bothered her more was how the sight of him half-naked caused her innards to twist with need and her mind to go to mush. She sensed she was not alone since she’d experienced the slight tremble of his body beneath her fingers that had nothing to do with pain.
She also supposed that she could now do one of two things about what was happening: choose to hide her attraction or confront it like an adult.
Inhaling deeply, she considered her plan of action and then plowed on.
Chapter Seven
“Glad to hear. The holey shirt is a little disconcerting.”
The dimple deepened when his smile broadened and he rose from the bed. The action brought them nearly face-to-face, separated only by inches. There was no denying the impact of his masculinity or the shiver that tracked across her body. He ran the back of his index finger along the gap of bare skin exposed by her T-shirt.
“So is this,” he admitted, clearly the bigger man both physically and emotionally since he wasn’t unafraid to voice his thoughts like she had been.
She tugged down her T-shirt and he reciprocated by slowly buttoning his shirt as she said, “We’re two adults. We can deal with this.”
“Yes, we can,” he said wholeheartedly, but there was challenge in that tone. Challenge she wasn’t prepared to handle at the moment.
She stepped back from him and folded her arms across her chest. “What do we do now?”
“You mentioned on the ride to your apartment that a law firm sent you a key. Now we find out what that’s all about.”
Deanna nodded, reached into a small pocket in her yoga pants and removed the key. “Here it is.”
Bill took the key from her fingers, careful not to touch her. He might have told her he could deal with the physical attraction, but there was no sense testing that promise unnecessarily. He had to remain neutral around her or risk compromising the objectivity he needed for this assignment.
Laying the key in the palm of his hand, he examined it. A simple brass key with a number, postal service stamp and “Do Not Duplicate” warning. Clearly a key for a PO box, which would make it easy enough to find the address for the post office where the box was located.
Snagging his BlackBerry, he called ADIC Williams to provide him an update. Williams answered before the first ring had finished.
“Rumor has it you were shot today.”
Bill skimmed his hand across his side. The rough surface of the bandage registered against his palm and even the light pressure awoke sensitivity. “The vest did its job, so I’ll be fine. I’m more concerned with the attack and the deadly force necessary.”
“Typical for the Los Leones cartel. They’re new to the game, but determined.” Williams went on to provide him information on the identities of the two men and their criminal histories.
Bill cursed. The Mexican drug cartels were exceptionally vicious and many had infiltrated government agencies, the military and law enforcement. That would only complicate their security once they got to Mexico.
“Are we sure the cartel sent those men on this operation?”
“No, we’re not. But we do have some indications that cartel members are involved in Primera Mexica and vice versa. We’re trying to confirm how these two were connected to both groups,” his ADIC advised.
Although he knew about the connections, Bill continued to hope that the cartel was not actively participating in the Primera Mexica fringe group and it was just a case of some common members. Nevertheless, that still made the fringe group more dangerous since it meant they had men who were armed and violent. The two he had dispatched today only served to confirm that fear.
“Deanna Vasquez received a letter today from a Mexican law firm. It contained a key for a post office box.”
“Let me have the number and we’ll get you an address,” Williams said, totally in sync with Bill.
Bill read him off the number. “Call me as soon as you have it. In the meantime, Deanna
She also supposed that she could now do one of two things about what was happening: choose to hide her attraction or confront it like an adult.
Inhaling deeply, she considered her plan of action and then plowed on.
Chapter Seven
“Glad to hear. The holey shirt is a little disconcerting.”
The dimple deepened when his smile broadened and he rose from the bed. The action brought them nearly face-to-face, separated only by inches. There was no denying the impact of his masculinity or the shiver that tracked across her body. He ran the back of his index finger along the gap of bare skin exposed by her T-shirt.
“So is this,” he admitted, clearly the bigger man both physically and emotionally since he wasn’t unafraid to voice his thoughts like she had been.
She tugged down her T-shirt and he reciprocated by slowly buttoning his shirt as she said, “We’re two adults. We can deal with this.”
“Yes, we can,” he said wholeheartedly, but there was challenge in that tone. Challenge she wasn’t prepared to handle at the moment.
She stepped back from him and folded her arms across her chest. “What do we do now?”
“You mentioned on the ride to your apartment that a law firm sent you a key. Now we find out what that’s all about.”
Deanna nodded, reached into a small pocket in her yoga pants and removed the key. “Here it is.”
Bill took the key from her fingers, careful not to touch her. He might have told her he could deal with the physical attraction, but there was no sense testing that promise unnecessarily. He had to remain neutral around her or risk compromising the objectivity he needed for this assignment.
Laying the key in the palm of his hand, he examined it. A simple brass key with a number, postal service stamp and “Do Not Duplicate” warning. Clearly a key for a PO box, which would make it easy enough to find the address for the post office where the box was located.
Snagging his BlackBerry, he called ADIC Williams to provide him an update. Williams answered before the first ring had finished.
“Rumor has it you were shot today.”
Bill skimmed his hand across his side. The rough surface of the bandage registered against his palm and even the light pressure awoke sensitivity. “The vest did its job, so I’ll be fine. I’m more concerned with the attack and the deadly force necessary.”
“Typical for the Los Leones cartel. They’re new to the game, but determined.” Williams went on to provide him information on the identities of the two men and their criminal histories.
Bill cursed. The Mexican drug cartels were exceptionally vicious and many had infiltrated government agencies, the military and law enforcement. That would only complicate their security once they got to Mexico.
“Are we sure the cartel sent those men on this operation?”
“No, we’re not. But we do have some indications that cartel members are involved in Primera Mexica and vice versa. We’re trying to confirm how these two were connected to both groups,” his ADIC advised.
Although he knew about the connections, Bill continued to hope that the cartel was not actively participating in the Primera Mexica fringe group and it was just a case of some common members. Nevertheless, that still made the fringe group more dangerous since it meant they had men who were armed and violent. The two he had dispatched today only served to confirm that fear.
“Deanna Vasquez received a letter today from a Mexican law firm. It contained a key for a post office box.”
“Let me have the number and we’ll get you an address,” Williams said, totally in sync with Bill.
Bill read him off the number. “Call me as soon as you have it. In the meantime, Deanna
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