Page 46 of The Agent
She scowled. “But what?”
“I wasn’t supposed to make contact with you in the first place,” he confessed. “I only did because I saw you hanging from the eaves, and I didn’t want to let you fall.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then?”
“I couldn’t.” He looked at the ground. “There was always the chance that you were still involved with Grier, that you’d tip him off.”
A breath flew out of her mouth. “Involved with… You thought I was a suspect?”
He shook his head. “Maybe a little, at first. But not now. I know you’re not involved with any of Patrick’s dealings, Marley.”
She glared at him. “How nice for me! The man who slept with me under false pretenses didn’t think I was a criminal. I feel so much better.” She clenched her fingers. “So, do you have sex with all your potential suspects, or am I the only one?”
He winced. “I have never gotten involved with a witness before,” he said, emphasizing the wordwitness.
She shot him a cold look. “Lucky me.”
“I was desperate. My best friend was killed in that raid, and the person who murdered him is out there somewhere, goingunpunished. I didn’t mean to get involved with you…it just happened…and I’ve been torn up in knots about lying to you.”
“I’m sorry about your friend, but there were other ways you could have handled this.” Her voice wobbled. “Telling me the truth would have been a good start.”
“I wanted to, really.” His claim meant little in light of his actions.
“What exactly have you been doing, Caleb?”
He hesitated. “Watching.”
“Are you recording everything?”
“Yes.”
“Recording everything,” she whispered, remembering all the special moments they’d shared. Moments she’d thought were private. “God, I can’t believe this.”
* * *
CALEB STOOD PARALYZEDas he watched Marley’s feelings for him die.
Her shoulders were stiff as she turned and made a move for the bedroom door. “You’re a bastard, Caleb.”
“Marley, wait.”
He tried to grab hold of her arm, but she shrugged him off as if she’d been stung by a scorpion. “Don’t you dare touch me. You’ve been lying to me since the moment we met. I was always just a case for you. So don’t you ever touch me again, do you hear me,AgentFord?”
“Damn it, Marley, you’re more than a case.”
She stared through him. “Right.”
“It’s true.” His heart twisted in his chest. “Something happened once we got involved. I started to care about you.”
“You don’t care about me,” she said coldly. “You’re just trying to butter me up with sweet words so I’ll forget about all the lies.”
“I’m not lying about this. And believe me, I’m not sure I even like it. My job has always been the most important thing in my life. I never wanted anything more than that. But then I met you, and now…now I realize what I’ve been missing all these years.”
Marley moved toward the door again.
“A job isn’t going to keep me warm at night, or make me laugh the way you do,” Caleb continued in a soft voice. “A job isn’t going to make me pancakes or seduce me in a car. Being with you has shown me that it’s okay to open up to another person.”
“Looks like you’re going to have to be satisfied with the job.” Marley stumbled to the door, tears coating her thick eyelashes.
