“I should go with you,” Aria groaned as she held tight to Monroe’s arm. “I don’t want you to get in any trouble.”

“I’ll be fine. Getting information is my specialty. Just head to my room and be ready to welcome me back.” He pulled her in for an intense embrace and cupped a handful of her ass. “This will be easy. I’ll give you something hard later.”

He loved how her cheeks flushed and her mouth snapped shut to stifle a giggle. “Fill the bath. I’ll be back before you know it.”

As he glanced over his shoulder at her, Monroe had to fight a smile. Aria was genuinely nervous that he’d get caught. What she didn’t know was just how many offices Monroe had broken into over the years. Actually, he liked to think of it more as visiting prior to an invitation.

There was one key to getting in and out of a place with what you wanted. Look like you belong there. A skill Monroe mastered ages ago. No eyes darting around nervously. No fidgeting. No fumbling. People didn’t spend their time assuming they were about to be broken into.

Monroe busied himself on his phone as he rode the elevator up with Elena, pretending they hadn’t just spoken. Two other people exited on the floor below and left them alone but Monroe didn’t look up. “Cameras?” he whispered. And she gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

They stepped off the elevator, and she began to push her heavy cart down the hallway to their left. “Are you lost?” she asked him, pulling her badge from her shirt and swiping it under the access pad.

“I’m fine,” Monroe answered evenly as he pushed open the door that led to the office Elena had described. With his head high and his chin jutted out, he moved through the hallway as though he were on his way to a scheduled meeting. As two men passed, chatting about a group coming for a convention, Monroe looked them straight in the face and greeted them.

When they rounded a corner, Monroe found himself alone in the hallway, and he made his move. The office was not locked. The security to get on this wing seemed to be what they relied on.

Pushing the door open, Monroe stepped inside the room and found it was far more storage than office. Document boxes were piled high against each wall and file cabinets were crammed into the remaining available space. Making quick sense of the filing system wouldn’t be easy. He thought twenty minutes would be pushing it, but he knew now he’d need more.

When the door squeaked open he readied himself for some explanation. But at the sight of Aria’s flushed cheeks he knew it would be all right. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, as he quietly tugged her in and closed the door.

“I couldn’t sit down there. Look at this place,” she said, spinning around and lifting the lid off a box. “What a mess.”

“I need to snap some shots of the employment contracts. Some documentation of payroll. Any infringement on international labor treaties. Where they hell should I start?” Monroe checked his watch and bit anxiously at his cheek.

“Contracts are about twenty pages long if I remember,” she said as she began pulling open file cabinet drawers. “Here are a few.” She pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to him. “Start with those, and I’ll find some payroll documents.”

“Thanks,” he said, spreading the papers out and snapping pictures with his phone. “You shouldn’t have risked coming up here, but I’m glad you did.”

“We make a good team.” She grinned as she flipped the covers off a few boxes and began rifling through.

“Think of how much fun we could have in Paris,” he said, looking up for only a second then returning to the job at hand. Even with that quick glance he could see her perk up at the suggestion, then suddenly her face fell flat.

“Don’t say things like that,” she scolded. “You’re here for something. I’m helping. Then you’ll be gone, and I’ll be right here. There’s no Paris. Not for me.”

“By choice,” he reminded her. “I have no problem clearing a path for you out of here. Anything is possible when you’re with me.”

“I admire your confidence and the way you can suspend reality long enough to think you and I might have a future. I’m sorry to say, this is the best place for me,” she said, resigned. “Look here are some payroll documents.” She passed them over, looking relieved to change the subject. “They show the pay rates, and here they list what the employee has been docked. Sometimes it’s literally a negative balance. Can you imagine?”

Monroe took some quick shots of everything he could and checked his watch again. “We have to clear out of here.”

“Do you have what you need?” she asked breathlessly, putting everything back where she found it.

“This will do from here,” he said, taking her hand and leading her toward the door. “There are other financial documents I need, but I have a source for those. We’re cutting it a little close, according to Elena.” They slipped from the door and spilled awkwardly into the hallway. About halfway back to the elevator a voice boomed out her name.

“Aria?” a stern-looking woman called. She had a thick masculine brow and a mole by her chin. “What are you doing up here? And who is this?”

“Play along,” Monroe whispered. “The incompetence is out of control in this place.” His voice raised sharply and the approaching angry woman stopped in her tracks. “I want my suit. I want to know if it’s ruined or not, so I can figure out whose ass to kick.”

“Sir.” The woman tried to soothe. “My name is Carla, and I’m senior staff here. I can assure you I can help you find what you need.”

“I tried to tell him that his suit wouldn’t be on this floor. This is just for senior staff.” Aria’s voice was timid, and it pained Monroe to see her flinching like a beaten dog.

“You should not have let him up here,” Carla reprimanded. “You know his suit would not be up here. Sir, I will take you downstairs, and we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“No,” Monroe bellowed angrily. “I’ll see myself down. I’m done with this. I shouldn’t have bothered forcing her to bring me up here. I should have assumed it would be another fool’s errand.”

“Sorry, sir,” Carla repeated with extreme urgency as Monroe passed through the door and stepped into the elevator. When the doors closed he groaned and tossed his head up in aggravation. He’d just complicated things for Aria, but he knew the only thing worse for her than getting in trouble for bending to a guest’s demands would be the real reason they were up there.

Pulling out his phone, he skimmed through all the documents he’d just snapped pictures of. He’d use this information to validate what Aria and her friends had told him. Then he’d decide if the resort was a safe investment or if it was time to walk away.

Walk away. It took on a new meaning now that he wanted Aria to walk away with him. And by all accounts she wouldn’t.