AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Present time—
“I expected you to be more menacing,” I admitted, sitting across from Agent Phillips at a booth in one of the greasy spoon diners on the outskirts of Las Vegas. I scooted my ass across the red sticky seat, hoping like hell it was only syrup that gripped my flesh as the material squeaked. “Nice location.”
He smirked. “Glad to meet you too, Callie Withers.”
“Call me Callie. Oh wait, you already do,” I deadpanned, picking up a menu. At least it didn’t stick to my fingers.
“You’re sassy like your sister.” He flashed a grin. “She didn’t like me at all when we first met.”
I gave the FBI agent a once over, inspecting him from the top of his closely cropped head of dark hair to the muscled, hard body that disappeared below the table.
It wasn’t hard to guess why my sister became attracted to this man. He had this cross between a bad boy and a nerd that oddly worked for him.
Lots of dark ink on his arms, but he wore glasses. Short hair with prescription sunglasses perched on the top but a pen stuck into the pocket of his polo shirt. The tight dark blue material hugged his bulging biceps and tapered down his trim torso. He squinted occasionally and pushed his glasses up his nose when they slipped. Clean, clipped nails on his fingers, but he wore a couple of rings. One looked like an expensive class ring from college. I didn’t doubt he had an impressive education.
Agent Phillips kept his body in top physical condition, and he appeared sharp, observant as his gaze flicked around the restaurant, and relaxed but ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.
He fidgeted in his seat, betraying a slight inability to keep still. That was confirmed when he began tapping his fingers, caught himself, and picked up the salt and pepper shakers, moving them back and forth on the table’s surface.
“You have ADHD,” I observed. Just like Sadie.
He arched a brow.
“Pick up a menu and put the condiments away. You’re making me antsy.”
A chuckle left his lips as he pushed the shakers away, glancing down at the menu in front of him. “The only thing worth eating here is breakfast. Trust me on that.”
I didn’t see a reason not to. A man like him probably saw a lot of diners in the early morning hours after putting in a hard night’s work on a case. “Okay. I know what I want.”
Agent Phillips signaled to the waitress. She walked over and held up a pad, greeted me, and took my order.
“Anything to drink?”
“Coffee and a large orange juice.” I thumbed in the agent’s direction. “He’s buying so one check.”
She snickered, leaving us to grab a coffee carafe. Once we had our cups full, she put in our order and checked in with her other customers.
Watching the strait-laced, too-serious man across from me, I wondered what brought him together with my sister. “When did you meet?”
He didn’t have to ask. We both knew who I referred to.
“When I interrogated her after Sadie was arrested. She was so pissed at me. Took a swing and hit my jaw.” He rubbed it with a tender smile on his face. “She’s like no one else I’ve ever met.”
He didn’t have that wrong.
“She told me about you,” I confessed. “A couple of months before she disappeared.”
“Oh?” He seemed surprised but in a good way.
“She said I could trust you, Agent Carson Phillips, because you cared about her, that you were sweet and charming, but you didn’t mess around. You followed the rules but would do anything to keep her safe. Is that true?”
“Yes.” He pushed his empty mug aside. “You can drop the Agent Phillips moniker. It’s stuffy. Just call me Carson.”
Nodding, I drank my coffee, almost finishing it. It wasn’t nearly as good without Cinnabon creamer, but the hazelnut wasn’t terrible. “Why did you agree to meet me tonight?”
“Evidence?” he asked, shrugging.
“I don’t think I’m giving you anything new. Am I?”
