and he told you the most expensive item on the menu. Hmm, makes sense.” Her laugh is cute, but regretfully, it does little to ease my confusion. “Is there a reason for your call, Agent Russell?”
She rolls her eyes. “Will you please call me Phillipa? Every time I’m called Agent Russell, fellow agents shit their pants, assuming my father is on the prowl.”
I can’t help but smile at her comment. She slurred on a handful of her words, proving she wasted no time in opening a bottle of wine when she left here, but that isn’t the reason I’m laughing. Her reply is the exact reason I legally changed my name to Brandon James.
When she fills her glass to the very brim with red wine, my brow quirks. “Long weekend?”
She blows a strand of dead straight hair out of her eyes before muttering, “You could say that.” She takes a generous sip of her drink, amplifying the plumpness of her lips. “I was suspended earlier today.”
“For?” The genuine shock in my tone can’t be missed. It would take someone with balls of steel to put the daughter of the Director of the Bureau on leave.
An understanding hum vibrates from my chest when Phillipa breathes out, “Crombie. He died on my watch. I failed to find out why, so until the investigation is over, I’m on paid leave.”
“Just because he died on your watch doesn’t mean it was your fault.” If that were the case, Melody’s affair would be my fault. I told Mr. Gregg I wouldn’t let her out of my sight for a minute. I didn’t keep my promise.
Phillipa leans in close to the screen. “That’s not what Melody said.”
“She was defending me. She doesn’t know any different.” And neither do I, but I’ll keep that snippet of information to myself.
The rustle of a deep sigh bellows down the line. “She had some good points, though. I was so gung-ho to place the burden onto someone else’s shoulders, I went on a witch hunt.” She drags her hand across her eyes that appear as tired as mine. “I didn’t plan for our interview to take the route it did, I just got worked up. Her wit stunned me.”
“If it makes you feel any better, her intelligence often catches people by surprise.”
Phillipa’s lips purse. “It doesn’t, but thanks for trying.” I discover the real reason for her reaching out when she says a few seconds later, “Talking about Melody, did you open the envelope I left with you?” She gags when I hold up the still-sealed document. “Have you never heard curiosity kills the cat?”
“It’s lucky I’m not a cat then, isn’t it?” She laughs again. I really wish she wouldn’t as it’s giving me the wrong idea. Not sexually. I’m just seeing her as more of a friend than a foe. “Do you want me to do the big reveal now or later?”
“Are we still talking about the envelope?” She slaps a hand over her eyes as her cheeks inflame with heat. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. My college girlfriends always told me I got randy when I was drunk. I never believed them.” She peers at me through her cracked fingers. “I do now.”
My lips twitch, but I can’t fathom a reply. I’m such a novice of dating, I had no clue what she meant until she mentioned getting randy while drunk. “I have rules—”
“Don’t worry, so do I,” she interrupts. “No fucking on the first date, and he has to be at least four inches taller than me. You’re only three.”
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, so I go with honesty instead. “I meant that I don’t ‘date’ other agents.”
“Oh…” The heat on her cheeks ignites. “There’s that, too.” She peers down at the envelope I’m clutching for dear life. “Will you please open that before I bury myself in a hole I’ll never get out of?”
Nodding, I prop my phone onto the docking charger on my bedside table, rip open the seal, then yank out four surveillance photographs from inside. Confusion spirals through me when I take in the dirty-blonde hair, brown eyes, and cock-thickening body I was anticipating to see when I connected our call. Even for someone who hasn’t been to New York in years, I recognize the landscape of the pictures. The bakery Melody is dining at was my mom’s favorite anytime we traveled to the city to see my father at his campaign office.
After taking in each picture individually,