Though neither uttered a word, he couldn’t ignore the constant tug. Rather than keep their distance, they walked side by side and in step. On their way to the lab, he introduced her to the ALPHA operatives who weren’t on the phone or in a closed-door meeting.
After Providence met the check-in tech in the lab, Dakota grabbed two pairs of disposable gloves. Several employees sat hunched over microscopes, while others worked at their stations. The space was clean, the conversation kept to a minimum.
They returned to the conference room where she slipped into the gloves and extracted its contents.
NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION
If you want your ALPHA secret to stay that way, wire transfer $15 million to offshore account 1-87623-487721 Bank of the Princes. Deadline is midnight Thursday.
“You are getting slammed,” she said. “Was yesterday the deadline?”
“Yes.”
“Did you do it?”
“No.”
“Have you heard from them today?”
“No.”
After re-reading the letter, she asked, “Does Stryker know about this?” He nodded as recognition flashed in her eyes. “Oh, no. Is Stryker part of your vigilante team?”
Dakota remained stone faced.
“That’s what I figured. So, you dragged him into your insanity.”
“No dragging required.”
“Can he hack into this account?”
“Said it’s doubtful, but he’s trying.”
She pulled her laptop close and began typing. “I’m creating a file so we can keep the clues and evidence organized. Is there a way I can share this with you and give you edit rights?”
Rolling his chair closer, he showed her how. He wanted to touch her, stroke her skin or stare into her eyes. He wanted to brush her hair off her forehead, pull her close, and kiss her tempting lips. He wanted his Providence of twenty-four hours ago. But this Providence was not to be trusted, and certainly not to be kissed. He gritted his teeth, his jaw muscles flexing again and again.
As she read through her notes, she ran her tongue over her lower lip. Once, twice. On the third stroke, he realized working with her might be more of a challenge than he’d anticipated. His raging libido was interfering with his ability to think. He had to shut this shit down. But dammit, he couldn’t stop staring at her.
She added more information, then turned to him. Her eyes raked over his face, the intensity of her gaze tugging him toward her. She cleared her throat, but she didn’t look away. The longer they stared, the more he wanted to kiss her. How the hell was he going to keep his hands off her when all he wanted to do was strip her bare and drive himself inside her?
Her breath came out in a heated whoosh.She’s feeling it, too.
She broke eye contact and snatched the photo of his spray-painted vehicle off the table. “Yours?”
“Yeah. That happened during the banquet,Elaine.”
She hitched a brow. “Where were you parked?”
“The convention center garage.I didn’t see anyone, but they could have been hiding anywhere.”
“Whoever did this thinks you’re with ALPHA.” She’d been taking notes, but stopped typing and regarded him. “Are you an operative?”
“No.”
“Were you at one time?”
“Yes.”
