Лиза Джонс - Secrets Exposed

Something she prized far more than material items.

Mark walked to the glossy black bar to her right. “Would you like a drink?”

“No, no thank you.” She didn’t look at him. Her focus was on the city. “Spectacular view,” she commented, unable to help herself. It was hard not to miss a city that beckoned the senses and stirred the soul.

How had she forgotten the lure of New York?

She could feel his eyes on her. Knew he studied her. “Thanks,” he said. “It helps me think.”

Lindsey turned and watched him pour himself a whiskey. It was her first opportunity to assess him. He carried himself in a commanding fashion, moving with confidence. Rounding the bar, he moved in her direction, drink in hand. His jeans fit his strong, muscular legs like a glove while a white t-shirt hugged his well-defined waist and broad shoulders. A light stubble on his square jaw matched his slightly too long, sandy brown hair, giving him a rebel edge. The woman in her couldn’t help but notice how his defiant air and good looks made for one hell of a sexy man.

Mark sat down in a large, leather chair across from Lindsey, leaning back in a relaxed fashion. He took a slug of his drink, and then pinned her in a stare. “So, why are you here Lindsey?”

She sighed, trying to expel tension so it wouldn’t be evident in her voice. “You’re aware my father has cancer, I assume?”

His voice held no emotion, no sign of remorse. “Yes, I know.”

“You’re the person he was grooming to take over the firm.” It was not a question but rather a statement of fact. They both knew it to be true. He was hired to take over the role she had resigned from.

He tilted his head a bit. “Was. Was the person.” He paused, and then added, “Actually, he settled for me when you left. You were always his first choice.”

She cleared her throat, drawing her spine up stiffly. “I understand what it’s like to bump heads with my father. Your falling-out is understandable.”

“So kind of you to understand.” His voice was laced with sarcasm.

Lindsey inspected his face for a clue to his mood. His aristocratic bone structure gave him an unapproachable air. She intentionally softened her voice. “I know my father can be difficult.” Just talking about her father tended to make her tense, and she hoped it didn’t show.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his glass dangling from one hand. “A falling-out is an understatement, Lindsey. Edward is a very difficult man.”

Her defensive mechanism flared. Why she felt protective of her father, she couldn’t say. “I understand you are as well.”

Mark’s eyebrows lifted. “What exactly does that mean?”

She smirked ever so slightly. “You have a reputation.” In the courtroom he was known as a cobra with a deadly bite if crossed. In his personal life, rumor had it he was an extremely private person who rarely let anyone get close to him.

“From the mouth of your father, no doubt.” His voice was colored with acid-like disdain.

“Oh please. I’ve hardly spoken to my father over the last few years. Your reputation extends far beyond him.” And popular vote was correct; he was without a doubt a worthy opponent she would enjoy taking on in the courtroom. Of course, she would never step into a courtroom again, so that would never happen.

He looked at her a long moment. She had no doubt he knew he had a reputation; in fact, he was probably proud of it. “It must extend quite the distance,” he said. “Don’t you live in Washington?”

“I was in Washington and hope to go back soon.” Thus her visit to him. “I’m on a leave of absence from work due to my father’s illness.”

“FBI, right?” he asked calling up his memory.

“Right.”

“Weren’t you here local for a while? In some special crimes unit?”

Lindsey didn’t immediately respond. Her eyes drifted to the ground as her mind flashed back to some of the horrific crimes she had investigated. She had gotten out of practicing law to avoid the turbulence and bureaucracy of the legal system. In the process, she had gone from bad to worse. Her criminal law background had made her first pick for criminal investigation, and in a city like New York, that had meant she was in big demand. When the opportunity to transfer to a counter-terrorism division had come about, she had jumped at it.

“Lindsey?”

Lindsey mentally shook herself, desperate to snap out of her own dark thoughts. As she refocused on Mark she realized he) was staring at her. Something in his eyes made her stomach flutter. There was a sizzling awareness between them. Something she didn’t understand. It laced the air, hidden behind their conversation. She pushed the feeling aside, and said, “Yes, sorry. FBI, then and now. Only now I deal with counter-terrorism. No blood, no bodies, no red tape.” She wished she could yank the words back, but they were out before she could stop them. Her feelings about her career were none of his business.

“I take it you saw a lot of violent crime?”

“In the local office, all the time. Local officials called us in as back-up. In this city that was a regular thing.”

He studied her a moment, as if he wanted to ask more. Instead he said, “Tell me about this reputation I have.”

She raised a brow and shot him a knowing look, thankful for the change of subject. “Your way or the highway.” Inwardly she smiled, because despite her disapproving tone, she actually respected his success and the methods he used. He wasn’t dishonest or devious, just ruthlessly competitive. He won fair and square, no foul play.

Mark’s lips turned up with a confident smile. “I like to win, if that is what you mean. I have little tolerance for obstacles.”

“And my father was an obstacle,” she stated in a toneless voice. Even as she said the words, they didn’t make sense. What obstacle would her father offer that would bother Mark? Her father could be impossible at times, not listening to new thoughts and methods. Mark could have easily gotten tired of walking around his idiosyncrasies.

Lindsey crossed her long legs and watched as Mark’s eyes shifted and followed the path from her hem to her shoes, and then back up again. She should have been insulted . . . instead, she found herself warm with awareness. She swallowed. It had been forever since she had wanted a man. Why, now, was she responding to Mark?

“Look, Lindsey.” His voice was different now. She could tell he had decided to explain. “His priorities became skewed. At first I thought he was just distracted and would get back on track, but that wasn’t the case. Your father lost his business sense. I take my work very seriously. There are things I can deal with and things that I won’t tolerate. There are distractions, and there are obstacles. Distractions can offer a needed break, while obstacles impede progress.” He paused, looking a bit torn about his next words, before adding, “Your father became an obstacle.”

She could understand his point, but it didn’t change her position. “He’s no longer capable of being an obstacle.”

Mark shook his head. “He’s still an obstacle I can’t overcome, and you know it. He would cause me unwanted grief I’m simply not willing to take. Good thing you’re an attorney, Lindsey. He always wanted you to follow in his footsteps and take over for him. Now you can.”

“I’m not an attorney any longer,” she stated firmly.

“I know you’re still licensed to practice law.”

She frowned, wondering how he knew that. “Only for convenience,” she clarified.

“Are you afraid you’ve lost your touch?” The words were spoken softly, and were packed with far too much truth.

Lindsey felt the heat of her emotions like a pinch, sharp and quick. She ignored his question. “I don’t want the firm. Don’t you understand that?”