Katie stiffened in his arms. "Did they find us?"

Kaiden groaned. "No. It's my boss."

"If you don't answer will he think you left?" she whispered.

Kaiden wrapped his arms around her and pressed one last kiss to her lips before reluctantly letting her go. "I'm afraid not."

The knocking became more insistent. "Wake up, James! Let me in! I know you're in there!"

Katie sighed and looked at him with a longing that mirrored his own. "Well, then you better let him in. I'm going in the bathroom to get dressed."

"Hang on, Hunter! I'll be right there!" he called to his boss as he watched Katie disappear back into the bathroom.

In two long strides he reached the door and pulled it open. "What the hell is so important you couldn't pick up the phone and call?"

Hunter walked past him and into the room. "Check your messages. I called three times and texted at least five."

"Oh. Well, we didn't get to bed until four."

His boss spun around. "We?"

"Yes, the witness, Katie McCoy? The whole reason I'm here."

Hunter eyed the unmade beds. "You slept alone?"

"Of course! I am a professional!"

"So… I'm the reason you're all hot and bothered then?" Hunter's eyes dropped to the obvious projection of his athletic shorts. "I had no idea you felt that way about me, James."

"Of course, boss. You didn't know?" Kaiden turned away and grabbed a pair of jeans that he pulled on right over the shorts and all. "Why are you here?"

"You didn't answer your phone. A cop got knocked out at the girl's apartment and she seems to bring bad luck everywhere she goes. I got worried. Seems I had nothing more to worry about than your overactive libido. Don't do anything stupid, James. This is a big case and I can't have you jeopardizing it because you have been stuck in a dry spell since Cara left."

"Gee, boss, want me to get you some salt to pour on my wounded heart while you're at it?"

"All I'm saying is keep your head and your pants on straight until this is over. She could be the key to getting past the Marks family and shutting Nathan Marks down."

"I don't think so. As soon as he found out she wouldn't help him, he started banging some other woman to get what he wanted."

"Was that woman named Amanda Howe by any chance?" Hunter asked.

"Katie, I mean Ms. McCoy, mentioned a Mandy. Why?"

His boss shot him an odd look but didn't comment on the name slip. Instead he said, "Because Ms. Howe's body just washed up on the shore of the James River."

"Oh damn."

"Did Nathan kill her?" Kaiden turned to find Katie standing behind him.

Hunter tipped an imaginary hat to Katie and offered her a wink. "Morning, Miss. I trust Agent James has been treating you well?"

"Yes, yes. Everything's been fine." Katie's cheeks flamed making her absolutely adorable. "Did Nathan kill Mandy?"

"We don't know what happened to her officially but I am fairly certain the fish aren't responsible for the .38 caliber hole behind her ear."

"I could be next. The family doesn't like loose ends and I am a loose end. After what happened last night…" Katie paled instantly and dropped to a nearby chair. Kaiden resisted the urge to go to her.

"Last night?" Hunter looked confused.

"Someone tried to run her down in a parking lot and when that didn't work, they tried to run us off the road."

"You didn't tell me that, James."

"Slipped my mind."

"Don't worry, Miss. The government is very good at protecting its assets." Katie didn't seem comforted by the promise.

Wanting to take Katie in his arms but still attempting to maintain that professional persona he promised his boss, he turned to Hunter and asked, "When will the M.E. have the report?"

"Sometime late this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning. We got a big meeting of the minds at the Navy base in Norfolk in two days. Word is that could be the target."

"What's the plan?"

"No one knows for sure yet. The base is on high alert. No one in or out without a government pass and a damned good reason."

"Are they thinking bomb?"

"With Marks' interest in biologics, it's possible. Maybe some sort of dirty bomb carrying ebola or anthrax. We really aren't sure yet. That's where you come in, Miss McCoy. What was your boyfriend looking for?"

She threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "I already told your people I have no idea! I thought he wanted a wife, a home in the suburbs, a couple of kids and a dog! Why else would I have quit a job I loved and left my family and friends to move all the way across the state of Virginia?"

This time Kaiden didn't care what Hunter thought. He went to Katie and crouched down in front of the chair she now sat in. "Hey, it's okay. From what you told me, he probably did want all that stuff in the beginning. He had no way of knowing you would move here and land a job in the infectious disease ward."

Katie shrugged and sighed in resignation. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Katie?" He picked up her hand in his and rubbed the back of it with his thumb in hopes of calming her a little. "This is very important. How exactly did you meet Nathan?"

She looked at him, sorrow in her hazel eyes. "I told you, I met him online. I was in a dry spell and feeling a little lonely. One of the girls at work dared me to make a profile on one of those dating sites. So, I did."

"Did you tell him what you did for a living right away?"

"It was on my profile."

Kaiden looked up at Hunter who now stood beside Katie, arms folded across his chest and his expression serious. "He made her a mark the instant he knew what she did for a living."

His boss nodded agreement.

"I'm sorry to put you through this, Katie. I just have a few more questions."

"How long were you seeing each other before he suggested you move to the beach?"

"Only a couple of months. It was all so exciting. Moving, planning a wedding—oh, what was I thinking?"

Kaiden rose to a standing position and placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt the overwhelming need to maintain physical contact despite the disapproving look his boss shot at him.

"Katie and I were going to head over to the hospital today. Someone lifted her ID and access card from her apartment last night. She needs to let them know so they can be on the lookout. Will you let me know what the medical examiner says about Ms. Howe?"

Hunter studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he replied. "You want me to put someone else on this case?"

Kaiden narrowed his eyes at his boss. "No, why?"

"I'm not sure you can remain, what was the word you used? A professional."

"I am always a professional. I know the rules, boss. I would do anything for the sake of my job, remember?" Kaiden snapped, anger boiling in his gut. He had sacrificed his marriage for the sake of the United States Government. How could Hunter doubt his integrity now?

Because when he got here that integrity had disappeared. Because if he hadn't interrupted, that professionalism would be tangled up in hotel sheets right about now.

"All right, James. Do your job. I'll be in touch." Without another word, he strode to the hotel room door and disappeared into the hall. The door closed with a hard slam that made Kaiden flinch.

He got the feeling Hunter had just laid down the gauntlet. Do his job right—and without any interference from his hormones—or find another job.