “I did some construction a few years back.”
The admission came out of nowhere, but at least it wasn’t a lie, like his writer cover story. Hehaddone a lot of construction before he joined the DEA.
“I could help you with some of the renovations.” Gruffly, he added, “If you’d like.”
Marley seemed to hesitate. “No, I couldn’t let you do that. You’re here to work on a novel.”
“It’s really no trouble.” Damn, why was he insisting?
Information.
Right, it had nothing to do with her stunning face and endless supply of curves. He needed to find out what she knew about Grier. If she even knew anything. AJ thought she did, but Caleb wasn’t certain, not after he’d spent some time with her. Everything about Marley seemed so genuine, so refreshing. Howdid she do it, continue to smile and laugh and live her life after what Patrick Grier had done to her? Unless AJ was right, and she was still in contact with Grier, sticking by him, moving money around to help him escape….
Caleb forcibly shoved all the negative thoughts from his brain and focused on Marley. She considered his offer for so long that he grew certain she would say no, thank you. But then she gave a tiny smile and nodded. “Well, my brother’s finishing the closet this week, but I could use some help with the painting,” she confessed.
“Should I come by tomorrow?” Anticipation rose in his chest. He quickly banished it, trying to remind himself that he wasn’t seeing her for pleasure, but business.
“Sure. Let’s see…I’m stuck with a graveyard shift tonight. I start at two—” she made a face “—and I’ll be home around eleven tomorrow morning. I’ll probably pass out for a while when I get back, so how about four?”
“Sounds good.”
Laughing, Marley opened the front door for him. “I’m not sure it’ll sound as good when I put you to work painting my kitchen.”
He gave her a faint smile. “I look forward to it.”
Stepping out onto the porch, he thanked her for the coffee. After the door closed behind him, he released a ragged breath. Lord, that kiss. It was a miracle he’d been able to finish the rest of the conversation.
He could still taste her on his lips, and his current state of discomfort made walking next door difficult. He’d never been harder in his life, and if Marley were any other woman, it wouldn’t have stopped with one kiss. He felt it in the way she kissed him back and saw it in the disappointment clouding her eyes when they broke apart. If they were different people, hecould’ve buried himself inside her and eased the ache in his groin. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t sleep with her.
Getting close to her in order to learn the truth was a necessary evil, but sleeping with her would pretty much purchase him a one-way ticket to hell. Because if she was innocent, he would have slept with a woman while lying about who he was. A woman who’d already been used by one liar. And if she was guilty, he’d have to live with the knowledge that he’d had sex with the woman helping Russ’s murderer.
He let himself in through the front door and went upstairs, where he found AJ in the master bedroom, manning the monitors.
The second Caleb entered the room, AJ let out a hoot, followed by a round of applause. “I’m thoroughly impressed,” his partner drawled. “You move fast, man.”
Caleb smothered a groan. He’d been hoping AJ hadn’t seen the kiss, but from the lewd way the man wiggled his eyebrows, he’d obviously caught the show.
“I was trying to distract her,” Caleb muttered.
“With your tongue? You could have just asked for a tour of the house.”
Caleb ignored the remark and said, “Aside from climbing trees, did you do anything productive today? Any headway on where the wire transfer came from?”
“Still nothing.” AJ leaned back in the chair. “But I’m close, and I can tell you, the money wasn’t wired from the States. I traced it to Europe. Not sure which country, though.”
Europe, huh? It made sense, if the money that had appeared in the account was being used to fund Grier’s way out of the country.
“What if Grier tries to move the money?” he asked, a frown puckering his brow.
“He can’t,” AJ answered, looking smug. “We set it up so that money can come in—that way we can track it—but Grier and Kincaid can’t move the money out. I hope they try, though. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when they realize the hundred Gs is stuck there.”
They.The word hung in Caleb’s mind like a black rain cloud. AJ still hadn’t ruled Marley out as a suspect, and it was beginning to bother him. After these last couple of encounters with Marley, he was less suspicious of her than ever. Caleb’s instincts continued to tell him Marley wasn’t helping Grier, but he knew he couldn’t rule it out entirely. Still, it grated a little, hearing AJ lump her into Grier’s villainous category.
“What about you?” AJ asked. “Aside from playing tonsil hockey with the nurse, what’d you find out?”
“Nothing,” Caleb said with a sigh.
Not entirely true, of course. He’d found out plenty of things. Like how sweet she tasted. How pliant and welcoming her lips were. How hot her skin felt beneath his fingers.
