ELEVEN

Promptly at eight o’clock Monday morning, Liam was at Allison’s door. He looked gorgeous—and all business—in his suit and tie. She had made up her mind not to mention the kiss. She was going to act like an adult, not a silly girl in the throes of her first crush.

To appear professional, she had looked beyond her typical casual school attire and had chosen a simple periwinkle blue dress. After changing her shoes several times, she finally opted for her nude heels. She figured the extra height would give her an air of authority. No heels could make her taller than Liam, though.

He waited at the door while she gathered her phone, her identification, and a twenty-dollar bill and put them in a small shoulder bag. When she picked up the black leather case holding her laptop, he stopped her.

“Leave your laptop here,” he said.

She shook her head. “I don’t like to leave it at home if I can help it. If the house is empty, someone could come in and tamper with it or steal it. My old housemate, Brett, already tried. Whenever it’s possible, I carry it with me. The guard can lock it up with my bag.”

He didn’t argue, and once they were on their way, he said, “Tell me about this Brett.”

“He lived with us for a while. He was asked to leave after Mark, one of my other housemates, caught him with my laptop. God knows what he was doing with it. They couldn’t tell if he was trying to steal it or just trying to open it. I used it when I was helping him with some of his classes, and I don’t know how much he saw. I have some very important work on it, so I’m trying to be very careful.”

Recalling a conversation they’d had at the restaurant, he asked, “Did you get your paper finished?”

“You remembered I had a paper to write for my class?”

“Of course.”

“Yes, I did finish it despite my lack of sleep. I called Charlotte and she kept me up most of the night. When I told her about my argument with our aunt and uncle, she was upset.” Upset didn’t quite cover her sister’s reaction. Irate was a much better description. Once Allison revealed what was in the envelope Will had handed her, her sister went into a rage. “She wants to confront them,” she told him.

He glanced over at her. “What would that accomplish?”

She shrugged. “It won’t change anything. I tried to talk her out of it, and she promised to think about it. She’s not a violent person, but I worry she’ll punch one of them if she ever sees them again.”

Smiling, he said, “I like your sister.”

“Why? Because she wants to punch Aunt Jane and Uncle Russell?”

“No, because she protected you when you were young.”

It was such a sweet thing to say about Charlotte. Allison felt as though she had just been given a compliment, which didn’t make any sense. Charlotte was the hero, not her.

“This new FBI building—,” she began.

“It’s also the new satellite of the CSA.”

“And Phillips is in charge?”

“Yes.”

Allison tried not to stare at Liam, but it was nearly impossible. He had such a handsome profile, and every time she looked at him, she thought about his lips on hers. She knew she was being foolish, and she wished she could be more sophisticated about it all. It being sex, she admitted. She was such a klutz when it came to physical relationships. Maybe she should have read a couple of books on the subject instead of writing code night and day. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about it? Had he thought about the kiss? Probably not, she decided. Men didn’t ponder such things, did they? She would ask Dan. He’d be honest with her.

Pull it together, she told herself. Now isn’t the time to fantasize about what it would be like to be with Liam. Why think about what would never happen?

“Phillips wants to know if I can break into the government system, right?” she asked.

“Right.”

“And he’s okay with me searching for the leak?”

“Yes.”

“I have a feeling he wants me to fail so he can say, ‘I told you so.’”

“I think you might be right,” he said with a grin.

“He’s in for a disappointment,” she said. “I am going to get in, and if the leak is coming from inside, I will find it.”

“I like your confidence.”

“Thank you,” she replied. “Phillips is so sure he’s hack-proof.”

“And you’re sure you won’t be detected.”

“Of course. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

They reached the gate, which opened for them without any notification.

“They’ve been waiting for you,” she said.

Her hands were gripped tightly in her lap, and Liam could see how nervous she was. “They’re waiting for you, too,” he said.

“Are you going to drop me off?”

Once again the parking lot was deserted. Liam parked close to the door where the guard waited for them. “No, Allison. I’m not leaving you. I’ll make sure you get settled in.”

“Have you thought more about Will?” she asked as they made their way to the entrance.

“I’ve talked to a couple of people,” he answered.

“And Phillips? You’ll have to talk to him, too, won’t you? I wish you didn’t have to,” she admitted. “The man already thinks he has the upper hand, and doing me a favor will put me at his mercy.” Six months, she thought. She could put up with him for six months.

“I’ve already discussed it with him,” he answered.

She didn’t have a chance to ask another question. The guard had opened the door and was waiting for them to enter. Allison went to the sign-in counter and handed her laptop and her purse to the other guard on duty.

His smile was genuine when he greeted her. “It’s nice to see you again.”

He wasn’t wearing his identification, but she remembered his name. “How are you, Tom?”

He beamed. “You remembered me.”

“Of course.”

“I’m doing fine today,” he stammered. “How are you doing?”

“Good.”

“Are you ready?” Liam asked from behind her. As he took her elbow and steered her toward the elevator, he noticed Tom standing to watch them leave, no doubt to get a look at Allison’s legs. Granted, they were mighty fine legs, but Liam didn’t like the man ogling her.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Liam said, “Stop flirting with the employees.”

She thought he was joking until she saw his frown. “Saying hello isn’t flirting.”

“And smiling.”

Her hand flew to her throat. “Oh my God, what was I thinking? I smiled and I said hello? Shame on me.”

He shook his head. “Okay, I might have overreacted.”

“Might have?”

She couldn’t say anything more because the doors opened and Agent Phillips stood there, waiting. He wasn’t much for greetings, she remembered, and it therefore didn’t faze her when he gave her a brusque nod.

She responded by smiling sweetly and saying, “How nice to see you again, Agent Phillips.”

She could have sworn he grunted. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as she followed him into his office. Liam shut the door, and Phillips turned a chair around, pointing at it to get her to sit. She wondered if he had any idea how rude the gesture was.

“Liam and I are at cross-purposes here,” he began. “Liam thinks there might be someone leaking confidential information. He believes it could be someone in the CSA, and I’m just as certain that it isn’t.”

Liam interjected, “There have been too many instances that point to a leak. If it’s not a hacker, then it’s someone inside the agency who has access to the information.”

“I have employees here whose sole job is to search for hackers. That’s all they do all day long,” Phillips stressed with a hint of resentment that his competence was in question. “I also find it hard to believe that anyone inside the agency is sabotaging investigations. However, I’m willing to look, and that’s where you come in, Miss Trent. Liam has arranged that we forgo some of our typical protocols for new employees and let you get to work right away. I understand that you’ve agreed to give us your services for six months.”

Allison immediately turned to Liam. “Then Will is getting probation?”

Liam nodded.

Phillips didn’t allow time for explanations, resuming his remarks as though any deviation from the topic at hand was against the rules. “I would like to start you off in our basic system security analysis, but Liam has made this leak a priority because he has another case to get to and will be leaving us soon.”

She nodded to let him know she understood. He continued on with procedures she should follow, but Allison was having difficulty concentrating. The moment he’d mentioned that Liam would be leaving, an unfamiliar pang gripped her. She’d never felt anything like that before and couldn’t put a label on it—sadness, regret? She hardly knew Liam, and she was already aware that his work here was temporary. Why would the thought of him leaving upset her so?

Her attention again went back to Phillips, who was saying, “If anyone should ask, you’re looking for viruses. I would rather you didn’t interact with any of my employees. We take our jobs seriously, and we don’t have time for idle chitchat.”

“All right,” she said when he looked at her expectantly. What a grim work environment, she thought.

“Where do you want her to work?” Liam asked.

“The office next to the break room on this floor. I don’t want to hide her away, because that would raise questions. There’s no one else in there right now, and none of her work will appear on any of the big screens.” He turned to Allison and clarified. “This is a brand-new facility, and now that it’s officially open, we’re deciding to close down the Midwest or the West Coast units and we’re moving some of the employees here. Until the transition begins, you will have the room to yourself.”

That was why there were so many empty desks and such a large parking area, she thought.

“I’ll give you an access code so you can begin looking for a sign of a leak as soon as possible.”

“The leak you’re certain I won’t find.”

“Exactly so.”

Liam took her to the office she would be using. Like with so many other offices in the building, the side facing the hall was a wall of glass. There were three desks and a large screen on the far wall. No matter which desk she chose, she would have her back to the glass. She didn’t want people coming and going behind her, so she went to the desk across the room, pushed it until it was more at an angle with the glass, and sat down. People walking past would see her profile. After adjusting the monitor and her keyboard, she was ready to start.

Liam watched her get settled, and when he looked back over his shoulder, he noticed three men standing on the other side of the glass. Maybe they were just curious about the new recruit. Okay, that was an understatement. The pretty blue dress Allison was wearing wasn’t formfitting, but there was no hiding the fact that she had an incredible body. If she had been wearing a tarp, they’d still have noticed. The men scattered as soon as Liam gave them his full attention.

After going over the details of the suspected leaks, he handed her a folder that contained all the pertinent information she would need to get started on her search. He then told her he would check in on her in a couple of hours. As he headed for the door, he turned back and asked, “Is there anything I can get you?”

She didn’t answer him. She had already gone into her zone. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard, her eyes locked on her monitor.

With Liam out of the room, Allison was finally able to think. It was too difficult to focus with him next to her. Every nerve in her body reacted when he was near. She couldn’t seem to put on her mask of indifference and ignore him. She never should have kissed him. All she wanted to think about was kissing him again, and that just wasn’t at all normal. She certainly couldn’t concentrate on such matters as the security of a major government agency when he was standing so close.

Starting with the facts in the folder she had been given on the people who had received the sensitive information, she began to work her way backward. She concentrated on the four who seemed to be the most obvious leaks. All of the people had received information through e-mails. As she suspected, the origins of the e-mails were obscure, but she eventually found the source for each one of them. The problem was, each source led to another source, and then another, and another. She completely lost track of time as she tried to navigate the maze.

Liam looked in on her a couple of times, but she was so engrossed in what she was doing he didn’t disturb her. When he stopped by to ask her if she’d like to take a break for lunch, she didn’t look away from the monitor but stared straight ahead, her fingers still working the keyboard, and said, “No, thanks. I’ll catch something later.”

Hours later, as employees were filing past her office on their way home for the evening, Liam returned. “How’s it going?” he asked.

Her concentration broken, Allison looked up at him and shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like this. There must be hundreds of proxies. Whoever sent these e-mails sure knows his stuff. Each e-mail is coming through a different route, but it’s pretty obvious to me it’s ultimately the same source.” She sat back in her chair and stretched her arms over her head to release the tension in her shoulders. “I’m not there yet, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out,” she assured him.

“It’s getting late. You need to stop for the night.”

“I’d like to keep going, if that’s all right. This guy has created a massive labyrinth, and I just know I can find him.” Her eyes lit up at the thrill of the hunt. “I want to try a little longer,” she pleaded.

Liam swiveled the back of her chair around and turned her away from the desk. Taking her hand, he gently pulled her to her feet and said, “Come on, Allison. It’s time to take you home.”

She didn’t realize how stiff she was until she walked to the door. She wanted to rub the kinks out of her lower back, but she wasn’t about to moan and groan in front of Liam. She wasn’t a frail old lady. She was feeling out of shape, and no wonder. It had been over two weeks since she had worked out, and her muscles were protesting her sitting for so long without moving.

During the long day, Allison had downed several bottles of water, but she hadn’t been hungry. She’d been too busy—and too excited—working through the massive, convoluted puzzle to think about food. She was thinking about it now, though. As if on cue her stomach grumbled. Did she have a granola bar in her purse? Probably not. She glanced at her watch and was shocked. It was already half past seven. The time really had flown by.

As though reading her mind, Liam asked, “Have you eaten anything at all today?”

“I was busy.”

“You’re going to get sick,” he scolded. “From now on you eat lunch. I don’t want you to keel over.”

He sounded worried about her, and she couldn’t hide her surprise. She wasn’t used to anyone showing concern or even noticing when she ate or what she ate . . . except for Aunt Jane when she was monitoring her calorie intake.

“Did I mess up your plans for tonight?” she asked.

“No. You’re the priority.”

She realized he was still holding her hand when they stepped into the elevator. She didn’t feel inclined to pull away.

There was a different guard on duty at the desk. She introduced herself and shook his hand, much to his surprise. As he retrieved her laptop and purse, he told her his name was Lawrence, and he would have given her his life story if Liam hadn’t dragged her away.

He had just opened the car door for her when his cell phone rang. He saw who was calling and said, “I’ve got to take this.”

After fastening her seat belt, Allison decided she might as well check her messages while she waited. There were two voice messages. Both were upsetting.

The first was from Giovanni. He had called at ten in the morning to report that her aunt had left word for him that she would be by that afternoon to pick up a check for twelve thousand dollars he owed for work Allison had done.

“Don’t worry,” Giovanni said. “I won’t be giving her any money. I won’t even open the door. I do have your check ready, and I’d love it if you could drive up and spend the evening with me. My guest room’s always ready for you, but if you can’t work it into your schedule, let me know where you want me to mail the check. And, darling, let me say one more time how thrilled I am that you finally got away from those vipers.”

The second voice mail was from her housemate Mark. He called at four o’clock to let her know that her uncle was parked in front of the house, obviously waiting to ambush her as soon as she returned home.

Liam finished his call and came around the car. He looked serious as he removed his jacket and placed it in the backseat before getting in. She wondered if his call was good news or bad news. His expression wasn’t giving anything away.

“I’m starving,” he said. “Let’s go to dinner.”

She didn’t have much of an appetite after listening to the messages, but she knew her uncle was waiting for her and she wasn’t in any hurry to go home. “I’m not really hungry now,” she said. “If you don’t mind dropping me off at the library, I think I’ll do some work.”

One look at her and Liam knew something was wrong. She was so easy to read, and he liked that about her. She couldn’t hide what she was feeling.

He started the engine and drove out of the parking lot. “You have to eat,” he urged. “I have just the place in mind. I think you’ll like it. What do you say?”

“Thank you for the offer, but it’s been a long day and I’m not really in the mood for a crowded restaurant.”

“Then I know you’ll like this place,” he assured her.

“Where is it?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” he said with a sly grin.

Curious, she relented. “Okay.”

She sat back and closed her eyes, letting the day’s work fade to the back of her mind. She didn’t want to think about it or anything else right now.

A half hour later, Liam turned toward the Charles River and pulled into a small parking lot. Coming around the car, he opened her door, took her hand, and led her down a path to an area shaded by large trees. A green wooden park bench sat before a cluster of tall forsythia bushes, and in front of it a long grassy area sloped down to the river.

Pointing to the bench, he said, “Have a seat and I’ll be right back.”

Allison was a little puzzled, but she trusted Liam and did what he said. After a few moments of sitting on the bench and watching the river, she felt an increasing calm, as though her worries were flowing away with the current. In the distance she could see people walking and biking along the river path, some exerting themselves for exercise, others simply enjoying an evening stroll. A row team out for practice drifted past in their long, sleek boat, the smooth, rhythmic strokes gliding them across the water. The entire scene was hypnotic, and once she allowed it to take over, the noise and commotion of the city faded into the background.

A few minutes later, Liam appeared carrying two cans of soda in one hand and two hot dogs wrapped in foil in the other. “I hope you like mustard,” he said as he handed her a can and a hot dog.

“Of course,” she said, smiling. When he had taken his seat beside her and opened the wrapper for a big bite of his hot dog, she remarked, “You were right. I do like this place.”

He popped the tab on his soda. “My favorite spot in Boston,” he said, taking a big swig.

They sat quietly enjoying the view and eating their hot dogs. When they were finished, Liam stretched his long legs in front of him and folded his hands behind his head. Sitting there with him in this place of perfect tranquillity, Allison felt stress-free for the first time in days. She didn’t want to talk about or even think about problems, so she asked Liam to tell her about some of the places he’d been assigned. He began with London and worked his way around the globe. Each city or country he mentioned seemed to have a story attached to it, and each story was either heartwarming or hilariously funny. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. When he smiled, she felt a little catch in her pulse. The more he talked, the more she wanted to hear. Contrary to her initial assessment of him, she could see he had a wonderful sense of humor.

She especially liked the fact that he didn’t have any trouble making fun of himself. Eventually their conversation turned to other topics, and they discovered a number of mutual interests, everything from baseball to ocean life.

When Liam told her about a near miss with a shark, she rubbed the goose bumps on her arms and asked, “How could you ever get into the water knowing that some of the most dangerous predators are right there, waiting for a snack?”

Liam laughed. “And I’m the snack?”

“Yes. Haven’t you ever seen Shark Week on television? Guess where some of the most dangerous sharks are.”

“Australia.”

“That’s right.”

“I grew up swimming in the ocean.”

“Is that how you learned to swim? In the ocean?” She sounded appalled. “I can’t imagine . . . with all those waves and undercurrents. It can be very dangerous.”

“We had a pool in our backyard, and that’s where I learned. My father taught me. I was three or four. How old were you when you learned to swim?”

“Around seventeen, I guess. Giovanni taught me.”

“The guy you model for? How did that happen?”

“We were on a photo shoot. It was a beautiful location with this infinity pool that seemed to drop off the side of the world. I was modeling a bathing suit, and Giovanni wanted to get some shots of me coming out of the water.” She laughed as she added, “I didn’t want to disappoint him.”

“So you jumped into the water?”

“And almost drowned. Giovanni had to come in after me. He pushed the photo shoot to the next day, and right then and there he gave me my first lesson.”

“You must have shocked the hell out of him.”

She laughed again. “Oh yes, I did.”

Liam could tell she was having a good time. So was he, he realized.

“Here’s a question,” he said nonchalantly as he reached for her empty can and wrapper. “Swim in the ocean where you know there’s a great white, or walk across a lawn where you know there’s a poisonous snake—which do you choose?”

She drummed her fingertips on the park bench while she thought about it. “Swim,” she finally said.

“My brother and I played that game all the time. Drove our parents nuts.”

“What was it like, growing up in Australia?” she asked.

He described his family and their home on the Australian coast with its aquamarine waters and white sand beaches. It sounded like an idyllic childhood. He clearly was very close to his family, especially his younger brother. The two boys had been daredevils, and from some of the escapades he told her about, she suspected they had given their parents some sleepless nights. Allison was captivated by his stories and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners just before he was about to tell of some mischievous prank. She still couldn’t figure him out, but she was definitely intrigued. His sense of adventure and the need to do something that mattered had obviously led him to the work he was doing now. By comparison, she was a boring nerd. While she hid in her room writing code, he was out in the world experiencing life.

When there was a lull in the conversation, she looked around. It was night and the river was dark, the only light coming from the moon’s reflection off the water and a distant streetlight on the path. She glanced down at her watch. It was almost eleven. They had been talking for three hours. She had been so caught up in their conversation she had completely lost track of time. She had forgotten about her worries for a while, but unfortunately they came rushing back when, as they were walking back to his car, Liam asked her if she had gotten bad news in the messages she had checked earlier.

“Why would you think . . .”

“You’re easy to read,” he said. “You checked your messages and you were upset.”

“Not upset,” she corrected. “Irritated.”

He hadn’t started the engine yet and turned toward her. “Tell me.”

She knew he wouldn’t let up until she explained, so she quickly told him about both messages.

He didn’t hide his disgust. “Your aunt thought she could sign your name to your check and deposit it in her account?”

“She’s done it before.”

“But you’re not going to let her do it again.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Why do you think your uncle was sitting in front of your house? The money?”

“I don’t know. Maybe to try to get me back under his thumb. He’s got a bad temper,” she added. “And when he drinks, he can be . . . unreasonable.”

Frowning, he asked, “Has he ever hit you?”

“Almost. Once. Will stopped him and told him to leave me alone,” she answered. “From then on I pretty much stayed out of his way. For the most part we ignored each other . . . that is, until he needed the money I could bring in.”

“You had a hell of a time growing up, didn’t you?”

She stiffened. “Don’t feel sorry for me. It wasn’t all bad, and I got away with a lot. As long as I didn’t bother them and I stayed out of trouble, I could do whatever I wanted. And as long as my sister was around, I was okay.”

“What about when she wasn’t around?” he asked quietly.

“I was more cautious,” she said. “I took care of myself,” she added before abruptly changing the subject. “How soon will my aunt and uncle find out that Will is going to get probation?”

“Tomorrow or the day after. What happens when he screws up again, Allison?”

“You’ve already asked me that question.”

“I’m asking again.”

She knew he wanted to make sure she wouldn’t waver. “He’s on his own if he messes up. I haven’t changed my mind. I’m done. I promise.”

They were just a couple of blocks from her house when Liam said, “If your uncle is still sitting out front, I’m going to talk to him.”

“No, I’ll handle him. You don’t need to fight my wars for me.”

“Yeah, well, I’m talking to him,” he insisted. “And if he’s behind the wheel and has been drinking, he’s going to be spending the night in lockup.”

The set of his jaw indicated he was going to be stubborn, and when they turned the corner to her street, she was relieved. Fortunately her uncle had left. She was thankful there wouldn’t be a confrontation.

Liam walked her to the door and once again held most of the contents of her purse while she searched for her house key. As soon as she got the key in the lock, he turned to leave.

“I’ll pick you up at eight,” he said.

“I can drive myself. I have GPS. I won’t get lost.”

“I’m still picking you up at eight.”

Thoroughly confused, she asked, “Why?”

He walked back to her. “Because I want to.”

The mood changed the closer he got to her. They stood in the shadows staring at each other, and Allison wondered if he would kiss her again.

Liam was wondering how he was going to keep away from her. Did she have any idea how seductive she was? He couldn’t stop staring at her mouth, remembering how soft her lips were and how sweet she tasted.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said without taking her eyes away from his.

“You’re welcome.” His voice was gruff.

He told himself to turn around and walk away, but he couldn’t make himself do it. What was happening to him? He’d never had any problems with women before. Allison was different, though. She was messing with his head, and he doubted she even realized it.

“Are you going to kiss me?”

“No.”

His abrupt answer should have embarrassed her, but it didn’t. “You looked like you were about to kiss me.”

“No.”

“Why not?” She sounded disgruntled.

The blunt question made him smile. “I’m trying to keep my distance.”

“And I’m making that difficult for you.”

“Yes.”

“In my defense, you’re making it difficult for me, too.”

“Yeah? How’s that?”

“Mixed signals,” she said, nodding. “You say you don’t want to get involved, and the next minute you’re grabbing me and kissing me crazy.”

She had a point there. The last time he had brought her home, he was bouncing back and forth between doing the right thing and acting like a teenager with out-of-control hormones. “You’re right. From now on we keep this on a professional level. Understand?”

“Absolutely. And just so you know, I don’t usually throw myself at men.”

She stared at him expectantly, seeming to need his agreement. “Yeah, okay,” he responded.

“What happened before was as much my fault as it was yours,” she explained very matter-of-factly. “For as long as I’m your asset, we’ll keep a professional relationship. I promise I won’t let you kiss me again. I have more self-control than you do.”

“You think so, huh?”

“Absolutely.”

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Wanna bet?”