AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And what’s your plan to get out of here without being seen by non-existent minders?”
“I know.” He dropped his shoulders as he agreed. “I can’t risk breaking in through your window too often. Someone might call the police,” he said before explaining that he’d grabbed a ladder and climbed up to her open window as if it was a perfectly acceptable thing to do.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. His precautions were absurd, but she made a note to lock her windows and tell the property manager to lock the shed. “Well, it’s going well. I even talked to her today. Pretty sure she thinks I’m cute,”
she said with exaggerated confidence.
“Cute? That’s not the plan, Charlie.” Jayson helped himself to a yogurt. “You’re not trying to get in her pants.
You want her to trust—”
“Let me do this my way, Jay.”
He shook his head. “We’ve been building this for years.”
“And nothing you’ve tried has worked. Let me follow my instincts, okay?” She plopped down on the couch and kicked o her flats.
“This is my career. You’re my crazy idea, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll be riding the desk. Plus she has ties—”
Charlotte didn’t like the serious expression on his face when he stopped himself from finishing his sentence. “She has ties to what?”
Jayson winced as he sat across from her. “We can’t link it conclusively, but we’re pretty sure she has underworld ties.”
Charlotte let out a bark of laughter. “What, like werewolves that live in the sewers? What the hell are you talking about?”
“For real, Charlie. She’s close with some unsavory characters. Organized crime, you know?” He set the empty yogurt container on the co ee table. He’d inhaled it in two bites like the human vacuum cleaner that he was.
“Relax. I haven’t seen anything like that,” she replied with a hand on his shoulder.
“How would you know? They don’t look like they do in the movies. They’re just regular people who have zero qualms about cutting loose ends.”
She knew he was serious, but Charlotte couldn’t believe it.
He wouldn’t put her in harm’s way. “Are you trying to say that if I mess up, I’m dead?”
“I mean . . .” He turned toward her. “It’s highly unlikely. I just want you to be patient. Don’t rush anything and don’t try to lure her with your feminine wiles. You’re not in a spy flick.”
Charlotte pouted. “But Salt is my favorite Angelina Jolie movie. I’ve seen it like ten times.”
Jayson laughed. “That’ll be very useful if you find yourself jumping out of helicopters and partaking in high-speed car chases.”
“Don’t underestimate how cut-throat the health and wellness industry is, Detective Natch. I’ll have to use every tool at my disposal.”
Jayson laughed and relaxed his shoulders. “You’re the worst.”
“You love me,” she said with perfect confidence. “Do you wanna stay a while? I was going to watch The Hunger Games
.”
“What? You think I have time to watch Katniss kick all the ass?” He settled back into the couch and let Charlotte put her legs on his thighs before he covered them both with a worn flannel blanket.
Despite his protestations, Jayson stayed for the first movie and part of the second. She was grateful. This was the longest they’d ever been apart, and she missed him. Seeing him made it harder to compartmentalize, to disconnect from her emotions and get the job done, but spending time with him was worth the pain.
Charlotte watched him watch the movie, wondering who was putting pressure on him. Even if she thought it was ridiculous, he had been adamant that they pretend not to know each other for the duration of the operation. It was possible he was the one putting pressure on himself. This was a big opportunity for them both.
As morbid as it was to wish for another person’s downfall, delivering something actionable on Alexandra Leon was their ticket to great things. Charlotte was just going to have to work harder. It was too bad for Alexandra, but she’d decided to run an illegal business. That wasn’t their fault.
CHAPTER 5
