Bare Facts by Katherine Garbera

that?”
    He didn’t want to talk strategy with her. He wanted to see her house and uncover the secrets she held so close to her chest.
    But she gave him a steely-eyed look and he knew she wasn’t going to back down. He had no idea how much to tell her. His gut instinct was to keep her completely out of it. Like Charity, he intended to set up the situation in a way where he could control all the variables. And the only way to do that was to keep everyone off guard. To keep them dependent on him.
    “I’m going to return to my home, dismiss my remaining staff, turn off my security system, arm myself, and wait.”
    She nodded. “Make your enemy come to you. Anna, Justine, and I can provide security at your place.”
    She turned back to the computer and opened up a file which showed an aerial view of his house on one of the San Juan Islands. “Are you thinking of this place or your high-rise apartment in Seattle?”
    “The San Juan home,” he said. “I don’t want to risk anyone else’s life. And I want to be away from the city where I can control who is on the property.”
    “Perfect. I think we have a schematic of the property somewhere…”
    He leaned over her shoulder, looking at the screen. “There are two ways onto the island…the first is here at the boat dock and the second is the airfield.”
    “Do you have an alarm system set up to alert the main house when anyone lands or docks?”
    “Of course. We can’t use too many motion sensors because of the wildlife on the island.”
    “We can set up something when we get out there. I think I’m going to need the entire team to set this up. We should plan on taking a few days to get the island the way we want it.”
    “I’m not sure my enemy is going to just sit and wait for me to prepare for him.”
    “Of course he isn’t. So we’ll have to distract him.”
    “What do you have in mind?”
    “Something big and splashy. How confident are you that your enemy—who is it, by the way?”
    “I’d rather not say.”
    “That’s not an option. I need to know what we’re dealing with here.”
    “I’m not giving up his name. I could be wrong,” he said, turning away so she wouldn’t see the lie in his eyes.
    “I doubt you’re wrong. I can’t really help you unless I know all the facts,” she said. She got up from the computer. They’d had clients before who didn’t do a full disclosure. To be fair, the way their agency was set up they usually worked with clients who were hiding something. Or who had done something illegal, and couldn’t go to a government agency.
    “Until I know for sure, I’ll keep it to myself.”
    “I feel silly calling him your enemy.”
    “It’s not too late to change your mind and stay here in D.C. In fact, now that I’ve seen your home I think it would be wise for you to stay here.”
    “Yes, it is too late. I’m not hiding out while you go set yourself up.”
    “Why not?”
    “For one thing, I gave my word. And Liberty Investigations never quits until the job is complete.”
    “Your word is your bond?” he asked.
    There was a tone in his voice that she couldn’t place. “Yes, it is.”
    “I like that about you.”
    She arched one eyebrow at him, knowing she should just let this drop but unable to resist a little flirting. A little chance to see if she could get the upper hand with him the way he had with her when he’d kissed her in his car.
    “What else do you like?”
    “About you?”
    “Yes.”
    “That you’re tougher than you look.”
    It was exactly the right thing to say. She didn’t know if he’d stumbled onto that secret of hers or if he was being genuine, and she didn’t care. For once she was going to just go with the flow. She wasn’t going to analyze it.
    “But not tough enough to know the name of your blackmailer?”
    “Let it go.”
    “I can’t. I’m stubborn when it comes to things like that.”
    He walked around the command center, pacing like a caged animal. She realized she