Free Deadly Contact by Lara Lacombe Page A

wasn’t as confused by the science as he’d said. She was willing to bet he’d known all this before, and he had merely wanted to see how she’d respond to his oh-so-innocent questions.
    No longer hungry, she put down the remainder of her burger. It was time to go. She’d been lulled into thinking this conversation was like countless others they’d had in the past, but that wasn’t the case. Her boss was aiding a terrorist group, and James was interested in her because he was the lead investigator, not because he was her former friend and lover. It had been so easy to forget, but the fact that her hormones were happy to see him again didn’t mean he felt the same way about her.
    James collected her trash as they stood, then placed his hand at the small of her back to guide her out the door. Her skin burned at the contact, despite the layers of clothes that separated them. What she wouldn’t give to be able to turn around and press against him! She knew from experience that her nose fit perfectly into the hollow of his throat, and she wanted nothing more than to embrace him now, to inhale deeply and draw the citrus-spice essence of him deep into her lungs.
    Despite their past, despite the fact that she had wrecked things between them, he still meant the world to her. He’d always been a calming presence in her life and had made her feel safe. Now that her world was turning upside down, she needed him more than ever.
    But given her earlier mistakes, would he be there for her?
    * * *
    Caleb winced and held the phone away from his ear as the voice on the other end rose in volume. Dr. George Collins was missing, and his employers were not happy.
    “Where the hell is he?” the man bellowed.
    Caleb fought to keep his tone calm. It would only increase his problems if he yelled back at this man. “I’m not sure right now. I’m working on it.”
    “How did he get away? I thought you had him under surveillance.”
    “I did—” Caleb began.
    “Then how did you lose him?”
    He took a deep breath, wishing he could just hang up the phone. He didn’t need this. It wasn’t his fault George had slipped away. The men who were supposed to watch the scientist had failed, and they would be dealt with. Truth be told, Caleb was surprised—he hadn’t thought the mousy little man had had it in him to run.
    “It hardly matters now, sir,” Caleb ground out, hating the need for deference but knowing it would help soothe the other man’s ruffled feathers.
    It did. His voice lowered to a normal level, and Caleb put the phone back to his ear.
    “What are you going to do about it?”
    He walked to the mini-fridge and pulled out a sampler bottle of vodka, frowning at the label. It wasn’t his usual brand, but it would do. “I have some leads,” he said, filling a glass with ice and pouring the alcohol. He took a bracing sip and continued, “He has a time-share in Florida, and I’ve sent men to check if they’ve holed up there.”
    “What about other family members?”
    Caleb loosened his tie and sat on the bed, placing the glass on the nightstand. “He and his wife didn’t have children, and his brother died three years ago.”
    The man made a dissatisfied sound in his throat. “Any nieces or nephews?”
    Caleb frowned as he kicked off his shoes. “One niece, but they’re not close.”
    “Well, keep that in mind. We may need to use her if he doesn’t turn up soon.”
    He read between the lines. We actually meant him, and he didn’t relish the thought of getting his hands dirty like that. His job was to procure the bacteria and work out the details of the project, not to torture an innocent woman in the hopes of drawing out her uncle.
    “I don’t think it’ll come to that,” he said, flipping through the folder on the bed.
    “What makes you so sure?” the man asked skeptically.
    “I’ve got a better lead,” Caleb said, pulling out a picture. “She’s a postdoc in his lab, and by all reports, he trusts her.