Thread of Suspicion. Susan Sleeman
pulled out a hundred-dollar bill from her pocket and waved it in the air. “This will be yours if you call me when you see him.”
“Oh, yeah.” Eggleston reached for the money.
Dani snatched it back. “Only if you call me.” She dug out her business card and handed it to him.
“Then be ready for my call, pretty lady.” Eggleston laughed as he got up.
“I’ll count on it,” Dani answered sweetly while Luke cringed.
Eggleston took off and Dani slowly came to her feet, easing out apparent soreness in her limbs as she rose.
Luke spotted blood staining her knees and elbows. “We need to get medical attention for you.”
“Later.” She took out her phone, stabbed a button, then lifted it to her ear. “Mitch, good. I stopped to talk to Eggleston, and he said the computer came from a homeless man named Smash. I was hoping someone there might know where I can find this Smash.”
She held her phone away from her ear and Luke heard Mitch’s angry response but couldn’t make out the words. Luke didn’t like the guy’s tone, but what could he do about it?
“How was I supposed to know you were on your way to question him?” Dani snapped into the phone. “If you’d bothered to tell me, I would’ve waited for you and Eggleston would be sitting at home right now.”
She listened, planting a hand on her hip. Suddenly she disconnected and shoved her phone into her pocket. “You could probably tell that was Mitch, and he’s miffed. Kat convinced him to take time out of his busy morning to come over here and question Eggleston. Mitch’s almost here and he’s mad that I wasted his time by chasing off Eggleston.”
Luke met Dani’s gaze. “Eggleston’s probably back at his house by now, so Mitch can still question him.”
“He’d better be, or I have no hope of getting my sister’s husband to talk to me again.” She gestured down the alley. “Let’s go meet him at the house.”
She limped along and Luke slipped a hand under her elbow to help.
“I’m fine,” she said and shrugged free. “I don’t need your help all the time. I’ve done just fine on my own, and I’d appreciate it if you’d back off.”
He held up his hands and let her take the lead. She had a stubborn streak a mile long, and if they were going to work together, he needed to remember not to push her. Hard to do when she rushed headlong into dangerous situations.
Rounding the corner of the house, he spotted a nondescript blue sedan in Eggleston’s driveway. A tall man whose bulky build said he took his fitness regimen seriously stood on the lawn. He’d folded his arms over his broad chest, and a scowl drew down his face. He had a gun holstered at his side and a badge clipped to his belt. When he caught sight of Dani, his eyes narrowed and Luke knew the guy was mad at her. Good and mad.
She didn’t seem to care but hobbled up to him as if approaching a sweet little baby, not an angry cop. “A simple phone call would’ve prevented this problem, Mitch.”
The glare Elliot directed at her made Luke pull in a deep breath and step up next to her. Not that she needed protecting from her brother-in-law or would even entertain Luke’s help if she did. But Luke didn’t like the look in the man’s eyes, and every defensive bone in his body sat up and paid attention.
“Look, Mitch,” she said, not at all fazed by the glare. “I’m sorry about what happened. You know I wouldn’t have stepped on your toes if I’d known.” She flashed a dazzling smile that would make Luke do just about anything, but Elliot’s face remained stony. “While I’ve got your attention, I thought I’d ask if you’d let me come down to the station and look at the computer myself.”
“Really, Dani? You think I’ll break every investigative rule for you just because we’re related now?”
She grinned again and actually took a step closer to the guy, who looked as if he wanted to lock her in a cell and throw away the keys. “Not every one of them. Just the ones I need you to break.”
Elliot rolled his eyes. “I was so not prepared to become a part of this family.”
“Does that mean I can look at the computer?” she asked sweetly.
Elliot sighed. “No, but if you give me a list of things to look for I’ll have someone do it for you.”
“Guess that’ll have to do.” Her lower lip slipped out in a cute little pout, and Luke couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her mouth. A very kissable mouth.
“Be careful, man,” Elliot said, clapping him on the shoulder and drawing his attention from Dani. “With the look on your face it’s only a matter of time before you’re as connected to the Justices as I am.” Chuckling, he headed for the house.
Luke felt Dani’s eyes on him, but he wouldn’t look at her again. Instead he watched Elliot step up to the front door and waited for him to head inside and return with information about the investigation.
Good. Concentrate on the investigation, he thought. If he could keep his focus on the threat to his company, he wouldn’t be thinking about the threat to his heart who stood just a few feet away.
* * *
Carrying her gym bag holding torn and bloody clothes, Dani wound her way through SatCom’s main room filled with cubicles. She smiled encouragingly as she passed curious workers on her way to Luke’s office. Though he’d founded the company, his office wasn’t as large and grand as she’d expected.
He was looking out the window, standing with that perfect posture she’d come to associate with him, his cell phone pressed to his ear. He didn’t turn even when she dropped her bag on the floor.
That was fine with her. She was still riled up over the way he kept trying to protect her like a helpless girl instead of seeing the abilities she’d spent many years developing.
Interfering like my brothers and taking charge like Paul, she thought as she wandered to a bookshelf filled with military photos and awards. Or maybe, she was using his behavior as a distraction from the connection that seemed to exist between them.
So not thinking about that right now.
She picked up a large photo of Luke. As she’d suspected, he was something to look at in his dress uniform. The jacket tailored to his wide shoulders tapered to a trim waist. A cap pulled low shadowed his eyes, making him look even more intriguing. Next to him stood a high-ranking naval officer who presented Luke with the Navy Cross.
So he’s a hero. She should’ve expected that. Par for the course for a man like him. Jump in. Take charge. Rescue the helpless or those in danger. She didn’t need rescuing, though he kept trying when Mitch got a little miffed. She could handle her brother-in-law on her own.
“Memorizing that?” he asked, coming up behind her.
She jerked her eyes free and set the picture on the shelf. “You’re quite the hero.”
He looked embarrassed by her praise. “Just doing my job.”
“You don’t need to be so modest. The Navy Cross is a top honor.”
“I’m not being modest. I just don’t happen to think I need medals for doing my duty. The only reason I displayed them was to impress the procurement committee.” He motioned for her to sit at the round table where he’d placed her laptop while she’d cleaned up. “While you dig into the code, I’ll arrange to have personnel files brought over. Though I have to say, since we’re working on a military project, I fully vetted everyone before they were hired.”
She wasn’t surprised to hear him defend his team. He’d likely adopted that attitude while in the military, but she couldn’t be as trusting. “People change, Luke. One of your workers could have been offered money to turn on SatCom, and we have to be thorough.” She settled