Free The Risqué Target by Kelly Gendron

worry about you. Where have you been?”
    “Locked up with Tantum Maddox.”
    “You found him? What did you do with—”
    Nala interrupted her, “Can't get into it right now. I need you to check out someone for me.”
    “You're a tease, Nala Dekker. OK, shoot. Who is it?”
    “Marcus Richards.”
    Nala heard Gidget's intake of breath. “The Dark Angel?”
    “The what?” Nala asked.
    “The Iris Flower’s name for him. You've heard of her?”
    “She's that art thief, right? The one obsessed with Monet's Iris painting?”She recalled the story from some years ago.
    “Yes, Victoria Barton. She stole a lot of paintings in the early 2000s. We acquired the contract in 2005, and it was one of our agents who nabbed her. But he didn’t do it with a weapon. He seduced her, and she fell in love with him. Victoria Barton calls him her Dark Angel.”
    Nala believed it. Any woman not on her guard could easily fall for his charm. She’d almost done that herself.
    “See, The Iris Flower, she's been on a few talk shows. The last one was, uh… hold on ….” Silence rang through the line momentarily. “ The Massy Williams Show , that's it! While she was on the show via satellite from jail, she talked about her Dark Angel. She’d even painted a picture of him. I'll send it to you. I've never seen the man, but the painting is breathtaking. He's darkly striking, but he has the eyes of an angel.”
    “I’ve met Marcus Richards, and he's not that hot,” Nala lied.
    “Truly?” Gidget's tone was laced with soft mockery. “My little wild kitten, if he looks anything like the painting, you need glasses. He's magnificent. Take another look when I send it. See if it's the same man you met, then try to convince me he’s not hot.”
    “He's all right.” That was all Nala was going to give her.
    “What does he have to do with Tantum Maddox?” Gidget asked.
    “Nothing. I just got back from seeing Nancy Reich, and she assigned me to Marcus Richards.”
    “She assigned you to investigate one of our own?”
    “Yeah. She thinks he may have something to do with the bombings in 2009.”
    It wasn’t a lie. She just wasn't sure how much she should reveal, including that Tantum and Marcus were the same man. Something was wrong, and she didn’t want to involve Gidget in it. Nala needed time to think. She also had to read the file Nancy gave her, gather her memories of the bombings, and sort it all out. “I wonder how much information you’ll get on him?” she said. “NESA’s security isn’t meant to be broken, even by one of their own.”
    “I'll do my magic,” Gidget said. “But if you'll be spending time with The Dark Angel, you'd better watch yourself. I hear he's very good at what he does. Seducing the ladies, that is.”
    Nala let out a snide chuckle. “Maybe he's never met a lady like me. One who wants him, yes, but dead, not in her bed.”
    “Hey now! Sounds like you’re talking about Tantum Maddox. Two different men, two different jobs, remember?”
    “I’ll call you soon.” Nala clicked her Bluetooth off, irritated at herself for her slip. She knew it hadn’t gotten by Gidget. Her AC might play the airhead, yet she was anything but.
    A moment later, Nala received a call from her sister Brook, all excited about packing up her old salon and moving into a new one. Nala chatted for a few minutes, but she was anxious to work on the file.
    She unlocked her apartment door, tossed her keys on the table, and placed the file on the counter. Coffee was what she needed. She’d tried to make up for her sleepless night on the plane, but couldn’t. She was far too frustrated about losing Tantum Maddox.
    A hard object poked her in the lower back.
    Click, click, click .
    The familiar smacking sound echoed in her ears. A warm breeze bathed the side of her face as a solid body grazed her backside. “Told you I'd find you.”
    It was rougher and harsher this time, but she’d recognize that spine-bending voice anywhere. Tantum