Deadly Lies (Deadly #3)(23)

“Yes,” Sam said quietly, “they would.” The certainty in her voice was obvious, and Max’s head cocked at her words. His gaze bore into hers.

Her heart pounded way too fast. Her hands were sweating. Tell him. Have to tell him.

Frank wasn’t going to pay. She could see it in his eyes. Feel it in the thick tension in the room.

So maybe Quinlan Malone was an immature * who liked to burn his way through his father’s money. She’d sure met enough of that type in her lifetime.

But this was a different game, not some spoiled-boy routine, and she had to make sure that they all knew that.

The silence in the room stretched too long. Then…

The floor creaked softly as Max stalked toward her. “Samantha…”

She’d loved the way he said her name. Never Sam, not with him. He stroked the word out, tasted it each time. Made it sound sexy. Strong.

But this time, there was something different in his voice. Suspicion. The heat was gone, and now a chill had caressed her name.

“You know more than you’re saying, don’t you?” Max pressed.

Sam wouldn’t lie to him. Not then. She gave a slow nod and saw his eyes narrow. A muscle flexed along his jaw.

“Who is she, Max?” Frank demanded. “You don’t ever bring women here. You don’t—”

“She didn’t really give me a choice,” Max murmured, drawing closer. His eyes seemed to burn through her. “She was with me when the call came in, and she was with me when I saw Quinlan for the last time at The Core.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. Oh, no, she knew where this was going. “You don’t understand—”

“The Core?” Frank’s voice dripped disgust. “I told Quin to stop hanging out at that shithole. After he got clean, I told him to—”

The back of Max’s hand brushed down Sam’s cheek. “I don’t really know you, do I?”

She could only shake her head. He had no idea.

His fingers curled around her chin. Max leaned close and whispered, “Who the f*ck are you?”

The rage in his eyes was new, and dammit, a flicker of fear ignited inside her.

What else is new?

“Max?” Confusion came from his stepfather. “What’s—”

“Quinlan was taken from The Core.” Max’s hold tightened. “She was at The Core. She was at the Lenwoods’ party the night before… when Quinlan was there. She comes from nowhere, right before my brother vanishes, and I can’t tell you who she really is.”

Sam struck out with her left arm and shoved him back.

“And there’s that,” he said. “Baby, you’re a whole lot stronger than you should be.”

If only.

“It’s not what you think.” Sam’s eyes darted from Max to Frank. “I-I’m not working with the kidnappers. That’s not it!” She took a breath. “Look, I haven’t been completely honest with you, okay?”

But Max just waited and watched and she knew—he’s going to freak.

“What I tell you can’t leave this room, do you understand?” Her voice dropped, hardened. “You can’t tell Beth. You can’t tell Donnelley. You can’t tell anyone else.”

Max’s eyes had never seemed so cold. “Tell them what?”

She held his stare. “I’m with the FBI.”





CHAPTER Five


Bullshit,” Frank’s automatic response.

But Samantha just shook her head and her eyes—stark and sad—held Max’s. “I work with the SSD—”

“What the hell is that?” Frank demanded.

Samantha never looked Frank’s way. “It’s the Serial Services Division, a fairly new unit in the FBI that was formed specifically to track and apprehend serials.”

Rage churned in Max, and a film of red coated his vision. “You’ve killed him,” Max growled, the words rising up from his gut. I’ll get my brother back in pieces.

Samantha blinked, and for a second, it seemed like tears glittered in her eyes. But, no, nothing was there now. Just darkness.

“You’re too damn young.” Frank moved to Max’s side. “You’re not—”

“I’m twenty-four years old,” came her cool voice. “And I’ve been working for the Bureau since I completed my Ph.D. at MIT.”

What? No, wait, computers, she’d said she worked with—

“My specialty is information retrieval.” Still so cool and calm. “I also work on pattern detections through a careful analysis of—”

“They said no cops,” Max gritted. “I told you. You knew.”

“By then it was too late,” she whispered. And what, was that pain in her voice? No damn way. This woman had been playing him from the first minute they’d met.

An FBI agent. A genius from the sound of things. She’d come on to him for hot, dirty sex. Was that the way it worked for the Bureau folks? Did they—

“No!” She burst out, and Max realized he’d been barking his words at her the entire time.

Samantha caught his arms and held tight. “You don’t realize… the SSD has been working this case for so long.”