I extended my hand. “Then let’s get the bastard responsible.”
His eyes widened minutely, the faintest indication I’d surprised him before the cynical mask snapped back into place. He studied me, gauging my sincerity, my intelligence, or whatever resemblance I might have borne to the punk kid. I could see him judging my pearl earrings and the unfortunately youthful button nose on my face and finding me lacking. Most guys assumed I couldn’t fight. I had my second Dan in Tae Kwon Do, and I was a better shot than the rest of my graduating class. I was freaking competent, and if this guy was going to question it, if he was going to be prejudiced and—
He nodded. Curtly. Decisively. His approval washed over me, warming me in a way that even Brody’s hadn’t. This guy was the real deal, the Lone Ranger of the country’s gangland, and I’d gladly be his trusty sidekick.
He accepted my hand and awareness rose from where his skin heated mine. Awareness that he was a man, that he was a handsome one. I sensed an answering ripple go through him, as if he’d just registered me as a woman. Attraction, plain and simple. A chemical reaction, really.
I pushed it aside.
Besides that, a different kind of alertness had begun to move through me, one that had nothing to do with the lean muscled body in front of me. This assignment was real. The biggest case to come through our branch in the time I’d been here, and I’d just been assigned as a principal agent. Holy shit. I carefully schooled my expression, forcing back the giddiness. I didn’t even care about whatever ulterior motives they might have had.
For surely there had been ulterior motives. A hundred other agents were more qualified for the role on this floor alone. It didn’t matter. If I contributed one tiny thing that led to us bringing down Laguardia, I’d make a name for myself. No more schlepping coffee or making copies. But my desire ran even deeper than that. Even darker. The sinister excitement I’d felt when I’d held my father’s life in my hands, when I’d turned him in—I felt it now too. It hummed through me, sleek and dark in my veins.
“What are we going to do first?” I asked Hennessey, my voice coming out breathless. I hoped he didn’t notice the flush on my cheeks or my rapid pulse of excitement. The way his gaze flicked to the base of my neck and then away said my hope was in vain.
“First, you’re going to study the case files. I’m already familiar, so I’ll go ahead and do the questioning.”
“Questioning?”
“An inmate. They’re holding him down at the courthouse for his arraignment, and I need to speak with him.”
A shiny laminate “Visitor” badge was clipped to his lapel. Despite his impressive credentials and senior rank, he was an outsider in this office. As a rookie, so was I.
“We,” I corrected.
“Pardon?”
“We need to speak with him. I’ve already read the case files. I do know what this case is about. And I’m coming with you.”
He radiated suspicion, as if he’d never heard of initiative and had never seen anyone be assertive. “Why would you read case files if you didn’t know you’d get assigned here?”
“Because I ran out of money to buy more detective novels. Why do you think?” I blew out a breath, shocked at myself. What the hell? Being sarcastic wasn’t the way to make friends. Then again, there was little chance of Hennessey being my friend. He didn’t want me as a partner. He barely registered my existence.
Though, he registered me now. His eyes narrowed, his lips firmed. He wasn’t happy, but I couldn’t be sorry. His gray eyes took my measure, as more than an annoying new girl, as more than a woman—as an equal. “So you feel confident with the case? With Laguardia?”
“Yes, sir.”
“State his full name.”
“Carlos Frederico Laguardia.” I continued to recite the next ten most commonly used aliases. We had no idea what his real birth name had been. Even his identity was a fabrication, a fraud like the disguises and the pretend trips.
If I’d expected Hennessey to be impressed with my recitation, I’d have been disappointed. He frowned. “Where was he last seen?”
“Switzerland.” I paused, wondering how much I should say. How much to reveal to a partner who didn’t yet trust me. “At least, that’s what the official reports say. But it wasn’t him.”
One brow rose. “Explain.”
His stern command sent a shiver down my spine. That autocratic tone annoyed me, but I couldn’t deny he’d earned the right to use it. He had so much more experience, more skills than I. Where did I get off telling him he was wrong? Still, I’d pulled the lever to my own trap door by opening my mouth. The only thing left to do was fall through it.
I thought back to the world map pinned on the wall, the pins in all the reliable sightings, the yarn connecting them loose and drooping to the floor like streamers in a party long over.
“He doesn’t like the cold,” I finally said.