Sins, Lies & Spies (Black Brothers #2)(24)

“By the way.” Knox opened his front door. “Has Miles ever mentioned Dima Antonov?”

I frowned. “No. Why?”

He lifted, then dropped his shoulder. “No reason.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

As I left his apartment, his eyes burned a hole in my back until the elevator opened, and I disappeared inside. Once I was out of his line of sight, the knot in my chest loosened a fraction.





CHAPTER THIRTEEN




Knox



At five minutes after six, I pulled up in front of Trinity’s place. The day had been hell. I’d combed through the files I lifted from Lang’s computer, and I didn’t find a single link between Miles and Lang or Miles and Benton. Then, fifteen minutes before I needed to leave, I stumbled upon a series of encrypted files. Instead diving headfirst into the new obstacle, I packed up and headed home. I knew if I tried to open the files, I wouldn’t let myself leave the office for hours, and I had to keep working every angle of this case, which meant moving things forward with Trinity.

With her phone pressed against her ear, she stood on the front steps of her townhome in a curve-hugging black lace dress with a plunging neckline. She wore her hair in a loose braid that hung over her bare shoulder. Her lips were pale, and her eyes were smoky. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her. She looked beautiful.

I jumped out of the car, jogged around the front end, and flung open the passenger side door. “Hi.”

She lifted her head, and a big smile spread across her face. My breath stuttered in my chest. Her smile was a weapon of mass destruction.

“You’re late,” she announced as she dumped her cell phone into her purse and slipped into the passenger seat.

“Sorry. I got caught up at work,” I answered once I joined her in the car.

Glancing over my shoulder, I pulled into traffic. Speaker Benton lived in a historic home in northwest D.C, near the Washington National Cathedral. His home had to be worth over ten million dollars. Members of the House of Representatives didn’t earn enough money to live like Benton, but he had family money, lots of it. His father, Richard Benton, made millions of dollars writing inspirational books on living with honor and morals. His earnings only added to the already bloated fortune of one of America’s wealthiest families. Their holdings included cable, television, radio, and newspapers. They flew under the radar, but they had their fingers in everything. As an only child and the heir to the Benton family fortune, he didn’t need to lift a finger for the rest of his life. Instead, he pursued a career as a lifetime politician.

“What’s the plan for tonight?” Trinity fidgeted nervously with the gold buckle on the front of her small rectangular purse.

“Nothing special. Just stay glued to my side. I’ll introduce you to Derrick Benton and his wife. We’ll make small talk. Then we’ll leave. We’ll be in and out in under an hour.”

“Does your plan include confronting Miles?”

“No.” I shook my head. “But if he approaches us, we’ll have to improvise.”

From the corner of my eye, I noticed her entire body tense. “What do you mean by improvise?”

My lips tipped upward. “Well, Jones, I plan to do everything within my power to make a convincing argument that you’re with me now. That means touching, kissing.” I cocked my head to the side. “You know, the things normal couples do.”

I wasn’t against a small display of affection to shove our fake relationship in Miles’s face. In fact, I looked forward to seizing any opportunity to touch, kiss and do a whole lot more with her.

Her mouth popped open, and her breath rushed out of her mouth. “Are you serious?” she hissed, sounding more appalled than I liked.

“Deadly serious,” I answered, my voice cold and flat.

“No.” Her hands shaking, she tugged on the hem of her dress. “I will not put on some cheap display in front of a bunch of people I don’t know to piss off Miles. I will stand by you. I will follow you around with a big fat smile on my face and pretend I like you. We can even touch each other in the normal course of things, but that’s it. I won’t do anything else.”

“We’ve kissed before.” I grinned, not taking my eyes off the road. “You didn’t have a problem with it. Actually, I got the distinct impression you enjoyed it.”

She smirked. “You wish.”

I chuckled. “Don’t lie, Jones. You were so into it. You didn’t utter a single word of protest when I took your gun and the thumb drive.”

“Like you pointed out at the time, I didn’t have any other options. So when you kissed me, I closed my eyes and went along for the ride.”

I tightened my hands on the steering wheel. “If it makes you feel better, you can keep telling yourself that, but we both know the truth.”

Her grin dimmed. “You know, you’re not much of a gentleman. You’re kind of an *,” she said, her voice strangled.

As I turned into the Benton family estate, a steady string of curses rolled through my mind. What a disaster. I needed her compliant, which meant I should be charming her instead of taunting her. She was in a good mood when I picked her up, and now I needed to start all over.

I turned off the car and waved away the valet. “I know. I’m sorry.” I shoved my hand through my hair.