Lancelot (The Theriot Family 3)

“But don’t you… Haven’t you…” Was I really about to ask him if he’d killed people?

This was insane. I should open the door, jump out of the car, and go to the police. Would they help me, or did his family have influence there too?

Lance laid a hand on top of mine. “I promise I just need to get into the library.”

“That’s really it?” I looked at him, and his smile sent electricity through me.

“That’s all. Unless you want to invite me back home with you.”

I raised my brows. “So you can bribe something else out of me?”

“No. Once our business is done, I would focus only on your pleasure.”

I did not like the way my body reacted to that.

10

Lancelot

I glanced at Julian as I pulled out of his driveway. I hated that he’d had to change out of his flannel pajama pants. I’d loved the way they hung low on his hips, but his aging jeans were almost as sexy. His fingers were digging into the armrest. His cheeks were red, and I hadn’t missed the catch in his breath at the word pleasure. He was interested. He didn’t want to be, but he was.

Business first. I couldn’t screw this up again. Things seemed to be spiraling out of control.

When I turned into the library parking lot, Julian directed me around to the back. Like when I’d been there earlier, I didn’t notice any security personnel.

“You have a guard on duty during the day but not at night?

“That’s right. We used to have night security, but the city said they couldn’t afford it anymore. There’s a security system, but I have the alarm code.”

“Then let’s go.” As I opened my door, something raised the hairs on the back of my neck. I laid a hand over Julian’s thigh. I felt him stiffen, and I wanted to tighten my grip, but I didn’t. This was serious. Something was off.

“Someone’s been here.”

“What?”

“I came here first thinking you’d be working late. Someone’s been here since I left.”

He frowned. “How do you know that?”

“See that bush?” I pointed to one on the left side of the rear entrance. “The limb’s broken off. I remember moving it out of my way and thinking someone should’ve trimmed it.”

Julian frowned. “I almost broke it off myself this morning, but couldn’t a squirrel or something have done that.”

“I don’t think so.” Someone entering the library didn’t necessarily mean something was wrong. It could have been one of the other employees. I looked around to see if anything else was different. There was a light on in one of the rooms on the second floor.

I pointed to the bright window. “What room is that?”

Julian’s eyes got big. “That’s a storage room where we keep materials we don’t have room for in the regular archives, things we would have available if we had more space, and some materials that need repair. No one should be up there.”

“Who else has a code to turn off the security system?”

“Gwen and all the other librarians. The director. The board president.”

“None of them should be here now?”

“No. If they were, it would only be to get something they left at their desk. They wouldn’t be upstairs.”

Someone could have left the light on earlier in the day. Maybe I didn’t notice it before. But I didn’t think that was likely. “Stay in the car.”

“What? No, I can’t—”

I ignored his protests and approached the building, gun out. I wasn’t going to take chances.

I heard a car door close and turned to see Julian heading toward me. I gestured for him to go back to the car, but he ignored me. “You need the alarm code if you’re going in.”

Shit. He was right. I’d been so concerned about keeping him safe I hadn’t even thought about that. “Tell me the code, then get back in the car.”

He punched in the code and started to open the door.

“Jesus, at least get behind me. Why are you so fucking stubborn?”

“I’m stubborn?”

Neither of us said anything else as I eased the door open. I moved slowly, sweeping the short hallway, then the offices on either side. Julian had the sense to stay glued to my back. I could feel him, his heat, the occasional brush of his body against mine.

If I hadn’t been worried about an intruder, I might have pushed him up against a wall and found out how quickly I could turn him from prickly to desperate. I didn’t think it would take more than a few seconds. I could practically feel the tension in him, vibrating below the surface. He needed a way to release it. I could help him with that, but first I needed to make sure we were the only ones in the library and retrieve this damn information Remy’s contact had hidden in the most idiotic place.