knew everyone else in this little corner of the world, and he was a moron for going out in public. At least she didn’t introduce him. In fact, she didn’t seem to even acknowledge his presence as he followed her.
The hostess took Ames at her word about quiet. The front tables of the place were bustling, and she put them far across the dining room at a back corner, a sort of no-man’s-land. He grabbed the chair against the wall, facing the room. Old tricks he’d learned from Dad and bad movies.
Once the hostess left, he waited for Ames to pick up the vinyl-covered menu, but she didn’t. She leaned across the table.
“Look. I suck at playing games,” she said in a low voice.
“Okay.” So this was definitely about last night. She wanted to discuss what had happened. Nick braced for an at-length discussion of what those kisses had meant.
“I’m probably an idiot for telling you this, but I’m just going to lay it out there.”
Oh crap, this was worse than he’d thought. She’d developed some sort of “feelings” for him. Although probably that wasn’t true, because at the moment, she seemed annoyed with him. That should have been a relief.
It wasn’t.
He waited, drumming his fingers on the table.
“I know who you are and that you have some sort of connection to my brother.”
“Huh?” He was so shocked he couldn’t breathe for a moment. His fingers went still.
“Don’t deny it. I found you on the Internet. I may be small-town, but I ain’t dumb, Nick Rossi. I saw pictures of you.”
His first thought was, I’m in trouble . His second: and so is Ames Jensen .
Chapter Six
“Where?” Sam, or rather Nick, demanded.
Ames had expected him to prevaricate, try to pretend he had no idea what she was talking about.
“Where what?” she asked.
He shoved his fingers through his hair and she wondered if he’d raised his hand to grab at her and changed his mind because they were out in public. In a low, harsh voice he asked, “Where did you find this stuff online?”
“Why should I tell you?”
He shook his head. She turned to see the waitress behind her walk away. His head shake had been directed at the waitress.
He took a deep breath, then let it go. “I guess there’s no reason you should tell me. Trouble is, it’s important to know if I’m on the radar as someone other than Sam Allen. See?”
Hearing him say those words made her stomach knot tight with fear. Ames had actually discovered Nick Rossi. He’d just about confessed that he really was Nick Rossi, and he wouldn’t even pretend to be Sam anymore.
“Why?” She couldn’t manage more.
He stretched out his legs and folded his hands on his belly. “Let’s just say I grew up in what you Arnesdale types would call an unsavory atmosphere.”
“Oh.”
He shrugged. “My dad was in the…business.”
That little hesitation said it all. The family business wasn’t insurance or real estate.
His attractive, mild face had transformed into something dangerous. His voice had changed into something quick and rough. Had he made up that stuff about working in a museum? This guy was a thug, and he’d been searching for some kind of information about her brother by trying to seduce her. How many lonely women had he screwed in his cold-blooded career?
She muttered, “The good news is, the FBI can find you.”
He flashed something resembling a smile, white teeth but no warmth. “As far as I know, they have no interest in me.”
“As far as you know? Oh really? You talk to them every day?”
“Not for a few years now. They’re not my favorite people.”
“Big surprise that people who live outside the law don’t send change-of-address forms to the FBI.” She bit her lip, wondering why she felt the urge to be snarky to a potentially dangerous guy.
But he didn’t seem to take offense at her tone. The worst of his shock seemed to have faded away, and his body seemed less tense.
“Yeah? You think they’re so wonderful? A
The hostess took Ames at her word about quiet. The front tables of the place were bustling, and she put them far across the dining room at a back corner, a sort of no-man’s-land. He grabbed the chair against the wall, facing the room. Old tricks he’d learned from Dad and bad movies.
Once the hostess left, he waited for Ames to pick up the vinyl-covered menu, but she didn’t. She leaned across the table.
“Look. I suck at playing games,” she said in a low voice.
“Okay.” So this was definitely about last night. She wanted to discuss what had happened. Nick braced for an at-length discussion of what those kisses had meant.
“I’m probably an idiot for telling you this, but I’m just going to lay it out there.”
Oh crap, this was worse than he’d thought. She’d developed some sort of “feelings” for him. Although probably that wasn’t true, because at the moment, she seemed annoyed with him. That should have been a relief.
It wasn’t.
He waited, drumming his fingers on the table.
“I know who you are and that you have some sort of connection to my brother.”
“Huh?” He was so shocked he couldn’t breathe for a moment. His fingers went still.
“Don’t deny it. I found you on the Internet. I may be small-town, but I ain’t dumb, Nick Rossi. I saw pictures of you.”
His first thought was, I’m in trouble . His second: and so is Ames Jensen .
Chapter Six
“Where?” Sam, or rather Nick, demanded.
Ames had expected him to prevaricate, try to pretend he had no idea what she was talking about.
“Where what?” she asked.
He shoved his fingers through his hair and she wondered if he’d raised his hand to grab at her and changed his mind because they were out in public. In a low, harsh voice he asked, “Where did you find this stuff online?”
“Why should I tell you?”
He shook his head. She turned to see the waitress behind her walk away. His head shake had been directed at the waitress.
He took a deep breath, then let it go. “I guess there’s no reason you should tell me. Trouble is, it’s important to know if I’m on the radar as someone other than Sam Allen. See?”
Hearing him say those words made her stomach knot tight with fear. Ames had actually discovered Nick Rossi. He’d just about confessed that he really was Nick Rossi, and he wouldn’t even pretend to be Sam anymore.
“Why?” She couldn’t manage more.
He stretched out his legs and folded his hands on his belly. “Let’s just say I grew up in what you Arnesdale types would call an unsavory atmosphere.”
“Oh.”
He shrugged. “My dad was in the…business.”
That little hesitation said it all. The family business wasn’t insurance or real estate.
His attractive, mild face had transformed into something dangerous. His voice had changed into something quick and rough. Had he made up that stuff about working in a museum? This guy was a thug, and he’d been searching for some kind of information about her brother by trying to seduce her. How many lonely women had he screwed in his cold-blooded career?
She muttered, “The good news is, the FBI can find you.”
He flashed something resembling a smile, white teeth but no warmth. “As far as I know, they have no interest in me.”
“As far as you know? Oh really? You talk to them every day?”
“Not for a few years now. They’re not my favorite people.”
“Big surprise that people who live outside the law don’t send change-of-address forms to the FBI.” She bit her lip, wondering why she felt the urge to be snarky to a potentially dangerous guy.
But he didn’t seem to take offense at her tone. The worst of his shock seemed to have faded away, and his body seemed less tense.
“Yeah? You think they’re so wonderful? A
Similar Books
