Lethal Bond: Jamie Bond Mysteries Book #3 (17 page)

He opened it with a start. "Hi. I called you. Returning calls in person now?" He smiled.

He was in a pleasant mood. That was good.

I laughed, or tried to. It sounded like a car stalling. "I,uh, came by because I need your help." Which wasn't a total lie. While watching Ruby, I'd had a thought as to how I could perfect my Vega plan.

He stepped back and allowed me entrance. But he didn't step back quite enough. My shoulder and arm brushed against his chest as I walked past him, causing me to second guess this whole trip.

The air in his apartment smelled like last night's leftovers. The only light flashed from the TV, and the sound was very low.

"So what do you need help with?" he asked. He stood just a couple of inches behind me. His breath ruffled my hair, causing goosebumps to break out on my arms.

I turned to face him and took a step back. "I need another bug."

He frowned. "Why?"

I couldn't tell him the truth—that it was for Miranda—because he'd say it was too dangerous, and he'd want to get involved. And because this had to do with Aiden, I didn't want Danny involved. I needed to keep both men as far away from one another as possible, for my own sanity. He waved a hand before my face. "Earth to Jamie."

"Right. It's for a new case. Grandma suspects her grandson's fiancée is a gold digger. We need to get the goods." I hated lying to him, but it was the best choice. And from what I knew, I didn't have a tell for lying.

He nodded, staring into my eyes. He either wanted to say something or waited for me to.

I looked to his TV, trying to decipher what he was watching. It was a sitcom with a dad talking to his teen daughter about her boyfriend. The girl rolled her eyes a lot, while Dad made cheesy jokes.

Danny took the hint and headed to his bedroom. The room where he slept, undressed. The room with the big bed.

Stay focused!

I used the moment to take a deep breath and to try to shake the nervousness from my fingers. Of course it didn't help. When he came back, I still felt like leaping out of my skin.

"Here." He handed me a small device.

"Do I use the same walkie-talkie thing?"

He smirked. "Yeah, the transmitter is the same for both. Where's the other bug?"

Oh, right. "Uh, I used that one on another case. The swingers." He didn't need to know that case had ended.

"How's that one progressing?"

"Not the way the wife wants, which is why I used the bug. Don't worry. You'll get them back."

He scratched the top of his head. "I'm not worried."

"Good." I wanted to bolt right then, but it felt rude. Not that standing there with a huge gust of awkwardness felt better.

"So how's therapy going?" I asked.

"Fine. Shoulder feels much better."

I grinned, genuinely happy to hear it. "That's great."

"Yeah." He eyed me suspiciously.

I desperately searched for something…anything to say. "And Mrs. Rosenbaum, how's she doing? Has she brought you more food?"

"You're acting weird," he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Danny pinned me with a hard look. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'm tired, just came from a follow. It's late. You know. The usual." There went that stupid laugh again. If I was seated, my leg would probably be bouncing.

Then, before I realized what he was doing, Danny leaned forward. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me up against his chest. He lowered his head and his lips crushed mine.

I froze. It was so sudden, so unexpected, so…incredibly hot.

I couldn't help myself. I kissed him back. I'd always imagined Danny was a good kisser, but I never realized how good until just that moment. I melted, felt my knees give out, my body dying to mold to his. When his tongue pushed between my lips, my head swirled. I wasn't thinking, just reacting, and every cell in my body cheered, partied.

His other hand cupped my cheek, pushing my hair aside. He reached to the back of my neck and used both hands to try to pull me closer. There was no more space between us though.

That's when I felt him press against my stomach.

I paused. Oh my God, what was I doing?

Palms flat against his chest, I pushed away.

The kiss broke, and he opened his eyes. He had that dreamy, hungry look again.

I touched my swollen lips with my fingertips and momentarily contemplated ripping off all his clothes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, obviously not delighted with my move.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I gotta go."

Without another word, I bolted from his apartment for the second time this week.

I was terrified what we'd be doing the third time.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

After a night of tossing and turning, and a couple of cold showers (during which I noticed there were no messages from Danny), I arrived at the office in less than tip-top shape. Luckily Maya had my usual waiting for me. I didn't know how she knew when I'd arrive each day, but the coffee was always piping hot and delicious. I sometimes wondered if she hired a barista to hang out in the storage closet.

She winced at my face. Was it the bloodshot eyes, the mascara I smudged beneath my left eye when I almost stabbed myself with the wand, or had my scrape turned an alien shade of lime green? I didn't ask. I didn't need to feel worse. And she was kind enough to not volunteer the information.

"Caleigh's waiting for you in your office," she said, walking ahead of me.

I followed like a slug and nearly whacked my face into the door. I needed to wake up before I got a black eye and added more discoloration.

Caleigh was seated before my desk, filing her always manicured, never chipped nails. She looked up briefly to smile her good morning, but ended up frowning.

I really needed to take a moment with a mirror, some Visine, and a new application of makeup.

I pulled out my chair and sipped my coffee while sitting down. Trying to multi-task meant knocking the cup against my teeth and burning the tip of my tongue.

Mouth. Tongue. My mind jumped to Danny. A flush began below my waist and traveled upward. I set down the cup, before I caused third degree burns, and fidgeted in my seat.

"You okay, boss?" Caleigh asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I nodded, giving myself a mental shake. There was work to be done, and I needed to find time to slip the second bug into Miranda's office, as well as the whole Candy, Apple, Vega scenario.

"Yes, sorry. Maya, please run down today's schedule."

She swiped across her tablet. "You have a meeting with Levine today."

I looked up sharply. "What for?" I didn't remember making the appointment. The last time I saw my attorney, was a few months ago when the business wasn't doing well and he wanted me to fire one of my girls. Had that only been during the summer? It seemed so much more time had elapsed since then.

"He called late yesterday and said it wasn't important. He was just checking in or something, and asked if I could find a slot for him. I can change it, if you'd like," Maya said.

I nodded. "Please. Call him back and tell him I'll be in touch soon." If it wasn't important, it could wait, but I was mildly curious as to what he wanted. I made a mental note to call him as soon as the chaos in my life toned down.

Maya continued, "You and Caleigh are tailing Ruby this afternoon, and then you're open until tonight when you and Sam are meeting your contacts on the Vega case."

By contacts, she meant Candy and Apple.

"You should have enough time between the two appointments," she said.

This was one of the drawbacks of tailing someone. It wasn't like we were shrinks (at least not the kind with degrees in psychology) and could schedule our clients every forty-five minutes. We never knew how long it would take, so while my schedule looked pretty empty on paper, I'd probably spend half the day sticking to the seats in my car.

Luckily it was Friday, which meant Mrs. Rosenbaum would be picking Danny up from physical therapy again, and I wouldn't have to be trapped in my car with him, pretending last night hadn't happened. Or worse, reliving it.

"If Ruby doesn't meet up with anyone while we're tailing her," Caleigh said. "Then I can follow up on my own when you're with Sam. I'm not seeing Curtis until late."

The phone rang, and Maya rushed out.

Caleigh set down her nail file and smiled. "I'd like to point out that I'm in on time today, and I still had a rocking night with my beau."

I chuckled. "Noted. What did you and Mr. Romantic do this time?"

"We spent the night staring at the stars. First, he surprised me by taking me to the planetarium. It was amazing. I'd never been."

Neither had I. That sounded like something he really thought about beforehand. "How very Ross Gellar of him."

Her baby blues lit up. "I know, right? Then we drove to the beach and watched more. He knows all the constellations. He's an astronomy buff. It was the best. He has the gentlest hands, and those lips…" She fanned herself with her nail file.

My temperature rose again. I crossed then uncrossed my legs. I couldn't deal with this every time someone mentioned various body parts.

"And how is your father doing?" I asked to change the subject. I'd been doing that a lot lately.

"Fine. He's spending the day at the beach, figuring out how to get a tan." She shook her head. "Don't ask. I'm just glad he's out of my hair for the next eight or so hours."

*  *  *

When I stepped off the elevator (no stairs this time) on the third floor of the DA offices, it looked totally different than during my late-night visits. It was loud and busy—bodies walking along the corridors, phones ringing, and a middle-aged receptionist at the front desk.

I didn't get the luxury of walking, or crawling, past her and going straight back to the offices.

"Can I help you?" she asked, as soon as I stepped through the double doors.

"Yes, I'm here to see ADA Aiden Prince."

She squinted. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes. Jamie Bond." What was the likelihood she knew the day's itinerary for every single lawyer on the floor and that I was lying?

She didn't send me packing or call security though. She picked up the receiver and punched in a couple of numbers. She smiled as we waited, then into the phone, she said, "ADA Prince, your appointment is here. Jamie Bond."

I knew Aiden wouldn't refuse to see me, but I wasn't here to actually see him. I needed to get into Miranda's office. If he came out here to greet me, I was in trouble. How would I scoot past him without making him suspicious?

Luckily, she hung up and said, "He'll be with you in a moment. You can have a seat." She nodded toward a couple of chairs to my right.

"Thank you." I sat in one and realized I had the perfect view down the corridor of their offices. It was empty. All I needed was a way to get down it.

Then, since the stars were aligned for me today, a man came in delivering a huge bouquet of flowers. "These are for Madelyn Shore."

"That's me," the receptionist said with a gasp. As she signed for them, I stood and sprinted down the corridor.

I walked straight past Aiden's office, praying he wouldn't fling open the door as I got to it, and into the next one. No knock, no politeness, I just barged in.

Miranda was seated behind her desk reading from a file. When she saw me, she jumped up.

I would've preferred that she'd been elsewhere, but this was my only chance. I couldn't make surprise visits to the office all week without raising suspicions. And who knew if the building would be unlocked tonight. So I didn't stop walking in until I stood beside her desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked. She looked shocked and confused. If she recognized me from the other night, she didn't show it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this was Aiden's office. The receptionist said I could come on back. She said the third door on the right."

She rolled back her shoulders, like she was getting ready for a fight. "This is the fourth."

"Silly me," I said, without my usual dumb blonde routine to go with it. No widening of the eyes, no cocking my head or lifting my shoulders, no acting innocent. Instead, we stared one another down.

She definitely remembered me. And while she had no clue why I was really here, I assumed she thought I was staking my claim. In a way, I was.

"Jamie," said Aiden's voice from the hall. He stepped in and walked to my side.

I stood on my tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Something we did every time we saw one another. "Hi. I must've counted wrong, because this is not your office."

He narrowed his eyes and titled his head to the side. He knew I was up to something, but I doubted he'd call me on it in front of her. "I wasn't expecting you." He glanced to Miranda then added, "So soon."

I smiled. Good boy. "I'm early, yes. I was eager for our lunch."

"I thought we were working through lunch, finishing up the paperwork on the Nelson case. We have court first thing Monday morning. The McDonald case," Miranda said.

Nelson must've accepted the plea bargain.

Since I didn't have time for a pretend lunch anyway, I figured I'd give her this one. Just this one. "Oh, if you're too busy, I understand. We can move it to dinner instead." Well, nothing was completely free.

Aiden scratched his head. The poor guy was definitely clueless, but he played along nicely. "If you don't mind." He gave me that look. The one that said, "What the hell are you up to?"

"Of course not. Dinner's better anyway. It's closer to night." Okay, so all of my comebacks weren't paved in gold. But it was too late to take it back, so I just smiled.

Then I turned to Miranda. "So sorry to bother you."

She nodded curtly.

Aiden grabbed my elbow, ready to lead me out, but I still hadn't accomplished my goal. The bug was in my pocket, and if I could just have five minutes to look for the best place to hide it…

"Before you go, Aiden," Miranda said.