I Spy a Wicked Sin by Jo Davis Page A

she’d be willing to bet Michael, being the head honcho, was the sole person at SHADO who knew the tidbits Jude had shared with her today. Which wasn’t so unusual. Many of the agents’ backgrounds were classified “need to know” only.
    Lily’s thoughts turned to their lunch . . . or, rather, the dessert. So to speak.
    Over and over, she relived his rapt expression as he’d mapped her body with those big hands. Like he’d discovered some sort of priceless treasure as he explored her face, skimmed her thighs, pinched her nipples. The way his brow furrowed as he concentrated on bringing her pleasure while denying his own.
    No man could fake the joy she’d seen on his striking face. He was a study in contradictions, thwarting her analytic brain and negating the damaging information from Dietz.
    “Come on, Lily,” she admonished herself. “Just because he doesn’t remember he’s the twenty- first century’s answer to Lex Luthor doesn’t mean that man isn’t hiding under the surface, waiting to pounce.”
    If he remembered, she shuddered to think what might happen.
    Honey, I’m no gentleman.
    Then again, perhaps some corner of his tattered mind recalled more than anyone knew. Including Jude.
    Whether he was reformed or not, she had a job to do. He was still guilty of a horrible crime. Historically, even the most heinous of killers tended to possess magnetic personalities. The moth-to-the-flame effect.
    She’d have to be damned careful not to get zapped. Pushing from her chair, she walked to the office door and scanned the hallway. Empty. No voices or noise of any kind, which meant Jude and Liam were off doing their own thing. She had the office to herself.
    Time to begin. Turning, she perused the walls, running the layout of this wing through her head. Every SHADO agent she knew, at least the mobile ones who went into the field to handle the dangerous stuff, had a secret “war room.” A reinforced space that held weapons, computers, disguises, passports, and all sorts of fake IDs. Jude had such a room. But where was it hidden?
    Not here. This large space was a corner office with only one inside wall, the workout room on the other side. She hadn’t expected it to be that simple, finding it on the first go. She had a hunch it would be located closer to his private quarters upstairs where it was more defensible, rather than on the ground floor.
    Just to be sure, she ran her hands over the panels, checked the seams. Knocked quietly, testing for hollow places. He probably kept a small hidey-hole for emergencies as well, and if so, she’d find it.
    But she wouldn’t find it here. The walls were solid. Her attention strayed to his desk and she lowered herself into his chair, examining the excellent craftsmanship. The piece was an antique, an expensive one if she had her guess, ornate and loaded with drawers. Exactly the sort of old relic that might contain a hidden compartment.
    But if it did, she couldn’t locate a mechanism to spring it. Blowing out a frustrated breath, she began opening drawers.
    Every one empty except for the usual drawer crap. “Goddammit!”
    “What are you looking for?”
    Jerking upright, heart pounding, she met Liam’s cool, appraising gaze. “Jude’s appointment book,” she replied, meeting his stare evenly. “He told me to make myself at home in here and set up to start working.”
    “Oh.” His expression cleared and he slouched against the doorframe, posture relaxing. “I’ve got his planner. I’m the one who’s been helping him until someone else could take over, remember? I’ll get it for you.”
    “Thanks. I can’t do much without all of the information I need. I already have more than fifty messages in my in-box, and a third of those are dates I need to confirm with Jude.”
    “And you can’t take care of those until you cross- reference what he’s already got on the agenda.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I should’ve left it in here for you before