When He's Dirty, стр. 43

Cindy laughs. “He’s working like he’s on the catwalk, baby.” She nudges Grace. “You two steaming up the sheets yet?”

My cellphone buzzes with a text and I glance down to read a message from Adrian: Where are you?

Trying, I reply back. On my way.

Meanwhile, Grace’s cheeks heat. “I’m not talking about that.”

“That’s a yes,” Cindy says. “And Pri already hired someone else.”

Grace’s gaze shoots to me. “You did?”

“I told Josh I’d talk to him,” I say in complete avoidance mode. “And now, ladies, I need to go. I’m meeting with Waters and his attorney.”

“With Waters?” Grace says, the blood draining from her face. “Do you have to?”

“I do,” I say. “And it’s good practice. I’ll be in a courtroom with him for at least six weeks.”

I’m now in front of the door, which the two of them are blocking, when Grace says, “I’ve been reading up on him. There are people who say he gets obsessed with certain people and won’t let go. What if that’s you?”

“I’m sure it will be. I’m the one sending him to jail.”

“Are you really a prosecutor, Grace?” Cindy chides. “How do you operate when you’re this afraid?”

“Alive,” Grace primly replies. “You’re too cavalier for your own good, Cindy.”

“Ladies.” I motion for them to move.

Cindy backs out of the doorway and I glance at Grace. “I’ll be careful.” I squeeze her arm. “Thanks for worrying.”

She nods and hugs herself. I exit the office and start walking, while Cindy falls into step with me. “Sure I can’t come?”

“Positive.” I glance over at her. “And Grace handles white-collar criminals, has an IQ probably twenty percent higher than both of us, and a conviction rate higher than anyone in the department. You’d be smart to learn from her.” I pause at the glass door leading to the reception area. “Go find Zara. Tell Pitt to find her.”

She nods and I leave her there. I wave at Shari, our twenty-something super-efficient, feisty redheaded receptionist when a thought hits me. I halt at her desk. “Ed’s assistant, Lynn. Is she in?”

“She’s on a two-week leave.”

“Vacation?”

“Yes. She won a cruise or something like that.”

“Lucky her.”

“Yes. I’m not that lucky. You gone for the day?”

“Most likely. Thanks, Shari.”

About three minutes later, I step on the elevator, bothered by the cruise Lynn is on. I’m back to something just not feeling right, but I remind myself Savage is now Ed’s keeper. The elevator doors open to the lobby and to my displeasure, Logan is standing there. He, of course, looks like a Ken doll in a perfect blue suit, his jawline clean, his blond locks neat.

“I called you twice this morning,” he snaps, accusation and demand in his tone, and I wonder how I once thought I loved this man. I’m certain I was mistaken.

He backs up to allow my path out of the car, which I accept. “It didn’t hear it ring,” I say, walking past him without stopping, toward the double glass doors and my final escape from this building.

Logan, of course, does just what Cindy did. He falls into step beside me. “I heard you’re meeting with Waters today.”

In other words, I think, Waters’ people are running their mouths, but that doesn’t surprise me. It supports the theory that Waters is setting up a suspect list before he has Ed killed. Still, I play along. “Who told you that?”

“I have sources,” Logan says. “Step back from this before it’s too late.”

That statement’s telling in that it shows no concern for his client he believes to be one of the trades Waters wants to make. We reach the glass doors, and thank God, someone holds the door for me and I’m outside before Logan. Unfortunately, he’s fast and immediately in front of me, blocking my path. “Come back to the firm,” he says. “I talked to your father again. He’s all in on you running your own division.”

“Clearly you have cards in this game. What is really in this for you, Logan?”

“Your safety.” He lowers his voice. “I miss you. I’m worried about you.” His hand comes down on my arm and I step back, out of his grip.

“No,” I say. “And whatever deal you made with the King Devil, which it’s obvious you did, you better hide now. He’ll come for you when you let him down. And having Rocketman visit me was not cool Logan.”

His expression registers surprise, but he’s a master actor, and I am not fooled when he asks, “Rocketman visited you?”

“Don’t play dumb. I know you know. He sounded just like you.”

“I told you, there’s buzz out there that you’re in danger. And I didn’t make a deal with Waters. A lot of bad people fear they’re going down if Waters goes down.”

“Your people, right?”

“That’s not the point. You’re in danger,” he repeats.

“You mean you’re in danger if you don’t make me listen.”

“We’re connected. I go down. You go down. Your parents go down.”

I don’t want to be affected by his words, but I’m concerned for my parents. I’m also all too aware of the way Adrian is setting himself up as a target, refocusing the danger on him. It’s brave. He’s brave. And there are things going on here I need to talk to him about now.

I refocus on Logan. “I need to go.” I step around him and start walking, my lips parting in surprise at what I find: Adrian, out in the open, leaning on the black SUV he’d promised awaited me. And my God, he’s gorgeous. Dark and ravishing in jeans and a T-shirt, his inked arms, his goatee. He’s dangerous, I know, but while he claims to be dirty, the only dirty I’ve known him to be, I liked.

“Who the fuck is that?” Logan demands as he figures out I’m walking right to Adrian.

Adrian pushes off the vehicle and steps into me, his hand possessively settling at my hip. “Ready?” he asks, his eyes warm, even gentle, when they meet mine, but his energy