Free Tall, Dark and Lethal by Dana Marton Page B

leaned forward and let the man behind the desk catch a better glimpse of her cleavage. Cade stifled a groan, pretending deep interest in the settings on his camera. They were the only two visitors in the sparse waiting area at the FBI’s Newtown Square office, the hum of the air conditioner providing the background music for the not-so-subtle seduction that was happening at the front desk.
    “It’s so nice in here. The weather is stifling outside. Too much humidity from that rain.” She fanned herself, pushing her breasts even farther out.
    If the guy wasn’t careful, he was going to lose an eye. But the man seemed oblivious to danger.
    “I’m just parched.” She licked her lips. Leisurely.
    Cade shifted in his seat. Only because he was missing the feel of his gun at his back. He wasn’t one of those guys who felt off-kilter and naked without a weapon, but given a choice, he’d just as soon have it in his waistband, against his skin.
    “Can I get you something to drink? We have a break room in the back.” The man looked like he would have been willing to offer a kidney if she needed it.
    “You’re so sweet. I’m fine, thank you. But do you think I might use the little girls’ room?” She flashed a coy smile.
    He pushed a button and motioned her through the second checkpoint, which was unmanned at the moment. They’d already passed through the metal detectors just inside the front entrance. “First door to the right.”
    Cade set aside the camera he had picked up at a local shop to round out their cover. He tapped his foot on the industrial gray carpet, hoping the information they had on the layout of the building was correct, hoping that Bailey could perform her task without running into any trouble.
    They could have waited until nightfall and maybe had an easier time getting in. Maybe. He was pretty good at doctoring locks and security systems, but without better tools and sufficient research, he’d determined the risks were too great. And he hadn’t wanted to wait. So they’d shown up as Jane Weigel, reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer, and her photographer. They had an appointment with Agent Rubliczky about a new development in one of his old cases, they’d said.
    Rubliczky was out because Cade had asked the Colonel to call the agent away for a meeting. He had prepped Bailey for her part of the mission and damn if she wasn’t a natural—she played the flirty reporter to perfection. The receptionist bought it down to the last tantalizing glimpse of her pale-blue lace bra. Hell, Cade was still hot and bothered from watching her seduce him.
    The guy at the front desk was looking down the hallway after Bailey with rapture in his eyes, not wanting to miss a moment of her reappearance. Pitiful. Only two minutes passed. Cade settled in to wait with a bored expression on his face.
    He didn’t have to wait for her too long.
    She smiled at the receptionist as she sashayed by him on the way back, then sat next to Cade. “I think we’ll start with a quick summary of the case. Play up the age angle.” She sounded professional and preoccupied.
    Five, four, three, two, one. The fire alarm went off on cue.
    The receptionist stood as he was shutting down his computer. “I’m sorry. We’ll have to evacuate. Emergency procedures.”
    “No problem.” Cade strode to the door, showing only the slightest annoyance, and opened it for Bailey as people were filing out from the back offices. He watched them in the glass without turning around taking a head count. “We’ll wait in the car.”
    They did, until it looked like everyone had come out. Four men and one woman—the ones who had the bad luck to be on weekend duty and a few who had hot cases running, he figured.
    “Good job in there.” He kept his eyes on them as he talked to Bailey.
    “I thought I was going to pass out from nerves,” she said.
    But when he turned to her, he found her grinning. He knew why. He never felt as alive as during an op. And