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“I’ve spent countless hours with him, but he’s hard to pin down. He won’t let me get close enough to get anything solid.”
“Then you have to make him get closer,” the driver, Agent McKinnon she thought her name was, said with an edge to her voice that made Rena’s hackles flare.
“There is no making that man do anything. He’s a shot caller, not a pussy pushover,” Rena informed her, returning her ever-so-fake-polite attitude with a strained smile. “Manuel’s lips are sealed.”
“He’s a man. Use what God gave you. Given enough time, men always fold,” said the agent in the back who looked like she’d probably never even seen a man naked, let alone wanted to.
“I have. He’s not much of a talker if you know what I mean.” Manuel was a fucker. He opened his pants and his bed, but those delicious lips were sealed tight as a bank vault. Rena knew instinctively that he would never reveal his hand, not even to his closest confidants, of which she was almost certain didn’t exist.
“Look, Miss Grace, the deal is you get us what we need to take this guy down, and we scrub your record clean. He spends the rest of his life behind bars, and you spend yours doing whatever the hell you wantnotbehind bars. Need I remind you what will happen if you don’t follow through—”
“You don’t have to remind me of shit,” Rena cut her off, then added respectfully, “Agent McKinnon. But you also can’t expect miracles. You’re asking me to do the impossible, so unless God himself comes down here and shines a golden light on the answers, I can’t promise you a damn thing.”
“I don’t see you putting in the effort—”
“I don’t see either of you fucking a goddamn murderer!” she bellowed. Realizing she was losing her cool, Rena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Look, I’m doing what I can, whatyou asked, and what your people have been unable to pull off, and might I remind you that you all have access to a shit load more resources than I do. I’m not a freakin’ miracle worker, but I am doing my best.”
All she knew was they had better not even think about not delivering on their promises after she put her very life in danger—results or not.
“You’re right, Miss Grace,” McKinnon agreed. Her partner in the back gasped, then shut her trap, clearly not agreeing but refraining from laying out her reservations in front of the client.
Rena wanted to laugh.
“As long as you continue to do what we ask and show up to these meetings, the deal is still on. But I have to stress to you the importance of this investigation. Manuel Contreras is as dangerous as they come. He’s a viper ready to strike. All he needs is a target.”
Rena nodded. She’d heard all of this before. Manuel was some big-time arms dealer. He’d killed people. He was looking to expand. He had deep ties with some mafia south of the border. She had to admit, she wasn’t feeling the scary vibes they wanted her to. Manuel was just a man with a lot of money and power, from what she could tell. If he was into some crazy shit, he was keeping a tight lid on it. And she had the notion that he wouldn’t allow any of his business to pour over into his personal life.
“I get it, I get it,” she said, not caring to hear the same diatribe again. “He’s a bad guy.”
McKinnon’s expression pinched as she regarded Rena. “This is serious. I’ve been where you’re at, and it didn’t go as planned. Luckily for me, things turned out okay. This situation you’re in now is similar, but the dangers are far greater. You have to protect yourself. Make sure that you don’t get attached. I know we’re asking a lot, but it’s imperative that you keep that dividing line in your head intact.”
“I won’t have any trouble with that,” she assured her. It might sound cocky, but Rena wasn’t easily influenced. She’d always been in control of her own mind, never doing anything that she didn’t want to do. Manuel was bad news, yes, but he was also fun to hang with. She’d have a little fun while she conducted her business, then she would be on her merry way.
What could go wrong?
sixteen
“You have moves, Mr. Hunter,” Angel said with an affectionate pat on his tight ass.
Kade was opening the door to her apartment with her keys, and he laughed at her playfulness. “You like my moves, huh?”
“I’d like to see more of them if you know what I mean,” she said, trying to lean in to breathe her words seductively in his ear, only to fall forward instead.
“Whoa there, Grace,” he said, catching her before she could make a total fool of herself. “I think you’re a bit over your limit tonight. Let’s get you to bed.”
“It’s these stupid floors,” she complained as she let him lead her back to her bedroom. “They’re so uneven. They’re a deathtrap.”
“They’re not uneven, Mouse. You’re just drunk.”
“Pish,” she scoffed, then hiccupped and burped at the same time. “Excuse me,” she apologized.
Shaking his head, Kade dragged her into the bedroom and over to the bed, pushing her down onto her back then picking up each foot to remove her shoes. “You’re cute, even when you’re sloppy.”
“Sloppy?” she asked, taking offense. “There’s nothing sloppy about me.”
He cast her a look, one eyebrow raised, then directed his stare to her chest. When Angel looked down, she giggled.
“Oops! How did that happen?” Stuffing her exposed boob back into the strapless bra, she scolded, “You girls stay in there until you’re told to come out. I don’t want to hear another peep.”
