Adam crossed his arms over his chest as he studied Kristen. “I did. There aren’t a whole lot of them. I read a couple of your articles, but I was surprised you didn’t put pictures with the byline. Most big reporters do these days.”
She sank down onto a formal-looking couch, her shoes already tossed aside. If she was deeply disturbed by the fact that her place now looked like Hacker Central, she didn’t show it. “The celebrity ones do, yes. They don’t usually do deep-cover reporting. I’m part reporter and part investigator. I can’t do my job if I’m on the news every night showing off my designer duds. I’m careful about pictures getting out. Did you read the story about a Peruvian cartel working with the government there? I worked on that one for over a year. Don’t you think they would love a picture of me to hang on their offices? I cost a bunch of high-ranking officials their jobs. I don’t smile for the camera, but then neither do you, Mr. Miles. I didn’t find a Facebook page on you with five thousand friends and pictures of your pregnant wife.”
Adam’s whole body got tense. “How did you know she’s pregnant?”
“Because I traffic in information and I am damn good at my job. If I just wanted to connect Evans to the club, I could probably do that on my own, but I think there’s something more happening here. Beyond that, Evans is a very bad man and if I have to choose between a great story or justice for the people he’s killed and the women he’s torn to shreds, then I will choose justice, and I can only get that through men like you. So run all the little bug hunters through the house that you like. Tap my phone. Snoop through my computer and tell Little Tag in there he can give me all the nasty looks he likes. I’m not going anywhere, and he can’t intimidate me. I’ve been in shark-filled waters and managed to stare them all down.” She stood back up, gesturing to her left. “The kitchen is that way. Alex, I’m giving you and Eve the master suite because I’m such a romantic at heart. Sean and Adam can share the room with the twin beds and I’ll be next to them. There are balcony entries from every bedroom. Make sure the security system is off before you take a stroll. Goodnight, gentlemen. Tomorrow’s a long day. And, by the way, tell Sean that he’s nowhere near as hot as his brother. And if you want to ask how I know that, it’s because my eyes work.”
“It’s a nice speech.” Adam was still looking at her with suspicious eyes. “I hope you are who you say you are.”
She shrugged. “If you decide I’m not trustworthy, shoot me in the gut because it would be a real loss to mar my boobs. They’re real, by the way. Night.”
She walked off, not looking back.
“Holy shit, I think she scares me a little.” Sean edged back in the room having obviously heard everything. “You’ve pissed off every woman on the team today.”
Alex stared after her. She was interesting. “I didn’t piss her off. It was Adam.”
“I don’t like not being able to find the information I want on someone. Two grainy photos were all I could find of her,” Adam admitted. “Still, I can understand why she wouldn’t want her face out there. She took down a whole local government in Peru. I also read an article she wrote that linked the Russian mob to art theft in New York. Apparently because of her, several masterpieces that were lost during World War II have been recovered.”
He believed her. There was something deeply sincere about her. She could be playing them all, but he didn’t think so. “That had to piss people off. The Russian mob doesn’t like to have their schemes revealed. So she’s a smart woman. She hasn’t lied about anything.”
“Yet,” Sean said.
“What is your beef with her?” Alex had to admit that he kind of liked her. She was tough.
Sean frowned, looking at the hallway she’d disappeared down. “I don’t know. It’s the way she looked at me. Like she knew me. I just have a feeling, but then I’ve been out of the game for a while now. I’m going to go start dinner. Hopefully she has something I can fix. And I’m so much hotter than Ian. The woman obviously needs to have her eyes checked.”
Sean walked off toward the kitchen, and Adam moved back to his room.
Alex stared at the ocean in front of him. The entire back wall of the condo was floor to ceiling windows. Because of their height, from where he stood it looked as though there was nothing but endless ocean in front of him. The sun was starting to set, the sky turning orange and red.
Such a lovely sight.
He heard a shower start up. Eve. He had every right to walk into that room and watch her shower. He had every right to join her.
“Hey, she has excellent taste in Scotch, man.” Sean was grinning, holding out a couple of tumblers and a bottle of Glenlivet.
“Pour me a double, man.” Alex took his liquid gold and let himself out on the balcony. Warm wind brushed against his skin. He stepped up to the railing and could see the roll of the dunes and green palmettos that covered them.