Page 3 of Find Me
She rose and snorted, shaking her head at him. “You can follow.”
He grinned, following her with his gaze as she headed toward the door. This smart-as-hell, firecracker of a woman had him by the balls, and he was certain, he’d follow her anywhere.
* * *
Penny wanted onlytwo things in life. One, excel at her job. Two, prioritize her independence. The gorgeous, magnetic man at her back, burning his gaze into her, was getting in the middle of both those things. He was getting in her head. Andthatwas really starting to piss her off.
The scent of rich tobacco and leather enveloped her as she stepped into the dimly lit cigar lounge that was located above the Phoenix club.
Hawke led the way as she caught sight of Rhys, sitting at a booth with Kieran and Hazel, who were married, and Elise, who was Archer’s wife and Penny’s closest friend.
Penny couldn’t relate to all that loved-up stuff. She had boyfriends in the past, some serious, some not, but she couldn’t imagine committing to someone forever. It wasn’t that she had trauma in her past or commitment problems. It was her job that got in the way. As a hacker, she saw into people’s lives with a microscope. People were terrible and were rarely who they portrayed. She didn’t want the headache that came with a relationship. She didn’t need sex that bad.
Elise’s light blue eyes locked on Penny’s approach, and she jumped up, her long, dark brown hair swinging off her shoulder as she threw her arms around Penny. “Hey, girlie!”
“Hey,” Penny said, returning the warm embrace.
Elise was the reason Penny was involved with this group of friends. They met on a job—Elise was a private investigator—and the friendship stuck. Plus, Penny worked for Elise’s private investigation firm ever since, keeping her on the legit side of hacking these days. Elise was the only person whom Penny knew was authentic, and the only person she trusted, other than her grandmother.
When Penny broke away from Elise, Kieran gave her a nod, his green eyes as strong as ever. “Penny.”
“Hi.” She smiled at him, then exchanged greetings with Hazel, but she made it brief. The only one at this table she knew well was Elise, and she was getting to know her husband, Archer, more now that he and Elise were married. But all these people were members of a voyeuristic sex club, and she was not interested in gaining membership to the club. What could she possibly have in common with any of them?
Only her vibrator got her off. Most men needed an instruction manual to her clit.
Elise asked, “How’s things going?” She meant,Have you found the person who planted the bugs?
“It’s slow going.” Penny smiled in response.
“Damn,” Elise grumbled. Penny didn’t doubt that Archer’s mood had been rocky, since the bugs were planted under his watch.
“I take it you have something for me,” Rhys interjected to Hawke, his sculpted face and squared jaw framed by jet-black hair that contrasted strikingly with his gray eyes. The man reeked of power.
Hawke crossed his muscular arms over his chest. His cropped dark hair and chiseled features amplified the sense of danger that clung to him like a second skin. “The report is yours,” he told her.
Penny really did hate the way her heart rate spiked whenever he set those icy blue eyes on her. “I do have something for you,” she told Rhys.
Not that she didn’twantHawke, she did, but he made heart beat a little faster. She’d seen her mother give everything to a husband who treated her like a doormat. When Penny tried to talk her mother into leaving her stepfather, her husband cut off their communication, and her mother let him. Penny would never become that obsessed with anyone. The way Hawke observed her and interacted with her, even giving her a nickname for crying out loud, didn’t just speak of desire. It conveyed something else entirely, something that made her feel the urge to run and hide.
“Please excuse me a moment,” Rhys said to his friends, and Elise waved at Penny as she followed him toward a table in the corner, away from listening ears.
Rhys pulled his cell from his pocket and sent a text, waiting for Penny to sit first, before he joined her around the table. Hawke took the seat across from her.
Rhys laced his fingers together on top of the table. “What have you found?”
“I have concerns about one of your participants, Julia Castillo,” Penny explained. “I’ve been reviewing the surveillance footage, and something about her rubs me wrong.”
“Go on,” Rhys said, leaning forward with interest.
“She seems to be aware of the surveillance cameras, and her mannerisms scream nervousness. It’s as if she knows she’s being watched and doesn’t like it.” Penny paused, searching their faces for any sign of surprise.
Hawke’s disciplined expression remained unchanged, but she could see the gears turning behind his eyes. Rhys, however, raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.
“Why do you think she might be aware of the cameras?” Rhys pressed.
“She is the only member, participant, employee that looks at the cameras, and she does it every time,” Penny replied.
“I see,” Rhys said, his gaze thoughtful. “I trust your instincts, Penny. If you believe there is cause for concern, dig deeper.”
