I squirmed beneath the intensity, turned on and excited all at once. “I agree we’ve got him in our sights. Do we have the time, though? Can they get here? Won’t it only draw more attention to ourselves?”
These were pathetic questions disguised to hide the jealous reaction bubbling inside my stomach. It had taken a lot out of me to be honest with the man standing in this room. And a close-knit team like Codex was already giving me bad-college-memories; all those secret languages and hidden social cues I struggled to interpret. Being naturally charming was one thing. Being able to make friends was another.
“It’s early evening for them right now,” he said. “They could easily be here by tomorrow, giving us time to prep and get them up to speed. We have, at least, four active suspects we want to be watching on Thursday. We haven’t even seen the auction space yet to assess entrances and exits, or weak points in their security system. And if you and I stake out the auction, who’s watching the other properties where we suspect Bernard might be hiding?”
Abe was so very right, and I was so very uncomfortable. I’d known this man barely five days, and already I wanted to snatch him to my chest and keep him as mine. Which was an issue regardless because this man was going home to Philadelphia either way, and then where would we be?
He dipped his head, caught my eye. “So what does my partner think about that?”
Honesty, Sloane. Hadn’t we just openly declared our attraction to each other? Hadn’t I already exposed more of my secret, inner self to him than I had to anyone else?
“Your partner doesn’t like teams,” I said slowly, although I did smile. “Lone wolf, and all that. You’ll have a chemistry with them, you’ll work together great. It’s hard for me to jump in and work with people I don’t know. It makes me feel nervous, I guess.”
“If it’s hard for you to work with people you don’t know, what would you call this?” he said, pointing between the two of us. “Because, most assuredly, we did not know each other when we started working together.”
I opened my mouth and found I had no argument. What would I call this? A fever dream? A waking fantasy? Or a glimpse into a life that was finally possible for me? A life filled with real human connection and even, against all odds, friendship?
“This,” I said, mirroring his action. “Is a first for me.”
“I think you underestimate the value you’d bring to a team like Codex. But this is your case and your client. Ultimately, it’s your decision, Sloane.”
I wiggled on the bed, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. “Call them. Of course call them, especially if they can help us catch this asshole. We both know this case is bigger now than my client or a payout. If our instincts are right about the auction, we’ll have one shot. So we better bring our best.”
I knew that now. Every hour, every day that passed working alongside Abe exposed Bernard’s crimes as a universal injustice we had a duty to correct. “Besides,” I added. “If I was your team, I’d be pissed as fuck if you caught Bernard without me.”
He winced. “To be perfectly honest, I’m worried they’ll still be pissed. I didn’t tell them about the email, and I lied about my true motivations for coming here.”
I looked at him, dashing and disheveled in equal measure. “I bet you underestimate your qualities as a leader. They’ll forgive you. And they’ll follow you here.”
“Hardly,” he drawled. He was tapping his phone against his leg, clearly on edge.
“Call your damn team, Abe.” I grinned.
“I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think they’d help,” he said. “I would hate for you to think I doubt the two of us in anyway. Because trust me when I say that is not the case at all.”
A pleasant heat spread from the tips of my toes to the top of my head—less sexual, more affectionate. Appreciative. Which only intensified my hesitation to mix up this sweet, heady chemistry between us by adding four more people at the last minute.
Except I was twenty-seven years old, in London, working a case even Interpol couldn’t solve with a man that challenged and pushed me in the best possible ways. Trusting another person, especially a man, had never been in my top priorities. Yet here I was putting my life and