easy
because of her genre.
"Do you ever do any hands-on research?"
She turned to say something horrible, which would probably
leave the man in a fetal position on the floor, but someone called Conner’s
name. Loudly.
"Conner Dillon?"
He turned and found one of his old FBI friends, Maria
Callahan, rushing toward him. She practically jumped into his arms.
A serious-looking man dressed in a suit came walking up
behind her.
"I think you’ve stunned the man, Maria," the man
said, but she paid him no heed. Instead she gave Conner a sisterly kiss on the
cheek.
She stepped back with a laugh. "Oh, Rome, get over
yourself. This is Conner Dillon."
"Yeah, I heard you scream his name like a little school
girl and run over to jump him."
She rolled her eyes and smiled at Conner. "How are you
doing?"
"I think you need to introduce me to the man who's
planning on ripping my arms out of the sockets and beating me with them."
She laughed. "This is my fiancé, Rome Carino. Rome,
this is Conner. My dad trained him, then he trained me. Dad sort of saw him as
an honorary Callahan."
He offered a hand, and Carino took it.
"Wait, you said fiancé?" he asked, his brain still
not functioning fully.
"Yes, it’s a bit disgusting. Marriages popping out all
over this club," St John said. "I'm going to escape before I get some
of the ‘get married’ stench on me."
Maria smiled at him. "Eli, one of these days some woman
is going to wrap you around her finger."
"What a pleasant idea," he said sarcastically. He
gave Maria a kiss on the cheek that earned a growl from Rome, but the cowboy
ignored it and walked away.
"I don't trust him," Rome said.
"You don't trust any man around me," Maria said.
"I have to agree with him," Conner said.
She gave Conner a look that told him that he would be better
off staying out of the argument. “What are you doing here? I had no idea you
were a member.”
“Neither did I,” Jillian said.
Maria peeked over his shoulder and smiled.
“Hi,” Maria said and slipped past him before he could stop
her. “I’m Maria Callahan. I knew Conner at the FBI.”
Jillian smiled. “Nice to meet you. You know Eli?”
Maria chuckled. “At one time I thought he might be a serial
killer.”
Jillian glanced at the cowboy. “I’m assuming he was
cleared?”
Maria nodded. “I have a feeling he might be guilty of
something, but it wasn’t of being a serial killer.”
And knowing Maria, there was more to it than she was saying.
Conner filed that information away to ask her about later.
“You say you worked with Conner? You look really young to be
a contemporary of his.”
Micah snorted, and Conner shot him a look.
“Her father trained me, and I helped train Maria.”
Jillian’s eyes were twinkling, her dimples starting to
appear. His heart raced, and he had the sudden urge to kiss that smirk off her
face.
“Oh, that explains it, because you are a bit older,” she
said.
“Hey.”
She smiled at him and turned back to Maria. “Are you here
with the FBI?”
Maria shook her head. “No. I left the FBI a few months back.
I’m trying my hand at writing. I’m working on my first book.”
Without missing a beat, Jillian slipped her hand into the
back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a business card, handing it over to
Maria. “Give me a call.”
Maria’s eyes widened when she saw the name. “Oh, thank you.”
“So, what are your plans while you’re here, Con?” Dee asked.
Everyone turned to him as if waiting to hear exactly what he
said. He had never been under this much scrutiny in his life, and it was weird.
“Just to relax.”
There was a moment of silence then everyone who knew him
started laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” Rome asked.
Maria shook her head. “You have to understand. Conner
doesn’t know how to relax. My father used to call him the Energizer Bunny.”
“Well, thanks for that. What I want to hear is that my
mentor compared me to a fluffy bunny,” Conner
because of her genre.
"Do you ever do any hands-on research?"
She turned to say something horrible, which would probably
leave the man in a fetal position on the floor, but someone called Conner’s
name. Loudly.
"Conner Dillon?"
He turned and found one of his old FBI friends, Maria
Callahan, rushing toward him. She practically jumped into his arms.
A serious-looking man dressed in a suit came walking up
behind her.
"I think you’ve stunned the man, Maria," the man
said, but she paid him no heed. Instead she gave Conner a sisterly kiss on the
cheek.
She stepped back with a laugh. "Oh, Rome, get over
yourself. This is Conner Dillon."
"Yeah, I heard you scream his name like a little school
girl and run over to jump him."
She rolled her eyes and smiled at Conner. "How are you
doing?"
"I think you need to introduce me to the man who's
planning on ripping my arms out of the sockets and beating me with them."
She laughed. "This is my fiancé, Rome Carino. Rome,
this is Conner. My dad trained him, then he trained me. Dad sort of saw him as
an honorary Callahan."
He offered a hand, and Carino took it.
"Wait, you said fiancé?" he asked, his brain still
not functioning fully.
"Yes, it’s a bit disgusting. Marriages popping out all
over this club," St John said. "I'm going to escape before I get some
of the ‘get married’ stench on me."
Maria smiled at him. "Eli, one of these days some woman
is going to wrap you around her finger."
"What a pleasant idea," he said sarcastically. He
gave Maria a kiss on the cheek that earned a growl from Rome, but the cowboy
ignored it and walked away.
"I don't trust him," Rome said.
"You don't trust any man around me," Maria said.
"I have to agree with him," Conner said.
She gave Conner a look that told him that he would be better
off staying out of the argument. “What are you doing here? I had no idea you
were a member.”
“Neither did I,” Jillian said.
Maria peeked over his shoulder and smiled.
“Hi,” Maria said and slipped past him before he could stop
her. “I’m Maria Callahan. I knew Conner at the FBI.”
Jillian smiled. “Nice to meet you. You know Eli?”
Maria chuckled. “At one time I thought he might be a serial
killer.”
Jillian glanced at the cowboy. “I’m assuming he was
cleared?”
Maria nodded. “I have a feeling he might be guilty of
something, but it wasn’t of being a serial killer.”
And knowing Maria, there was more to it than she was saying.
Conner filed that information away to ask her about later.
“You say you worked with Conner? You look really young to be
a contemporary of his.”
Micah snorted, and Conner shot him a look.
“Her father trained me, and I helped train Maria.”
Jillian’s eyes were twinkling, her dimples starting to
appear. His heart raced, and he had the sudden urge to kiss that smirk off her
face.
“Oh, that explains it, because you are a bit older,” she
said.
“Hey.”
She smiled at him and turned back to Maria. “Are you here
with the FBI?”
Maria shook her head. “No. I left the FBI a few months back.
I’m trying my hand at writing. I’m working on my first book.”
Without missing a beat, Jillian slipped her hand into the
back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a business card, handing it over to
Maria. “Give me a call.”
Maria’s eyes widened when she saw the name. “Oh, thank you.”
“So, what are your plans while you’re here, Con?” Dee asked.
Everyone turned to him as if waiting to hear exactly what he
said. He had never been under this much scrutiny in his life, and it was weird.
“Just to relax.”
There was a moment of silence then everyone who knew him
started laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” Rome asked.
Maria shook her head. “You have to understand. Conner
doesn’t know how to relax. My father used to call him the Energizer Bunny.”
“Well, thanks for that. What I want to hear is that my
mentor compared me to a fluffy bunny,” Conner
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