A Profiler's Case for Seduction(60)

“She is, but she’s also brilliant.”

“What do you know about her personal life?”

Amanda shrugged. “Not a lot. I heard rumors that she was having an affair with somebody, but that was before she got kidnapped. I’ve never seen her with anyone. I really don’t know what she does when she isn’t with us.”

“Us...meaning you and Ben.”

Amanda’s features darkened even though she nodded affirmatively. “We spend a lot of time with Melinda.” She sighed and once again met Mark’s gaze. “Lately Ben spends more time with her than I do.”

“And that upsets you?”

She hesitated. “It used to, not so much anymore,” she admitted. She closed her mouth, lips tight as if afraid she’d said too much.

“Are you and Melinda having problems?”

“No, nothing like that,” she said hurriedly. “Things are fine between us, great really. She’s a wonderful mentor.”

It was too much of a protest, instantly letting Mark know that there was an issue, at least for Amanda. He wanted to know what it was, but he was also afraid of pushing her too hard, too fast.

She appeared as fragile as a leaf barely hanging on to a tree in the center of a storm. He had a feeling if he pushed her too hard she would slam to the ground in a crumpled heap.

“Are you going to the bonfire on Friday night?”

She nodded. “And the game on Saturday. It will be my first real time off in a while.” She offered him a small smile. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Sounds like it’s going to be fun,” he replied, and then leaned toward her. “Amanda, did you put a note on my car last week?”

Her cheeks flamed with color and she got up from the sofa. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know anything about a note.”

It had been a fishing expedition on his part, but he knew she was lying. She’d put the note on his car to warn him that he might be in danger.

“What do you know about Melinda’s past? Does she talk about her time before she came here to Darby?” he asked, thinking that would be a safe enough question to hopefully put her at ease.

Amanda stared at him for a long moment. “I thought you and Dora Martin had something personal going on between you.”

He frowned at her. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Why don’t you ask her about Melinda’s past?”

Mark felt like he’d suddenly been cast out into an ocean with a lifeboat that had a hole in it. “Why would I ask Dora about Melinda’s past?”

She looked at him in startled surprise. “You don’t know?”

“Don’t know what?” Mark’s heart began a thunder he couldn’t control.

“That they’re sisters. Melinda is Dora’s older sister.”

Sisters? Dora and Melinda? Mark got to his feet, the world tilting beneath him as he mentally tried to make sense of what Amanda had just told him.

He reeled to her apartment door, his heart pounding so loud in his head he could hear nothing else. It wasn’t until he hit the sidewalk outside that he realized it was anger that drove him away from Amanda’s apartment.

Why hadn’t Dora told him? She knew he was investigating the kidnapping. Why in the hell hadn’t she ever mentioned that she was Melinda’s sister?

Why hadn’t the background check into Melinda brought this information to light? Had it been sloppy work on the part of his team?

As he raced toward the campus his anger built as he wondered what other secrets Dora had kept from him. What role did she play in this whole thing?





Chapter 13



Dora was feeling good about her life, about herself. The past week she’d felt stronger than she ever had in her entire life. She was focused, driven to succeed, and had the additional pleasure of Mark’s company in the evenings.

She’d tried not to look forward to or worry about where things were going between herself and Mark. She knew their case against the drinking rancher had fallen apart and she had no idea how much longer Mark and the other FBI agents would be in town. She was simply enjoying taking things one day at a time.

She refused to allow herself to love him, even though there were quiet moments in the middle of the night when the emotion fluttered inside her heart. She knew better than to embrace it.