Page 43 of Hot Pursuit
“That concerns me more,” Thad whispered, at-ease body completely at odds with the stress in his voice. “Because there’s only one reason I can see that a Fed would so overtly court a criminal. To try to turn her. To lay the groundwork for some kind of deal.”
Jo closed her eyes as a wince tightened every inch of her body.Of course. Why didn’t I think of that before?“I’d never tell him anything about you or Dad. You know that.”
“Just be careful.”
The fact that he hadn’t immediately agreed sent her pulse into hyperspeed. What made Thad think he couldn’t trust her to keep quiet? Something she’d done…or whatever he was doing behind her back?
“You can’t honestly think I would betray you,” she tried again.
“I don’t.” Thad sighed, the strain in his voice obvious, doing nothing to quiet her thudding heartbeat. “But there are other people involved, and they— If they— If you—” He broke off, then unclasped his hands and ran them down his face as though to wipe whatever image was filling his mind away, to erase it completely. “Just be careful. We’re so close to the end.”
“These people…” Jo said slowly, trying to quell the questions bursting like little explosions in the back of her mind.Who are they? What do they want? Why are we working with them? Why haven’t I heard about them? What has everyone so freaking concerned?“What if I made them think it was the other way around? That I was using Nate?”
Thad sat up a little taller, a grin pulling at his lips. The sight of that dimple in his cheek puckering to life did more to calm her nerves than any of his words ever could. “Using him how?”
The suggestive tone of his voice was undeniable. Jo lifted a brow, fully aware she would be unable to stop her current self-righteous mood from spilling into her tone. “For information.”
“No judgment.” Thad’s lips widened into a full smile this time, beaming. “We all have needs, Jo Jo.”
Right now, you need a good kick in the ass, Thaddy Bear.She folded her arms indignantly across her chest. “I am an expert hacker, as you well know. If I can get onto Nate’s cell phone or his computer, I can easily get access to his files. See what he has on us. See if it’s anything real or if they’re still grasping at straws.”
“Interesting.”
Her brows shot up. “Oh, now I get an ‘interesting.’”
“With ideas like that…” He lifted his hand to his chin and tapped his pointer finger against his lips as the thought began to percolate. Jo wasn’t sure if she liked his reaction or hated it, but all of a sudden, she felt a bit ill. “So how would you play it? Seduce Parker? Get back to his room? Plant the bug when he’s not looking?”
Jo shrugged even as her insides flipped, doing somersaults in her stomach. “That would be one way.”
Thad nodded. A wicked little gleam sparked to life in his eyes, one that would have been undeniably sexy if she didn’t already know it meant he was scheming—scheming about something she was sure she wouldn’t like. But if history was any indication, she’d tag along anyway. Jo wasn’t sure how to do anything else.
“I like it,” he softly announced, sitting straight. Their meeting was nearing an end. “I like it, Jo Jo. If your dad is going to retire after this, it’d be nice to know what sort of safety net we’re all working with and how careful we really have to be moving forward. The gala is tomorrow night, so you’ve got one afternoon to work on Parker—and one night too, if you’re careful. See what you can get out of him, and I’ll handle everything else on my end.”
Jo tried not to focus on the way he’d said, if her father was going to retire, as though it was a question instead of a definite. But she kept her mouth shut.
“I’ll leave first,” Thad murmured. “You wait ten minutes, okay?”
“Bye, Thaddy Bear,” she whispered.
“Bye, Jo Jo.”
He stood and sauntered away, liquid smooth, a body made for stealth. But all Jo noticed was the direction he walked in—toward the man who’d been following her. They wouldn’t speak, not so openly, but Jo still reached into her bag to take her compact back out. Sure enough, Thad and the mystery tail made eye contact. And a few seconds later, both of them were gone, heading in the same direction, probably to have a meeting much like the one she’d had here.
Questions.
So many questions.
They battled each other for dominance, punching and kicking and fighting their way to the top of her thoughts.
Who?
What?
Why?
Why?
Why?
