Free Deception of the Heart by Ellen Wolf

men.
    Melanie Bennett didn’t even know she was pretty; he would bet his last dollar on that one. With her dark blue, simple sheath dress and low-heeled shoes, she could have been one of the thousands of girls working in the business district back home. And yet… something about her pulled him in with gravity much too strong for his liking. Maybe it was the odd air of innocence in the way she looked at him, her hazel eyes framed with dark curly lashes seeing straight into his heart. Or the way she blushed when embarrassed, the light pink hue adding color to her pale cheeks and making him think of the roses in Sophia’s garden.
    He needed to convince Bernard she didn’t need supervision. Some self-preservation instinct urged him to keep his distance even though every cell of his body looked forward to seeing her again. Which was exactly the problem. She was just another case, he reminded himself sternly. This sudden and very unwelcome physical attraction was haunting him at the worst possible moment. Melanie Bennett spelled trouble, and if he could avoid her, he certainly would.
    ‘I could come up with a plausible excuse why I am too busy to show her around,’ he said hopefully . His fingers drummed impatiently against the tabletop while he waited for Bernard to answer. ‘I’m sure Sophia could whip up some replacement, if needed. I know she could.’
    ‘ Look, I am very sorry you don’t like this part of the assignment.’ Bernard’s clipped tone destroyed any hope he had of persuading him to drop the Melanie operation. ‘You might be right, but then again, you could just as well be wrong. It’s a risk we can’t really take now, as things are. Plus there is some new info on Pete’s assistant.’
    Why did he feel disappointed? He was supposed to keep an open mind and expect the worst, the way he always acted while on an assignment. Still, Jon couldn’t help but regret that she might be involved after all.
    ‘We’ve traced multiple donations to the Peace Brigade from his account. Guess who deposited them into the bank? Melanie Bennett, each and every time. They’re not huge amounts, but substantial enough to make us believe that she must be aware of what she was doing. The money had been laundered through three bogus charities, just the way the PB handles things. Still, Marc here did an excellent job and pinpointed its source, which is Melanie Bennett’s pocket. Still so sure about her innocence?’
    ‘That changes things .’ He sighed and eyed his wristwatch. He expected her to arrive with her boss in less than half an hour, and he had to get his emotions under control before then.
    ‘ Ehm… Look, I don’t want to interfere or anything, but Daphne says hello.’ Bernard sounded rather embarrassed, his voice softer. ‘I know you don’t want to talk about it and all, Jon. I understand, really. It’s just that I promised Mariah I would let you know. So there, you’ve heard it from me, and now let’s forget it. I will make sure we will see each other today, okay? It’s time I met our little Miss Bennett, it seems.’
    ‘You betcha.’ Bernard had decided the operation was close enough to its climax to require his presence, and he arrived in Rome just twelve hours after Jon. The agency usually operated on that model, reserving Bernard’s involvement for the final hours of the development. Jon had to tie up all the loose ends before they “accidentally” met later on. Leaving contact info with the other agents in the house would ensure Bernard could reach him no matter what Melanie’s plans were for the day. He wouldn’t think about Daphne now, Jon decided. His job required his full and total attention.
    Jon went to talk to the Spitieris, a last moment consultation meant to calm them down. The older couple hated pretending just as much as he did, if not more. Daniel insisted he had been a writer and publicist, not an actor. Lying and pretending to be friendly with a man about to try killing him