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Caden sighed, still not wanting to say his reason for being there yet. No woman had ever looked at him the way Hallie was now and he wanted to savor these few seconds before reality came crashing down on them.
“Or...sorry, I don’t actually know what time you get off work,” she said, her nervous shyness coming through in the sweetness of her now tentative smile.
Caden seriously wanted to kick himself for what he was about to do. In one afternoon, he was about to win and lose the woman every instinct told him was it for him. “No. I’m still working.” He took a deep breath, bracing himself for his next words. “I have some not so good news.”
“What’s wrong?” Hallie asked.
Caden handed her the search warrant and watched as her expression hardened. When her eyes met his again, he knew there was no way of putting it off any longer. “My boss wants to talk to you.”
“Why?” She asked. “And what exactly are you looking for?”
“About the case. And that’s mostly for your computer, but the agents outside will look through everything that’s covered by the warrant.” Caden swallowed hard. The Mystic Cow was a beautiful store with interesting and unique gift items. He only hoped his fellow agents showed deference to this place and didn’t leave it completely wrecked and a total mess.
Her shoulders rose and fell as she set the warrant aside. Then she reached for something in a cabinet under the register. Caden automatically unlatched the snap on his holster, readying to grab his firearm as he was trained, but all she produced was a black purse. “Can you ask them to turn off the lights and lock up when they’re done?”
Caden nodded. Not only had she not argued or tried to get out of it, she was just going along with it. No fight. No fuss. He searched for some kind of emotion on her face as he walked her out of the store, but all he saw was a blank expression. Her eyes no longer had that glint and her cheeks weren’t pink anymore the way they were when she’d first looked up at him.
If he had known her better, or even for just a little longer, and wasn’t here on official business, he would’ve leaned over the counter in that moment and kissed her until they were both gasping for air. But he hadn’t done that and now he’d likely never get the chance.
Chapter 5
Hallie sat in the passenger seat of Caden’s FBI issued vehicle as he drove. She had a feeling that wasn’t protocol and he was just making an exception because it was her. It was nice of him, but he didn’t have to do that. “It’s okay,” she said, not liking the awkward silence that had settled between them. “You’re just doing your job. I understand.”
He sighed, readjusted his hands on the steering wheel, and briefly glanced at her. The silver pools of his eyes conveyed more than his words ever could. She waited for him to say something, but then the moment passed, the light turned green, and they were moving again.
He hadn’t said a word since telling her that his boss wanted to talk to her about Blake’s case. She had so many questions, but knowing he was on official business made her keep quiet. She didn’t want him to use anything she said against her.
As the miles passed, and they got closer to their destination, Hallie knew she had mere minutes to figure out what she was going to say. His boss would undoubtedly want to know how she knew about Blake getting shot, but she didn’t have the answers. Well, she did, but she couldn’t tell his boss. That only left her with one other option, and she liked it about as much as telling his boss the truth.
Half an hour later, Hallie found herself sitting in a room just like the one she’d been in a few days ago. It was just as cold, bright, and impersonal. The clock on the wall ticked as the seconds passed. Hallie drew in a breath through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, trying to calm her nerves. Her whole body was jittery, her hands cold and clammy, and she couldn’t help tapping her foot.
Hallie had been anxious the last time she was here, but because of the time she’d spent with Caden this afternoon, it felt different now. More exacting.
Did his boss know about their time at the coffee shop? Had Caden planned on bringing her in this whole time and was just trying to get more information on her? She hadn’t thought of that on the way here, but as the seconds ticked by, it was all she could think about. She’d trusted him in that coffee shop, and he’d come back not even two hours later to haul her in for more questioning.
“Hallie Owens?” A man wearing a suit and holding another one of those dreaded folders entered the room, letting the door close behind him.
She sighed, letting her thoughts of Caden fade. She sat up straighter as if she was about to do battle with this man. And in a way, she was. “That’s me.”
The man sat across from her. “I’m Special Agent Avery. Is it okay if we talk?”
Hallie nodded. She doubted saying ‘no’ would get her out of the situation. She wondered if Caden would join them and her gaze lingered on the door until Special Agent Avery spoke again.
“You sent in a tip that predicted one of our agents would get shot,” he said matter-of-factly.
“No.”
His head shot up from the paper he was looking at and she sensed a hint of anger in his eyes. “Ms. Owens, we have your tip on file.”
Hallie swallowed, and pressed her fingertips into the cool metal tabletop. “I never said he would get shot.”
Special Agent Avery nodded. “That’s true. I have a copy of the tip right here and you said, ‘Agent Blake O’Connell would be seriously injured.’ Yes?”
Hallie sighed. Those were the exact words she’d used. “Yes.”
He closed the folder and stared up at her for a long moment. “How did you know that?” The depth of sincerity in his tone briefly caught her off guard. He obviously cared about his work and about Agent Blake O’Connell. It made Hallie want to tell him the truth, to alleviate some of the tension radiating off him.
She looked down at the table, taking in all the small dents and scratches in the metal, all the while seriously considering her options for the millionth time since Caden handed her that search warrant. She couldn’t even think about her store right now. What those agents were likely doing to it - it would take her hours, if not days, to clean everything up.
