Ivy hadn’t moved since seeing his FBI credentials. She refused to believe he was for real, though. “Maybe you’re just impersonating this agent. I know you’re lying, Lucas.”
He laughed and raised his eyebrows, as he took the second hotdog off the arm of the bench and unwrapped it. “Fine, let’s the two of us make a visit to the field office right now, together. It’s not far from here. We’ll go speak to my superior in person. It’ll be hard for you to deny who I am after that, Ivy.”
She shook her head no. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Sit down,” he smiled with his lips, but his eyes weren’t smiling any longer. “You’re making this scene look very suspicious. I really don’t want to be angry with you, and you don’t want me to get angry either.”
She finally did sit down, because she had the sinking feeling that Lucas really was exactly who he said he was. It explained so many things about how strangely he’d been behaving. “Why are you pretending to be a temp?” she asked him, sitting as far away from him as possible on the bench.
“I’m working undercover to try and get information about Cullen Sharpe and his company. It’s very difficult to gain entry to his organization at the higher levels, unfortunately. And even more difficult to get close to the man, the way you’ve managed to do.” He shot her a meaningful glance.
“I’m not close to him at all,” Ivy said, pressing her lips together. She felt sick to her stomach.
“Sure you don’t want a bite?” Lucas said, once again extending the hotdog outwards.
“I’m sure.”
He shrugged and started eating, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “I wasn’t sure how I would connect with you,” Lucas said, “but then I happened by your desk and saw the email you were reading. And I realized that perhaps you’re ready to hear the truth about Cullen Sharpe.”
“Just happened by my desk? You were standing there spying on me,” she replied. “That email was personal and you read it without my knowledge or consent.”
He chuckled. “The bureau isn’t very concerned with the dead woman anyway,” Lucas said. “She’s just one of Sharpe’s many pieces of collateral damage.”
Ivy turned her head and stared at him. “So you’re not investigating that woman who died?”
“We’re aware of the situation,” Lucas said, chewing and swallowing. “But we don’t really care much about it unless it helps us with the bigger investigation into his illegal activities.”
“Bigger investigation?”
Lucas turned towards her. His eyes were steady and unwavering, watching her as closely as she was watching him. “We have reason to believe that Cullen Sharpe is a very dangerous man—to himself, to those close to him—and even to the security of our nation.”
This couldn’t be happening. Ivy felt as though she’d stumbled into a waking nightmare.
“Listen,” Ivy said, feeling like she was going to scream or throw up or just pass out. She tried to gather herself, as things spun out of control. “Listen to me, Lucas. I don’t know anything about what you’re talking about. I hardly know Cullen Sharpe. He tells me nothing about his life or his business.”
“Maybe that’s true, or maybe you’re already covering for him.”
She stared at him, aghast. “So now you’re accusing me of lying?”
“Lying to a Federal Agent involved in an investigation is a crime, Ivy. It’s called obstruction of justice, and it’s punishable by jail. Just saying.”
“I’m not lying. And I don’t intend to be bullied by you,” she said, moving as if to stand up. “Now please leave me alone.”
“Stay right where you are.” Lucas threw the last of his hotdog in the trash and then wiped his lips again with a napkin. “Don’t think you can have a temper tantrum and make this go away. This isn’t going anywhere, Ivy. You will help us in our investigation.”
She stared at Lucas, completely stunned by the fact that he was the same young guy who’d seemed so young and innocent previously. Now, he seemed much older—maybe he was thirty-three, not twenty-three.
Not to mention an FBI agent.
He was also a mean, cruel jerk who was trying to scare her.
Worst of all, it was working. She felt terrified and weak. “I don’t know what you expect me to do, Lucas,” Ivy said helplessly.
He sat forward, hands on his elbows, not looking at her as he spoke. “The first point of business is that you absolutely will not reveal my presence to Cullen Sharpe.” He turned and glanced over his shoulder at her. “If you tell him I’ve approached you, I’m going to make sure you do prison time.”
“Prison time for what? I haven’t broken any laws. I don’t know anything.”