8
ERIC DIDN’T SAY ANY MORE about the subject until the team had called it a night. Most of them were tired but still giddy from working an assignment. Julie, however, was unusually quiet.
At first he thought she was subdued because her debut as a decoy hadn’t met her expectations. But he’d slowly become aware of the signs. The twinkle in her eye. The secret smile. She was constantly moving even though she was sitting down.
She wasn’t listening to what was going on around her. Her mind was buzzing as she planned her next move.
That was as far as he would allow.
He rode the elevator with Julie and the team. As they walked into the parking structure, he waved goodbye to his coworkers and followed Julie to the parking lot elevators. It was only when they were in the elevator riding up to another floor that Julie noticed something was odd.
“Aren’t you staying at this hotel?” she asked as the elevator chimed and the doors opened.
“I’m walking you to your car.”
“Thank you, but there’s no need,” Julie said as she exited the elevator, her stride powerful, her ponytail swishing from side to side. “It’s Bellevue. Not Beirut.”
“Don’t knock Beirut. It’s one of my favorite cities.” He walked at her side, automatically scanning the area. The lot was full but quiet.
“I can take care of myself.”
“Kick-Ass Julie is an alias, not a bullet-proof shield.” She acted tough in her boots and military jacket, but he’d seen her self-defense maneuver. He didn’t like the idea of her here alone. No one would hear her if she needed help. “Anyway, we need to talk. You are not investigating what you saw tonight.”
She made a face. “Of course I am.”
Why wasn’t he surprised? “This is what you do—those guys work with Lloyd. You contact them or security at Z-Ray, tell them what you saw and you drop the matter.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“You may think these women are no match for you—” He heard a tire squeal and looked around, but it was from the floor below.
“Red was kind of ditzy. Blondie looked like she would fight dirty, but I could take her.”
“Don’t underestimate those women,” Eric warned.
“Just like our colleagues shouldn’t underestimate me.”
“They were collecting data for someone powerful who has resources.”
Julie stopped and looked straight into his eyes. “Eric, you know that what you’re saying isn’t warning me off. You’re making it sound better and better.”
He should have considered that. If there were even a hint of danger or adventure, Julie would sign up. He had been like that once. He still was when it came to Julie. She played havoc with his senses, but he was still drawn to her. He had to be around her, even though he knew he couldn’t rely on his self-control.
Eric admitted he had to change tactics. “And just when do you expect to investigate?” he asked, his voice echoing against the concrete walls. “You work during the days and you’ll have decoy assignments at night.”
Julie stopped and placed her hands on her hips. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re going to make sure I have a decoy assignment every night of the week until I drop this matter?”
Eric couldn’t help but laugh. “Your faith in my abilities is gratifying, but I’m not a magician. If I could land some business for us, we wouldn’t do the premarital screenings.”
She bit her lower lip. “You believe there’s been a theft, and you think someone should look into it. The only reason you don’t want me to investigate is because you think the person should have expertise.”
“Yes,” he said with a sharp nod. “That’s what I’m saying.”
Julie grabbed his arm. “Then come with me.”
“Me?”
Her eyes glowed with excitement as she warmed up to the idea. “You’re an expert.”
“Not in corporate espionage.” Eric would do anything for Julie. He wanted to be at her side, especially to keep her safe, but this wasn’t his expertise. “I hunt down and retrieve stolen artifacts for the government.”
“Theft is theft,” she said with a careless shrug.
Eric rubbed his forehead as he felt a headache coming on. “That’s an oversimplification. A jewel thief has different methods and tools than someone who is committing a crime with a computer.”