“What truth is that?”

That you were 100 percent jealous. “That punching him had never been the plan?”

Rowan arched an eyebrow. “Who says it wasn’t my plan?”

Heat and something so much richer than that burned between them. Things that made everything so confusing now. She wanted Rowan. She knew that five years ago. But there was that deep sinking feeling in her chest that reminded her that love hurt. That love always hurt.

She turned away from him and the conversation that hung between them. “As for this picture that you both think is Lewis, it’s just a picture I found on his hard drive in an incredibly secured file.”

Rowan said, “Must have some significance if he put so much security around it.”

“Yeah, but it’s finding out what that significance is,” Alex pointed out.

Ryder nodded, right as his cell phone rang in his pocket. He had it to his ear in a second. “Blackwood.” A pause. A heavy one. He glanced at Alex and then at Rowan, and his expression became unreadable.

Never a good sign.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” Ryder said, then ended the call, returning his cell to his pocket. “There’s been a development.” His voice was tight when he grabbed the remote and turned on the television along the wall.

The TV sprung to life and a reporter from the news station where Ryder had a contact said, “Twenty-eight-year-old Jane Bellamy has been missing for twelve hours now. While investigators won’t confirm this is another victim taken by the Casanova Sadist, our sources tell us, they suspect that’s the case.” The newswoman turned to the man next to her. “Malcom, can you tell us what sources are saying?”

Ryder muted the TV then turned back to Alex and frowned. “Time is against us now.”

Alex understood. Desperation made killers act reckless. Sometimes that got them caught. Other times it made them even more dangerous. Lewis was likely in the latter category. So far, he’d been smart and ruthless, and Alex knew they had to be the same, which presented her with an idea. She had one last move to play. One that Lewis would never expect.

“You’ve got an idea?” Ryder asked, obviously reading Alex’s mind.

She mentally cringed then looked at Rowan. “Where does your loyalty sit right now, with us or with the CIA?”

Rowan frowned. “Why?”

“Because I’m about to go into the gray place where I might do something illegal, but it’s for a very good reason.” She waited for Rowan to shut this down right after he put two and two together. He was a CIA agent. He had taken an oath not to break laws, and agreeing to any part of what she was about to do went against everything he’d stood for and everything he’d sworn to protect.

A beat. Then Rowan asked, “Will this catch Lewis?”

“Without a doubt.”

Another heavy moment passed between them as Rowan’s eyes searched hers. Then he moved in close, and obviously didn’t care that both Ryder and Jeff were in the room. He leaned down to her, his one hand on her chair, the other on her desk, leaving no room between them. She flushed wickedly hot as he stared deeply into her eyes and said, “I’m with you, Alex. Always you. Do what you have to do.” He straightened and then left the room.

Alex reeled, staring after him, her heart somersaulting in her chest.

Ryder chuckled.

She finally blinked out of the spell Rowan put her under and glared at Ryder. “Problem?”

“No problem.” He winked at her. “It’s just nice to see someone getting under skin I thought was impenetrable.”

CHAPTER 10

Outside standing in the parking lot, Rowan battled within himself. Clouds had infiltrated the sky and rain dropped steadily onto him, giving a break to the heat. Rowan had fought for his country, and he was proud of that. But Lewis needed to be taken down, and when Rowan realized that no one would bring him down with conventional methods, he knew this was one of those situations where it was better to ask for forgiveness later than for permission that he knew would be definitely shot down. Settled about standing by and watching Alex break the laws that Rowan swore he’d always uphold, he reentered the command center, finding everyone in the same spots they’d been when he’d left fifteen minutes ago.

Alex’s fingers typed fast on the keyboard. Jeff was mirroring her, working on something that Rowan didn’t know. Wanting to be caught up, he moved in next to Ryder and asked, “Do I even want to know the plan?”

Ryder gave Rowan a long look and then nodded. “They’ll forgive you for this if Lewis is caught.” He paused then shrugged. “If he isn’t caught, they won’t know she’s been in their databases.”

“But they knew before when she hit their systems,” Rowan pointed out. That’s the reason they originally were pointed to Lewis, because he had brought her in to question her.

“Yes, but I didn’t know I was trying to break into the FBI at the time,” Alex said. “They won’t see me now. I’m a ghost.”

Tags: Stacey Kennedy Dirty Hacker Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net