Free Dangerous to Know by Dawn Ryder

set up to film the computer screen before dialing Saxon.
    â€œYou in?” Saxon’s voice cut with how sharp it was.
    â€œYeah, are you getting a clear shot?”
    â€œYes. Thais wants the cell phone.”
    They couldn’t get into her files but at least they’d be able to see whatever she had up on her screen. The camera would provide a double service, giving them the information from what she was working on as well as providing irrefutable evidence that she had been the one receiving the classified files. Zoe’s sweet face wouldn’t keep her from being convicted once they had the video footage.
    He felt like shit.
    The emotion stunned him and he sat back in the chair for a moment while he tried to shift through his response.
    It was sex. Nothing else. It couldn’t become anything more. Zoe Magnus was knee-deep in military espionage. It was his duty to gather enough evidence to convict her. Their contacts had traced the link to her brother and the point of entry into the United States as her phone lines.
    Or she was innocent and he was a complete asshole for using her. At least it would beat being convicted of treason. Somehow, he doubted she’d be very happy either way.
    The main problem was he couldn’t think of how she might be unaware of the intel crossing through her computer. The system was locked up tighter than a prison. She had to have a motive for protecting her files so well.
    He had to move forward with the team plan. Even if he was going soft, there were still the men in the field to consider. Someone was selling out positions, and men died when that happened. His bruised feelings would have to take a backseat to preventing more bloodshed.
    Sitting back up, he dug into his pockets and retrieved the bugs he needed to plant. Pushing the chair back, he crawled under the desk to make sure every last byte of information coming into the office also transmitted to Saxon’s network. The last thing he did was pull her cell phone out of her jeans.
    Mercer slipped the phone into his pocket. Planting a mobile download device into it would require specialized tools and knowledge of micro-electronics he didn’t have.
    He glanced at Zoe, studying the way she slept, innocence showing on her face. He turned away, forcing his attention to his mission.
    *   *   *
    Zoe fought her way free of slumber. It wasn’t what her body wanted. Her mind refused to surrender easily, wanting to remain in the dream world. But something needled her, some pressing thing that refused to allow her to sleep despite how much she was enjoying it.
    She rubbed her eyes and sat up. The room was dark but she couldn’t recall turning the downstairs light off. Memory returned swiftly and with a sharp edge that cut through her drowsiness. Reaching out, she discovered the bed empty.
    Well … what did she expect?
    Standing up, she froze when a pinch of discomfort rippled through her passage, marking where Mercer had been.
    And now he was gone.
    That bothered her more than it should have. There had been no promises, not even small talk. She stood up and rubbed her eyes to kill the urge to cry.
    She wasn’t a teenager anymore.
    But it still stung that he hadn’t stayed past midnight. She could smell him on her skin, and her body tingled with renewed passion. She kicked her jeans on the way to the bathroom and flipped the shower on. With only the closet light on, she stood beneath the slightly warm water to wash the scent of her impulsiveness away.
    He wasn’t her lover.
    Nope. She worked the soap bar across her skin. He’d been hot and looking for sex, but she had higher standards for someone she called a lover. Mercer was … well … she wasn’t sure of exactly what he was.
    Except gone.

 
    CHAPTER TWO
    â€œDid you get the data from her desk camera?”
    â€œI did my job,” Thais muttered to Mercer, holding out her hand for Zoe’s