15

 

“Wow. This is a great house. I can’t believe you can afford it on a bartender’s pay.” She walked into Ryan’s living room. The only furniture was a recliner, a TV, and a TV tray. The walls were beige, the ceiling white, and the carpet was also beige. The room was boring. Thinking of the gaudy, flamboyant tattoo on his arm, this was definitely not Ryan’s style.

“Sure it looks nice now, but you should have seen it when I first bought it. It was a mess. Now it’s just about ready to sell.”

“What do you mean? Sell?”

“I buy foreclosed houses, fix them up, and sell them for a profit.”

“Really. How cool, but it must be a lot of hard work.”

“That’s OK. It keeps me out of trouble.”

Mmm, interesting.

“How many have you done so far?”

“This is my third. The housing market isn’t great right now, but I can sell cheap and still make enough money to buy the next house. The key is to buy cheap and do the work myself.” He really was getting his act together.

Would meeting her interfere with that? She prayed it wouldn’t.

“Here, I’ll show you where the bathroom is.” He led her down a short hallway. He pointed at a bedroom. “This is the last room, and then the house goes on the market.”

She peeked in. Torn wallpaper decorated the walls and a hideous orange carpet was on the floor. “What a mess. You really can fix this up as nice as the other room? Wow. You are talented.”

He smiled with pride at her compliment. “Thanks. Unless I get distracted by a pretty woman in pink.” Pressing against her, he nudged her against the wall. She put her hands on his chest to keep him from moving in for the kill. “Hey, I have an idea.”

“Yeah, me, too.” He leaned closer whispering in her ear.

“While I take a shower, you go to the store, and I’ll fix you a home-cooked meal. That will be my way of saying thanks for the wonderful day at the zoo. I’m a great cook.” That was about as far from the truth as she could get.

He sighed and moved back. “Fine. What do you want me to get?”

“Well, it’s your meal. What would you like?”

“Steak?”

That was something she couldn’t mess up too badly. “Great. Get some potatoes, and don’t forget the butter and sour cream. And some salad fixings.”

“Sure thing.”

“And anything chocolate for dessert would be perfect.” The longer the shopping list the longer he’d be out of the house. The more time she could snoop and, hopefully, get the information she needed.

His finger trailed down her cheek. She smiled, stood on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek, and then hurried into the bathroom. She leaned against the bathroom door waiting for her pulse to slow down. She was getting too old for this cloak and dagger stuff. It just wasn’t as much fun as it used to be and she really missed being home with Sabrina. Her daughter deserved a better mother. But Zink deserved her son, too.

She turned the tap on and stuck her head under the water to prove she’d taken a shower. She grabbed a towel and rubbed her hair.

Outside a car started up.

She peeked out to make sure he’d left. Not sure how long he’d be at the grocery store she rushed down the hall. The first door led to what was obviously his bedroom. Ryan favored Spartan décor. The room had a bed and a dresser. Nothing else.

On to the next room. A desk and chair with a computer. Wasting no time Jamie hit the enter button and popped a screen. At home, she never bothered turning off her computer and she’d hoped he hadn’t either.

If Ryan was like many he simply kept the Internet on for easy access.

And that meant easy access for herself, as well. She clicked the icon intending to scan his email.

“What do you think you’re doing?” a man’s voice asked.

She screamed and turned, ready to fight. “What are you doing here?”

Enrique Rodriquez grinned. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but I got tired of sitting in a hotel room. Apparently, I had the same idea as you. Thought I’d come see what I could find out from the wonder boy here.”

“But I was invited here. You obviously broke in, which is illegal for an FBI agent. You need to leave before he gets back.”

“And you might as well go take that shower. You aren’t going to find anything here. I already looked several times.”

Her hope deflated faster than a broken balloon at a child’s birthday party. “What happened to you following the rules?”

“I told you I’ve learned a few things since the last time you worked with me.”

“Apparently so. Are you sure there’s nothing here to connect him with Michael?”

“Yeah, checked his email, the desk, even his family and friends page. No sign of Zinkleman anywhere. I was just about to leave when the two of you showed up. Having so much fun on your date that you didn’t want it to end?”

She ignored his taunt. Her gaze moved around the room. “Were you hiding in the closet?”

“Yes.”

She hid a smile as she imagined Enrique scrunched into the tiny cubicle. “You need to get out of here before Ryan gets back and finds you. You could get in big trouble for coming here without a warrant.”

“Me? What about you? What do you think he’s planning for the rest of the evening?”

“I know exactly what he’s planning, but I can take care of myself.”

“So you say.”

“So I know. This isn’t my first job, Ricky.”

“The name is Enrique…and…” He took a step back from her. “Ryan is dangerous. I don’t want to leave you alone with him. Do you even have a weapon with you? Come on, we’ll both go.”

She considered Enrique’s offer. Was it time to leave, to give up? Ryan wouldn’t be happy when she rebuffed his sexual advances. “I’m not going and I have a weapon. Not that I plan on using it. If I leave now he’ll never trust me again. My cover will be blown. And we won’t have any leads to follow up on.”

“I don’t care about your cover or any leads to follow. I care about you.” His tone softened as he stared at her.

Her breath caught for a moment at the intensity she heard in his voice, but she shook it away. Her own voice sounded cold and distant. “I’ll be fine.”

“He could hurt you. You saw his rap sheet.”

“He actually doesn’t seem that bad. He said he’s trying to change. And you know what, I believe him. People can change, Ricky.”

“And you fell for that old line. My goodness, you’re more naïve than I realized.”

“I am not naïve, but I do believe in second chances.”

“That’s news to me. When are you going to give me one?” His words sent an arrow straight to her heart. He must have seen the hurt on her face. “Never mind. I didn’t mean that. I want you out of here and safe with me.”

“I’ve got it covered. Trust me.” She pointed at her arm.

He stared at her arm, his expression confused. “What? I don’t get it.”

“I’m sunburned. For real. And it hurts. For real. He’ll understand. He’s been a perfect gentleman all day. He won’t push it. Not yet. We’re still in the honeymoon phase, so to speak.”

Enrique’s eyes widened, and then he grinned. “Way to take one for the team, Jakowski.”