Page 59 of License to Kill

I did not want to think about Jake’s parents in that way, and I shuddered. “Okay, fine. You have evidence. I also did not want to know that.”

“You asked.”

“I hope you’re not expecting that explanation to change my mind.”

“No, I’m not. I’m making sure you have all of the facts, however. You deserve to make an educated decision, one without anyone getting in the way. I’m going to do my best to turn the tables in my favor, and I’m not even going to try to pretend otherwise. I also have a secondary motive of getting into your bed without having to sleep as a wolf.”

“Isn’t that what got us into this mess in the first place?” I grumbled.

“Yes, and I don’t regret it.”

I sighed and checked the clock. If I left in twenty minutes, I could make it in time for work, which would be the perfect distraction from having to think about whether or not I could handle Jake Thomas reentering my life. “I’ll think about it at work. I’ll give you my spare key, but if you can’t bribe my landlord, it’s not my problem. That’s all you’re getting out of me for now.”

“I can live with that.”

Thirteen

Ever thought of picking up a career as an attorney, Mr. Desjardins?

The instant I walked into the office, my boss descended, armed with a bottle of orange juice and a muffin, which he defiantly plunked onto my desk. “Eat that.”

Without another word, he marched in the direction of his office, leaving me gaping at his back. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, fully intending on getting something on the way, but a delay in the subway had kept me from having the time to grab something from a convenience store.

Work proved even busier than normal thanks to catching up from the two days out of the office and the impending Hemshaw preliminary hearing. My boss had provided a transcription of the meetings with the state’s prosecutor and the defense attorney, which played out as I had anticipated.

The current proposed plea bargain favored Mr. Hemshaw enough I suspected a great deal of foul play but no way to prove it. I nibbled on my muffin while confirming the schedule for the next two weeks, a task I normally left for the end of the day but prioritized thanks to too many other people working with my nice, neat, and organized calendar.

Jake also kept creeping into my thoughts, and I’d have to potentially leave to escape him or escape with him if he had his way.

I couldn’t afford to think about Jake, but I couldn’t stop myself. He was probably lounging about in my apartment while naked to vex me and earn an invitation to bed as a man rather than a wolf.

“What do you think about the Hemshaw trial?” My boss set another bottle of orange juice on my desk.

“I don’t have blood loss, sir.”

“Humor an old man who shouldn’t be handling this type of trial.”

“Bring in a lawyer from another firm working as a consultant.”

“I’m under a rather strict confidentiality agreement as part of the divorce proceedings. The state prosecutor isn’t happy with me being along for the ride, but the two cases are irrevocably tangled.”

Hello, red flag. “How convenient for him.”

“That’s what I thought. So, Mrs. Thomas, former member of the FBI, and if my understanding of the situation is accurate, child rescue specialist, what do you think?”

Yep. Jake had managed to turn my life upside down yet again, and I gave it a week before I bailed town for one reason or another. If his parents showed up, I’d be running for the hills, never to be seen again. I’d transform into a fox, and I’d do a better job of hiding. I understood better how they might find me.

Damn it. I forced my attention back to work. “I think there are two possibilities from what I know. First, Mr. Hemshaw knows Mrs. Hemshaw did it and, for whatever reason, wants to protect her from a harsh punishment. This could be for many different reasons, including a mutual desire to get rid of an inconvenient child.”

Somehow, I managed to get the words out without choking on them.

“Alternatively?”

“He really likes his money and wants a plea bargain so no one exposes him as the actual culprit.”

“Using his daughter to do it.”

“Exactly.”