Free Internal Affair by Samantha Cayto Page A

going.”
    Parker looked him square in the eye. She’d allowed him in on her investigation because he agreed to go wherever it led them. Her growing interest in him as a man couldn’t cloud her judgment, not now, not ever. Besides reminding him of the deal might just kill whatever interest he had in her as a woman. If it did, it would be for the best. That’s what she told herself, anyway. “I agree that’s one of only two possibilities, sir.”
    He scowled back at her, although whether it was her reminder that the jury was still out about his father or the fact that she had gone back to calling him sir, she couldn’t tell. A little of both probably.
    He didn’t argue her point, merely turned back to the list. “I bet some of these line of duty kills were set ups and maybe some of the accidents, too.”
    She’d already considered the possibility. “It’s going to take a lot of digging into the details of the file on each case, including the autopsies. Plus, I still have more graduates to track down. It’s going to take a lot of time. And I don’t even have the knowledge base to review the autopsies.”
    “Neither do I, but Cassidy does.” He gave Parker a pointed look.
    She held his gaze for long seconds, trying and failing to ignore the vivid blue of his eyes. They were compelling and enticing, and just for those few seconds, she really did forget why she was in this house. Without thought, she leaned closer to him, still staring into those eyes and wondering what Crayola would name this particular shade. She didn’t stop her forward movement until she felt his breath upon her face. It left his mouth in short, fast puffs. It was only when a noise came out, a kind of grunt, that she froze.
    Oh, my God, what was she doing? She threw herself back into her chair and with rapid blinks of her eyelids, looked away. “Um.” She wracked her brain for the topic of discussion to eek out some kind of suitable response. “You want to bring in other people?”
    Daire cleared his throat in an alarming way. He sounded as if he were choking on a live cat. “Yeah, that’s what I’m suggesting. We need more eyes on this, and a medical examiner would be especially helpful. Don’t you think?”
    She turned her head slowly back to him and blinked some more. Think? How could she think about anything with him so close? No amount of nightly sessions with her beloved vibrator would satisfy her with a man like Daire in her life. In that moment, she had an epiphany. More people in the room would be the perfect solution. Plus, he was right, they needed more eyes and brains working on this. “Other than Dr. Barnes, who did you have in mind?”
    Daire pushed his chair back and stood up. He paced away from her. “My brothers and my cousin, Regan, plus Caruso and Nieves, if they’re willing and my brothers don’t mind.” He gave her a rueful grin. “They’re pretty protective of the people in their lives.”
    Parker appreciated the distance he’d put between them. It gave her space to breathe, although she’d only be truly comfortable after she left the house. Getting up, she proceeded to shut down her netbook and gather her other stuff. “Okay, I’m convinced, although the more people we involve, the more notice we’ll get. Plus, I’m not sure doing my investigation this way isn’t going to land all of us in hot water.”
    “Well, Regan’s boyfriend is a top notch litigator, so that might come in handy.”
    Parker gave him an exasperated look. “Don’t even think a joke like that.”
    “Sorry.” He didn’t look it. Instead, he gave her a mischievous smile that sent her body back into the no-fly zone. She practically raced to grab her coat off its hook. “Let’s keep this as off the radar as we can. I suggest we all meet here this Friday night.” Surely, her hormones would behave themselves in a house full of Daire’s relatives.
    “Good idea.” He’d come up behind her as she struggled to shrug on her coat