That made his gut twist. “What has she been looking up?”
“She’s done several searches on him, and she’s got notes on her phone about things he’s said or done. Mostly about The Club. She could be simply curious,” Deke said in that way that made Michael think he didn’t quite believe the words.
He didn’t either. “Or she could be studying him for some reason. I’m going to keep an eye on her for the next few days. I’ll watch her while she’s not at work.”
“And I’ll shadow her if she leaves the office. Does Julian have eyes on her while she’s there?” Deke asked.
“Yes.” He’d made sure that Wolf Meyer would be watching whenever he could, and they were monitoring all of Vanessa’s tech.
Had she been lying about her relationship with her husband? She’d seemed so sincere when she talked about the man. The truth was it was hard to think about her with that old guy. He’d been old enough to be her grandfather. He could understand her caring for him, but love?
He would get a copy of that will tomorrow and transcripts of the case. He’d been going off media reports, and that had been a mistake. He certainly couldn’t trust the tabloids, but he wasn’t sure he could trust her either.
He’d connected with her today, felt for her. Briefly he’d even thought maybe he was wrong about her.
But he wasn’t particularly smart when it came to women. Even when he found a good partner, something wasn’t right about it.
“I’ll get some sleep then,” Deke said. “And I’ll take Boomer with me so you’ve got alone time with her. Be careful, brother.”
He shook Deke’s hand. “I’m being very careful around her.”
“No, I think you should be careful with her.” Deke placed careful emphasis on the word with. “I watched her all day. I watched her when she thought no one was watching. I think she’s more fragile than she looks, and I don’t think it’s an act. I know she’s the target, but someone tried to hurt her today.”
“And I’ll make sure no one tries again.” He didn’t admit that he was worried Deke was right. Something about Vanessa called to him, but he didn’t trust his instincts.
Maybe he simply didn’t trust himself.
He would take care of her, but she was a job. That was all she could be to him at this point.
Deke walked out, and Michael grabbed another beer for himself and took the bottle of Pinot Noir he’d opened for Vanessa. She’d sipped her glass as they’d eaten, and Boomer had told stories about babysitting the Taggart kids. That night had ended in blood and tears and more pizza for Boomer.
But it was a good story.
“Did you honestly think the worst thing about that night was a dirty diaper?” Vanessa had the sweetest smile on her face as she sat back after he’d locked the door behind Boomer and Deke fifteen minutes later.
He shuddered because even though that night had been years before, he could sometimes still smell that kid’s pants. “It was the worst thing I’ve ever smelled. Something was wrong with him.”
Vanessa sat back, her glass in hand. She looked completely relaxed, and he was glad Deke had brought Boomer. There was something about the big guy that lit up any room he walked into.
“Your friends are nice. I can’t believe Boomer ate two whole pizzas. He must work out a lot.” She stood and picked up the last of the beer bottles, starting for the kitchen.
He wished she was nothing more than a date. Just a normal woman he was trying to get to know. He would follow her in there and slide in behind her. He would brush her hair off her shoulders, revealing the nape of her neck. He would run his fingers over that part of her spine, caressing the soft skin he found right before he dropped a kiss there.
Of course if they were a couple simply exploring their connection, he wouldn’t feel so shitty about how her day had gone.
“It’s getting late. Should I go to bed?” Vanessa asked. “Or did you want to talk some more? Are we going to have a training session tomorrow? I’ll be honest. I don’t want to go into The Club without any training at all. I’d like to know how you expect me to behave.”
He looked up at her and made a decision.
He could figure her out for Julian. If she was clean, she didn’t have to know he’d ever investigated her at all. Then maybe they could explore the attraction between them. He couldn’t deny he wanted her in a way he hadn’t in a very long time.
Perhaps if it had just been sex, he could have turned her away, but there was something warm and real about the woman in front of him that drew him in, made him want to try again.