Armed and Fabulous (Lexi Graves Mysteries) (11 page)

"But you've got all that spyware on the computers."

"There haven't been any suspicious messages or documents emailed. Nothing is going through the office machines."

A thought occurred to me. "When
you joined us and
we had that team building day... The one where you
confiscated all of
our cell phones..."

"We bugged them," Adam admitted without any more prompting. "Recording and location transmitters."

"So you've been listening in on every call any of us made
since then
?" I paled thinking about
my
argument with my occasional friend
-
with
-
benefits
,
boy-toy
,
Mike
,
three weeks ago when he wanted to come over
after a couple of months of no contact
. I just wasn't into
him
anymore, even though it had been fun and he had more than
just
scratched the itch that needed, um, scratching. Mike
became
more than a little rud
e when I suggested we stop...
scratching. How mortifying. Still, at least
,
I had come out of it with my dignity intact. I hoped.

"Yes, and nothing
there either. No coded messages
or anything suspicious."

"I hate to ask you the obvious, but a
re you sure the leak is from
our department?"

"Absolutely sure."

"Where's the memory stick?" asked Solomon suddenly.
The TV guide landed on the coffee table with a
resounding
slap.

"Sorry, got somewhere to be, have we?" I
retorted
smartly
,
but he just stared back. We glared at each other, and I was sure I saw the faint
est
shadow of a smile. It seemed Big B
ad had a
sense of humor.

His eyes ran over me. "Yes, actually."

"Oh, right." Crap. He probably had to go save the world
, or single
-
handedly take down the fraudsters while Adam babysat me
. His tone was clear:
I was holding
him up. "I'll get it,
"
I said.

The memory stick was exactly where I
left
it in the top drawer of my dresser in my bedroom
,
so I grabbed it and
returned to
the living room
less than a minute later
. Adam and Solomon
were
talking in hushed tones
,
but they stopped when I entered. I dropped the memory stick into Adam's open palm.

"Has this got everything you worked on at Green Hand?" he asked. I nodded and he passed it to Solomon. "Thanks, Lexi. We'll get the team working on this. The reason for Dean's death is in there somewhere."

Downstairs
,
I heard the door open and
slam shut
seconds after
Adam's phone beeped. "Your friend is home," he said, after checking the screen.

"Was that the men outside?"

"Yes."

“Are they staying?”

“No. They’ll do spot checks.”

"I'm going to go," said Solomon, pulling my attention to him again as he stood and stretched. I expected him to crack his knuckles, but thankfully
,
he didn't. Instead
,
he stuck the memory stick in hi
s jeans pocket and strode out
of
the apartment without a backwards glance.

"Quite the charmer, isn't he?" I said, when the door shut and I was sure he couldn't hear me.

"Solomon's okay, just not the conversational sort."

“Is Solomon his first name or last?”

“Last, I think. Why?”

I shrugged.
"
No reason.
I need to get ready. Can you stay for a while
? O
r do you
have
to go?" I suddenly felt nervous at the idea of being in the apartment on my own
.
K
nowing that Martin Dean's murderers were out there
was bad enough, but
Adam's team
being concerned that
they might come after me
was worse
.
What if they hadn’t checked the closet properly and someone
was lurking
on the floor? What if there was a bomb
hooked to my oven
? Oh God, what if…

Adam took a steady look at the panic creeping onto my face.
"I'll stay. Shall I make coffee?"

I remembered last night and pulled a face at him, just to remind him that I was not happy about that.
I’d probably never accept a drink from him again.
"None
for me, thanks. Help yourself. Hey, can I see your badge?”

He grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.” He loosened his tie, undid the top button of his shirt and pulled out on a chain until his badge appeared. I’ve seen plenty. It was legit.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

I flicked through my wardrobe
,
looking for something nice to wear for my dinner that
was
warm
. I
t might be summer, but my parents’ house
was
always cold enough to hang meat
.
Adam
was standing
in the hallway, sipping his coffee and
asking the occasional question.
My work clothes wouldn't quite cut it
,
so I settled on a knee
-
length skirt and matched it
to
a pink top. Smart
,
but still feminine, and unlikely to upset my mother
who had a
“
dress
-
nice
-
for
-
dinner
-
or
-
don’t
-
eat
”
policy
.
I liked eating.

"Maybe I should stay here?" I said, straightening up after I laid the clothes on the bed. "
I already got out of work early.
I don't want anyone to follow me to my parents' house."

"Remember what I said about being normal. You had plans to go to dinner tonight and you need to stick to th
em. Nothing out of the ordinary. N
othing that would raise a red flag if anyone is watching you."

“Even leaving work early?”

“As far as anyone knows
,
we were on a conference call on the second floor all afternoon.”

"
Huh.
How would I know if anyone is watching me?"

"Most likely, you wouldn't. We'll have a team keeping an eye on you over the weekend. Keep your cell phone with you
so
we'll always be able to locate you. You don't have to worry, Lexi, I promise." Adam
placed his mug on the console and
stepped
through the doorway towards me. He
laid his
warm
hands on my shoulders. I found myself gazing up at him in a way that, so far, I'd only ever imagined in three very exciting dreams. In every one of those dreams, he leaned down and kissed me. He dipped his head, just as I tipped upwards on my tiptoes, our lips parting as our mouths moved closer.

The
n a fist hammered on my door. W
e
flew
apart, my heart pounding.

"Lexi? Are you home?"

"Lily," I whispered
in Adam’s ear
. "Am I home?"

"Of course you are. Go answer the door."

"Be right there," I called, stepping past Adam
, who
m
I was rapidly starting to think of as Maddox now,
to
take
the few paces to the door, then across the hallway to
let her in.

"Hello," Lily cooed, her big
blonde
curls bouncing around her shoulders. "I didn't know you'd be home early. Do you want to leave before the commuter traffic?"

"Sure, I guess."

"I'll just go...
oh,
hello
." Lily's eyes widened as I heard Adam step into the hallway
, out
of
my bedroom
.
Her eyes zeroed in on the casually undone shirt and loosened tie.
She brushed past me, extending a hand to him as she flashed
“t
ell
-
me
-
everything
-
later
-
or
-
die
”
eyes. "We didn't meet properly this morning. I'm Li
ly, Lexi's best friend, neighbo
r and confidant."

"Adam Shepherd, Lexi's boss,
"
said Adam, his cover firmly in place.

"Hello Adam Shepherd, Lexi's boss." She paused, lips pursed, waiting for him to say something. She had a knack for doing that,
and
making the silence so uncomfortable that you'd be willing to say anything just so it would stop. Adam, apparently, was a tough nut to crack. "Are you doing some extracurricular activities?" she asked, when he stayed silent.

I rolled my eyes.

"No." But he smiled this time. "We're just going over a few things for next week."

"On two consecutive nights?" Lily
cast
a glance at me that was full of suspicion. "Lexi is very, very dedicated. Hit me up when you're ready, Lex. I'll wait downstairs." She sashayed out with a flick of her hair.