Page 38 of The Agent
“Shut up,” he snapped. “Just. Shut. Up.”
How could Marley betray him? Howcouldshe?
Patrick slowly uncurled his fists and took a long, calming breath. Fine, so she’d screwed around on him. Big deal. He’d get over it.
But first…
First he had to make Marley pay for what she’d done to him.
CHAPTER 9
“THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA,” Marley said, shooting Caleb a smile that made the drive to Coronado worth the traffic they’d encountered on the way.
Caleb watched as she dug her bare toes into the soft warm sand of Coronado Beach. After leaving the Kincaid house, he’d suggested coming to the beach in order to give AJ enough time to take care of the security cameras. His partner had said a couple of hours, but Caleb didn’t want to risk bringing Marley back too early. He’d raised the beach idea on impulse, but now that they were here, he was glad they’d come. The tranquil turquoise water lapping against the shore a few yards away soothed him, making him feel more relaxed than he had in months.
Still, he remained vigilant, just in case Grier had followed them.
“I can’t imagine growing up here,” he admitted, looking out at the water. “It’s so different from the east coast.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I’d like it over there,” Marley said. “I would miss the Pacific Ocean too much.”
“The Atlantic isn’t bad,” he protested. “Just a little cold.”
She snorted. “Alittlecold? Tell that to the passengers of theTitanic.”
She slid a hair elastic off her wrist and tied her hair up in a messy twist. Wavy strands framed her face and Caleb reached out to tuck some behind her ears. She smiled, then took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his.
“Thanks for coming to my dad’s today,” she told him as they moved closer to the water.
They’d taken off their shoes and left them on the sand, and the warm water splashed over Caleb’s toes. The late-afternoon breeze felt like a soft caress on his face, the scent of sand and salt bringing a wave of serenity over him. Yet, even as his muscles loosened and his face tipped up to soak in the sun, in the back of his mind he couldn’t stop thinking about how Marley would react when he told her who he really was.
On the drive out here, he’d considered not telling her at all. Just packing up and taking off, letting another agent handle the stakeout and the hunt for Grier. He knew Marley would be hurt, sure, but better a minor broken heart than another major dose of betrayal. But now, as he watched her smiling at a squawking seagull that swooped by, as the warmth of her fingers seeped into his palm, he knew he couldn’t leave without telling her the truth. After all the lies Grier had told her, she deserved honesty.
“My dad likes you,” she said. “Sam does, too, but he probably won’t admit it.”
“He’s just being protective. I’m sure they were both pretty shocked and pissed off when they found out about Patrick.”
Marley dropped her eyes. “Yeah, they were. But I don’t think anyone was as shocked as I was.”
Caleb tightened his grip on her hand. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. It sounds like your ex was a pretty smooth liar.”
“Let’s not talk about him anymore,” Marley said suddenly. “It’s such a beautiful day. I don’t want to spoil it.”
“What do you want to talk about then?”
“I don’t know. Anything. Tell me something. What do you do in New York when you’re not working?”
Caleb scrubbed his free hand through his hair. “Honestly? Not much, really.”
It was true. Now that he thought about it, he rarely took time off. It was one assignment after the next, and when he did have some down time, he usually spent it consulting with other agents abouttheircases. He and Russ had played poker every now and then, gone out to a bar a few times, but his partner had been a workaholic, too.
“You don’t go out? Ball games? Movies?” Marley prompted.
“Nope. I just work.”
She sighed. “There’s more to life than work, you know.”
“Not for me.”
