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“What would we do without you and your ‘friends’.”
“This one wants two backstage passes to the concert tomorrow night.”
I looked at Morgan.
He nodded. “I can make that happen.”
“Okay, good.” Chase looked at the list in his hand again. “The band members all
brought their instruments on the flight with them.” One corner of his mouth crooked in
a wry grin. “Even the drummer, for shit’s sake. You should have seen that little ballet
dance.”
I shrugged. “We’ve handled that before. What else?”
“We took the instruments to the sound studio for rehearsal. The truck with all the
sound equipment in it is locked up tight as a drum at a storage facility owned by
another guy I know.” He looked at Morgan again, who smiled and nodded silent
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Desiree Holt
agreement to the implied question. “Okay. Good. I’ll tell him he can party with the big
boys tomorrow night.” He glanced at Dallas and back to me again. “Mullins isn’t too
happy about being separated from the equipment.”
“Because it’s his responsibility.” The comment came from Dallas, who hadn’t said
anything up until now. “If it gets screwed up it’s his ass.”
“I can promise you nothing will happen to it,” Chase assured him. “We’ll take him
to get it in the morning and escort everyone to the stadium where the concert’s being
held. They’ll have plenty of time to set up.” He looked at Dallas. “Sound check at four,
right?”
Dallas nodded. “Then I usually grab some dinner with Morgan and go back to the
concert site.”
“Tomorrow I’ll be having food brought in for you instead,” I told him. “What kind
of setup do we have, trailers or indoor dressing rooms?”
“Trailers again,” Morgan answered.
I shook my head, chewing the inside of my cheek. “Chase, you’ll need to scout the
area like you’re looking for gold. And make sure we have enough support to and from
the stage.”
“All set. I talked with Mike in the hallway and he and I will coordinate both for the
rehearsal and the big show.”
“I also want someone to check out the merchandise distributor for this concert.” I
gave him the name and address. “I’m not saying he’s a suspect but I don’t want to
overlook anything either.”
“Consider it done.”
I finally drew a full breath when everyone was in their assigned places in the hotel
and at last it was just the three of us in the two-bedroom suite I’d reserved for Dallas.
He stood by the window, staring out at Forth Worth, hands in his pockets, tension
riding the lines of his body. Morgan, on the other hand, was more at ease than I’d have
expected.
“I’m impressed, Charley.” He fetched two bottles of water from the minibar and
one of orange juice, tossing one water to me and the juice to his brother. “You have a
very well-oiled piece of machinery in that organization of yours.”
I shrugged. “I learned a lot from my former employers.”
“Why’d you leave the FBI, Charley?” Dallas startled me with the question.
“What?”
“I asked you why you left the feds. That was your dream. Right? All you talked
about.”
Was that sarcasm or genuine interest? Was he still bitter after all these years? Wait a
minute. I was the one who should be bitter. “I reached a point where I wanted
something a little bit more than what I got from the government. Fewer restrictions, a
little more latitude.”
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Downstroke
And out from under a boss who was a chauvinist throwback and gave me every
shit case that came along. If it had been up to him I’d have been assigned to the office in
Juneau, Alaska, but I was just too damn good to justify it.
“Besides,” I added, “Hillcroft offered me too much money to refuse.”
Dallas was still staring out the window but I felt as if his eyes were boring into me.
“I guess they gave you a good start. Morgan says you’ve got a great reputation for this
kind of stuff.”
“I work hard. So does my staff.” What was I supposed to say to that?
“I’m glad to see you got what you wanted.” He paused. “If that’s what you
wanted.”
Okay, now I was through discussing me. “I think we should order lunch before we
take you to rehearsal. Morgan? That good with you?”
“Yeah, fine. Let me get the room-service menu.”
“It’s fine with me too,” Dallas said from his position at the window. “Although
nobody asked me. I’m just the client.”
“No, you’re not.” I could see the anger flash across Morgan’s face. “I’m the client.
You said this was all a big fuss over nothing.” He turned to me. “I’m going to drop my
suitcase in my room. I’m just next door so I’ll be right back. Try not to kill each other
while I’m gone. Just order me a roast beef sandwich, Charley, okay?”
He closed the door just a little too hard when he left.
“You better take that burr out of your ass, Dallas,” I snapped. “This is no laughing
matter and we can’t make it work if you continue to be an idiot about it.”
He spun away from the window and was beside me in three quick strides, his
fingers closing over my wrist. “How about a little truth, Charley.”
He was completely in my space, so close to me a piece of paper would get stuck
between us. He might be older and more used up but the rampant sexual heat was still
there between us and the flare of it terrified me. I closed my eyes to hide what I felt, but
his fingers tightened fractionally.
“It’s still there.” Statement, not question. “Look at me, Charley. Tell me you didn’t
feel it the minute you walked into that trailer. Just like I did.”
Silently I cursed my traitorous body, the way his touch and his words made my
nipples harden into diamond points and the lips of my cunt swell with desire.
Shit, shit, shit.
Before I could even take a breath, his other hand gripped my face and those lips I’d
remembered every night since the last time I’d tasted them came down on mine with
ferocious hunger.
The slightly rough surface of his lips, the heat of his mouth, the possessive
greediness of the kiss brought back every memory I’d worked so hard to bury. When
his tongue pushed inside and sought mine, I was lost. Truly lost.
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Desiree Holt [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]