Kate Hoffmann - Brian

Lily jumped up from her chair and nodded to him. "I'll get right on it."

She walked out as Mrs. Wilburn was coming in with her cup of coffee. Lily shrugged apologetically, but continued her retreat. When she reached the safety of her office, she closed the door behind her and took a deep breath, her head spinning and her stomach in knots.

The report inside the file folder was ten pages long and Lily quickly skimmed the text, stunned at how detailed it was. She flipped back to the first page and noted the date. It was dated a couple of weeks before her encounter with Brian Quinn in the back of the limo.

She groaned softly. But the private investigator had continued to tail Brian Quinn after this report. Right now, he could be typing up a report about their tryst! It wouldn't be difficult to find out her name. It had been on the invitation list. Lily frowned. But Brian's hadn't. He claimed he'd crashed the party. Considering the situation now, Lily couldn't help but think that he'd come there deliberately to collect more dirt on Richard Patterson.

"He has no shame."

Another notion suddenly occurred to her. Could he have known who she was before he approached her at the fund-raiser? Lily shook her head. He'd have to have been the best investigative reporter on the planet to know she'd be coming into town, much less know her reason for her being there.

Lily grabbed the phone book and flipped through it. There were too many unanswered questions that were certain to plague her. When she found the number and address for WBTN, she scribbled it on a scrap of paper. Then she drew a deep breath. She'd have to handle this very carefully. She couldn't just walk into the station and confront him. Instead, there had to be some way to get him on neutral turf.

"I could just call him and ask him for a date," she murmured, picking up the phone. But that would be admitting she'd felt more for him than just a passing desire. "No, there has to be another way."

Lily had strategized plans for multimillion-dollar clients. She should be able to figure out how to approach Brian Quinn. But why was she really interested in seeing him? To figure out what he knew about Richard Patterson's business dealings? Or maybe to convince him to back off the story? She cursed softly. Maybe her need to see him was less professional and more personal.

An idea struck her and she grabbed up the phone and punched in the station's number. The receptionist answered the phone and Lily gathered her resolve. "I'd like to speak to Brian Quinn," she said, trying to disguise her voice, make it sound deeper, older.

"One moment, I'll put you through."

Another phone rang and a woman answered. "Newsroom," she said.

"Brian Quinn, please," Lily said.

"May I ask what this is regarding?"

"I want to talk to him about Richard Patterson," she said. "I have some information he might be interested in." The phone clicked and the audio for a soap opera came on. A few seconds later, the line clicked again.

"Brian Quinn."

Lily's heart hammered in her chest at the sound of his voice, so deep and smooth. "Mr. Quinn?"

"Who is this?"

"My name isn't important. I have some information I'd like to share with you… about Richard Patterson. Is there someplace we can meet?"

The line was silent for a moment. "All right. There's a place in Southie, a pub. Quinn's Pub."

"Quinn's?"

"My father owns it. We'll be able to talk there. Trust me. How will I know you?"

"I'll know you. Three p.m. today," Lily said. "Be there." She quickly hung up the phone and then drew a deep breath, her head still spinning. His father's pub was still on his turf, but if she had protested too much, he might have gotten suspicious. Quinn's Pub was as good a place as any to confront him.

"So what am I going to say?" Lily rubbed her forehead, trying to banish the confusion that muddled her brain. Whatever she said, she'd need to make sure that he had no doubt about where she stood. She was not going to jump in the back seat of the nearest car and repeat what they'd shared that night in the limo. She'd be polite and warn him to stay away from Richard Patterson. She'd ignore his sexy smile and his incredible body and the way he looked at her, as if he wanted nothing more than to rip all her clothes off and ravish her.

"I can do this," Lily muttered. "This isn't just a job-it's an adventure."

Brian parked his car in front of Quinn's Pub five minutes before three. He jumped out, then looked up and down the street, wondering if his contact would be waiting outside. He knew it was a woman, but that was all he knew.

As an investigative reporter, he'd spent countless hours tracking down people who might be willing to spill their guts, convincing ex-secretaries and nosy neighbors and even relatives to turn on those he felt were guilty of some type of misbehavior. He suspected that this woman was probably an employee, or if he was lucky, an ex-lover of Patterson's, someone who might break this story wide open.

He took the steps two at a time and pulled the front door open. Thankfully, the bar was nearly empty. A few of the regulars sat at one end, playing cards with Seamus. And a couple sat at one of the tables, eating lunch. Though the pub had been busy since the Roamer's listing, three o'clock was long after the lunch rush and well before happy hour.

"Hey, Da," Brian called. Seamus tossed his cards down, but Brian held out his hand. "I'll get my own drink."

He stepped around the end of the bar and grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator, then sat down on a stool to wait. Hell, he wasn't even sure she'd show up. A large percentage of his contacts ended up backing out at the last minute, worried that their comments might somehow put their safety at risk. But Brian had learned to be pragmatic and patient about getting a story. A good story, one worth reporting, usually revealed itself in its own good time.

The door opened behind him and Brian turned around, only to find his brother Sean strolling in. Sean nodded at him and took the stool beside him. "Hey, Brian," his brother murmured.

"Sean," Brian replied.

"I was hoping I'd find you here." Sean reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a piece of paper from his pocket. He slid it across the bar to Brian. "There you go."

"What's this?"

"Lily Gallagher. She's staying at the Eliot on Commonwealth. Room 312."

Brian gasped, then shoved the paper back at his brother. "I didn't ask you to find her."

"You didn't have to. Since you're going to be marrying her, I figured you'd want to know where she was."

Brian stood. "Goddamn it, I'm not going to marry her!"

Sean shrugged. "So you say. I think it's pretty much a done deal." He retrieved the paper, but at the last minute, Brian snatched it from his fingers. His brother grinned. "I rest my case."

"Did you come here for a reason or were you simply interested in tormenting me?"

Sean reached in another jacket pocket and produced a sheaf of papers. "These are the names of some people who have left the employ of Richard Patterson over the past year. You asked me to get these for you a few weeks ago, remember?"

Brian irritation faded as he stared at the long list. "Wow, I didn't think you'd be able to get something so quick."

"There are seventeen names. Secretaries, middle management and one guy from the financial office."

"Thanks, bro. I owe you."

Sean pushed away from the bar. "I'll send you a bill," he said, a crooked smile curving his lips. "I have to go. See ya later."

Brian watched as his brother walked to the door. Sean pulled it open, then stopped and danced back and forth with another patron who was trying to get inside. Finally, Sean stepped aside and the woman came in, turning to stare at Sean with her mouth agape.