Sins, Lies & Spies (Black Brothers #2)(9)
“I’ll be in touch tomorrow,” I said, stepping out of his office.
***
I cased the entire length of the block of Knox’s three-story apartment building. Interior lights winked at me, taunting me with their warmth. The night clung to the buildings as I darted in and out of the shadows, testing whether or not anyone had spotted me. An occasional car drove by, its lights reflecting off the wet pavement. No one had walked by in the last thirty minutes. Pausing at the side entrance of his building, I propped my back against the wall. The icy brick bit into my back, but I ignored it, my attention focused on the yellow glow of lights shining through the corner window on the third floor. Knox was in his bedroom and awake unless he slept with his lights on. I eyed the windows below his. Most were dark and quiet.
“Go to bed, already,” I hissed under my breath.
I promised myself I’d leave if he didn’t turn off his light in the next fifteen minutes. Any longer, and I might freeze. My teeth chattered nonstop. My legs felt like twin popsicles and my feet resembled lumps of ice. I should’ve gone home and changed into more appropriate clothes, but I didn’t want Miles to discover I lied to him about having plans.
As if fate knew I couldn’t wait any longer, the light in Knox’s room turned off and the window blurred into the darkness. Fear and excitement pumped fast through my veins like a drug. I pushed away from the wall and pulled a slim bag of tools from my pocket. Growing up with an uncle who stole cars in his late teenage years came in handy, especially when I needed to pick locks.
CHAPTER FIVE
Knox
My eyes popped open. Moonlight shimmered through the cracks of my drapes. Wide awake, I reached for the gun hidden in the sideboard of my bed. As quietly as possible, I rolled off the mattress and waited. Most people would’ve attributed the sounds to an overactive imagination, but I didn’t think so. Every nerve in my body howled in warning. Somebody was inside my apartment.
The light echo of leather shoes clapped against my hardwood floors. The rustle of papers shuffling drifted through the air. If I strained hard enough, I heard the soft puffs of someone breathing.
Stepping out of my bedroom, I inched around the corner and paused, using the shadows as a cloak as I listened. The noises came from the guest bedroom I used as a personal office. With my back pressing into the wall and my gun in front of me, I crept down the hall. When I reached the entrance, I peeked into the room and froze.
Trinity Jones crouched in front of my filing cabinet with her back to me, a slim metal tool hanging out of her pocket. Her long dark hair was in a ponytail that brushed the middle of her upper back with every movement. Her dark colored skirt clung to her ass and thighs, leaving nothing to the imagination. I blew out a breath. I didn’t want to deal with this shit tonight. I went to bed late too late for my scheduled early morning meeting.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?”
In one smooth motion, she jumped to her feet and whirled around. Mascara smudged the skin beneath her eyes, but other than that, she looked fresh. Beautiful. “You tricked me. You didn’t give me what I asked for.”
I laughed. “I never intended to give it to you. I just let you believe I would for a few minutes.”
She rolled her eyes and stepped around my desk. “And that’s why I’m here. I need those thumb drives and any copies.”
“And you thought you’d find it sitting around in my home office?”
She shrugged. “It was worth a try.”
I lowered my gun and took a few cautious steps forward. I didn’t have any illusions that Trinity wasn’t armed or trained in martial arts. Miles might be an *, but he did a respectable job of grooming the people who worked for him.
“Well, they’re not here. In fact, they’re long gone. I passed them along last night.” It was a lie; Jack and I were still combing over every last document, video, picture, and photograph lifted from Lang’s computer. Once that was done, I’d handle the case myself. Sometimes politics trumped evidence, and the Department of Justice refused to prosecute the offenders. I didn’t like it, but that was exactly what would happen with Lang. All the evidence pointed to treason and blackmail, but the Administration didn’t care. They considered a conviction more of a liability than letting the guilty walk away with a slap on the hand.
She chewed on her lower lip. “You’re lying.”
“No. I’m not.” I smirked. “So be a good girl and run along before this encounter becomes even more unpleasant.”
She curled her hands into fists, her coffee colored eyes glittering. “Don’t threaten me.”
I pointed toward the door. “You’re in my home. I’m entitled to do whatever I want.”
She stared at me for a prolonged beat, her gaze tracing the lines of my naked torso, before focusing on my face. “Fine. I’ll leave.”
She took a few steps in the direction of the door to my office, and I noticed the bulge inside her jacket. I grabbed her wrist as her body came even with mine. Her bones were startlingly tiny. My finger and thumb easily overlapped the circumference.
“Did you find anything interesting?” I asked, my tone deceptively pleasant.
Her hair whipped around her chin as she turned to face me. She twisted her wrist, but I didn’t release her. “Not particularly.”