Free Caught in the Act by Samantha Hunter

dawned.
    “You were in here trying to find the pictures last night, and you didn’t. That’s why you agreed to come back.”
    “No, I did find them.”
    “Then why didn’t you take them?” And why did she stick around and have sex with him on his desk? To get the invitation back, he presumed darkly. He’d fallen for it, too.
    “Tracy needed me to get those photos and I agreed because…she’s my little sister. She told me the affair was just a one-night stand that you and Rio were using against her. Considering how awful a husband he was, I couldn’t let that happen. Then—” Gina paused, and he didn’t say a word as she continued “—then I saw the pictures weren’t exactly what she told me. So I put them back. I didn’t take anything.”
    “So why did you have sex with me, and come back for more?”
    Her cheeks burned dark red, and he almost felt bad for embarrassing her.
    “Because I wanted it,” she said, but then looked him in the eye. “I had sex with you last night because I got carried away. I enjoyed it. I was coming back becauseI wanted more, to have that fantasy night with you, but I knew you couldn’t find out who I was. Then, Tracy told me about Dupree, and I knew I had to try to get the pictures. But that was after . It wasn’t why I did what I did last night.”
    “I wish I could believe that. Do you have any idea who Peter Dupree is?”
    She shook her head. “Not specifically, but Tracy was afraid of him. He threatened her.”
    “Do you always agree to commit felonies for family?” he asked, drawing a sharp look from her.
    “She’s my sister,” Gina said, as if that explained it all. “I’m sorry. I hated doing this, but I never intended to see it through—having sex—with you tonight, because I knew I was here to take the pictures.”
    He couldn’t deny the smidge of admiration her words evoked. Would he go that far for Ryan? Probably, but his brother, while uninhibited, would never land himself in a situation that demanded it.
    “Why should I believe you?”
    “This guy, Peter Dupree, he’s dangerous. He told Tracy that he’d hurt her if she didn’t get the pictures back, or worse. She was really frightened. I couldn’t let that happen.”
    “So you came back here to get them.”
    “Yes,” she said with a defiant tip of her chin.
    He said nothing.
    She shook her head, then, her shoulders slumping.
    “I wanted to help Tracy,” she said, her voice chokingagain. “When I knew I’d have to steal those pictures, to trick you, I hated it,” she said vehemently. “Tracy is always getting herself into these messes, and she usually needs me to help her out of them. I knew she’d gone too far this time, but still…”
    Mason cursed and shoved a hand into the pocket of his pants, pacing, unsure which instinct to go with. He trusted his instincts, and though it went against every ounce of common sense he had, he believed her. He wasn’t going to let her know that, not yet.
    “Why didn’t you just go to the police, or come to me? Why not tell someone you were being threatened, that Tracy was in danger? And how do you know she’s not in with this guy, and helping him out by getting the pictures?”
    He saw for a moment the flash of uncertainty. It didn’t occur to her that her sister might be involved with Dupree and playing her for a patsy.
    “No,” Gina asserted, but weakly. “He warned her about going to the police. He said he had people on the inside and he’d know. She was truly terrified. She said he even scared his little boy, who hardly speaks, and is almost kept like a captive.”
    Mason nodded. Agent Kelly had said much the same thing, that Dupree had feelers inside law enforcement. It wasn’t surprising. Cops could be as corrupt as anyone else, he knew. It added credibility to Gina’s story, but then he latched on to something else.
    “Wait—she knows about the boy? His son?”
    Gina shrugged. “She mentioned him. She felt bad for him. Said Peter