Kimberly Van Meter - The Agent's Surrender

Jane shot Ursula a dark look. “Don’t even go there. Maybe the reason I don’t find him attractive is because he has the personality of a wet shoe.” When it was obvious personality didn’t matter to Ursula when presented with a hot male body, she added, “It would be inappropriate and weird to date a coworker.” It was a good thing she wasn’t overtly religious because the lie that just tripped from her mouth was entirely too convincing. Holden was her Achilles’ heel and she was determined to root out that weakness.

“Hmm...who said anything about dating?”

Jane wrinkled her nose and Ursula grinned. Ugh. Knowing that her colleague harbored less than office-friendly fantasies about Holden made Jane twitch with discomfort. Okay, so it was complicated.

“So.” Ursula tapped a finger on her desk. “What’s this about more evidence about his brother’s case?”

“I don’t know. Holden wouldn’t share, but Chief Harris put us both on the case just to be sure every stone has been checked and double-checked.”

“Ouch. That’s not going to go over very well with Daddy, is it?” Ursula guessed accurately, but Jane didn’t want to think about it.

“My dad will understand this is just a formality. Nothing is going to change. Miko was guilty and that’s what Holden will have to come to realize. Brother or not, Miko killed several people in cold blood and then offed himself. Sad but true.”

“Brutal. Kind of makes you wonder why, though, right?”

“No.” Jane disagreed sharply. “It’s not my job to wonder about the motivations of criminals, and if this was anyone but Holden’s twin brother, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Once again, his personal feelings are getting in the way.”

“Can you blame the guy? I mean...family, you know? What if it was one of your brothers?”

“My brothers wouldn’t shame their family by doing something like Miko did, so I can’t imagine how I would feel. In my family, there are no shades of gray.”

“Girl, you have a heart of stone.” Ursula tsked with an arched brow. “Someday that quality is going to bite you in the ass.”

“Not likely. However, I can definitely see Holden reaping terrible consequences if he keeps poking at the hornet’s nest.”

“So what are you going to do?”

The only thing she could do. “Put an end to this waste of time and prove once and for all that Miko Archangelo was a traitor to his country so we can all move on.”

Case closed. Again.

Chapter 2

Holden was nursing a beer when he heard a knock at his front door. It was nearing eight o’clock in the evening. He grabbed his cell and checked his security camera feed, surprised and irritated when he saw Jane standing outside. “What the hell does she want? To gloat?” he muttered, pocketing his cell and going to the door, beer still in hand. He cracked the door and fixed her with a baleful stare that he hoped sent home the message she was the last person he wanted darkening his doorstep. “What do you want?” he asked, moving straight past the pleasantries to the point.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” she asked. When he shook his head, her mouth firmed, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she said, “Reed has agreed to reopen the case.”

He straightened, surprised and immediately suspicious. “Why?”

She shrugged. “What does it matter? The case has been briefly reopened, and in the meantime, all disciplinary actions are pending the conclusion. However, there’s a catch.”

“Isn’t there always?” he countered with a narrowed stare. “What is it?”

“Reed put me and you both on the case.”

“Screw that.”

“Exactly how I felt, but he’s not going to change his mind.”

“He will once he realizes that you and me working together is the worst idea since hydroponics.”

“ Hydroponics? You mean the world’s first successful attempt at creating a sustainable way to grow food in a world with diminishing land resources? That hydroponics?”

“Yeah, exactly. Anything grown without dirt isn’t natural. It’s Frankenfood. So yeah, bad idea.”

“Weird analogy aside, Reed has made up his mind, so we’re working together on your fool’s errand. Don’t think for a second I believe you’re operating on anything other than emotions and ignoring the facts—as usual. Frankly, I find your behavior an embarrassment to the department.”

“Don’t hold back. Let it all out, Agent Fallon,” he said wryly, tipping his beer back and swallowing. “And since we’re sharing, I should go on record as saying I think you’re operating from a place of ego and fear because you’re afraid you truly did miss something and you can’t bear the thought of looking sloppy.”

She lifted her chin with a cold grin. “Holden always has all the answers, doesn’t he?”

“Most times. Particularly when the question isn’t all that hard to figure out. Face it, Fallon. I’ve had you figured out from the day we met, and if you weren’t so afraid of Daddy’s disapproval, we could’ve been a helluva team.”

“You’re the one suffering from an inflated ego,” she said, eyes flashing. “And I would appreciate it if you would stick to the case. Leave the personal crap out of this—that is, if you can manage.”

“Cold as ice, as usual.” His gaze darkened as he tipped his beer back again. “Tell me, Fallon, were you born this cold or did you work at it?”

She smiled. “I guess that’s none of your business as it doesn’t relate to the case. If you can’t handle being a professional, I’ll just let the chief know your interest in the case has died and we’ll all happily close the book on this wild-goose chase.”

He straightened, shaking his head. “You’re a piece of work.”

“As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I have a life and need to get back to it. I just came by to let you know you got your wish.”

“Well, thank you for your consideration,” he said with open sarcasm; he knew the real reason she’d dropped by was to get the slip of evidence he held to his chest. Good luck with that—he’d made it up. “Have a good evening, Agent Fallon.”

She glared, standing rigid, looking as if she’d just sucked a lemon, but she forced a smile. “See you tomorrow. Be prepared to work. I want to get this over with. Some of us have real work to do and don’t have time to chase fairy tales.”

He chuckled. “Nice try, but I don’t bait that easily. Good night, Fallon.” He shut the door before she could retort. Work with Fallon? Nope. That woman was the original ice queen. And to think at one time he’d thought he was falling in love with her. What a joke. Besides, he worked alone. Fallon could do whatever she pleased as long as she stayed out of his way.

* * *

That’d gone about as well as she’d expected. But a girl could hope, right? Of course, she hadn’t expected him to welcome her into his home with open arms and offer her a beer, but she hadn’t quite expected him to be so rude. Well, yes she had. They weren’t buddies, and she preferred it that way.

She walked with strong, purposeful strides to her car, suppressing a shiver at the bitter cold of a Washington, D.C., winter, and pushed the reality of working with Holden as far from her mind as possible. She was a strong investigator. Holden couldn’t have anything in his hot little hand that would change the outcome of her investigation. And that was exactly what she’d tell her father in about fifteen minutes, when she was expected for dinner with her brothers.

There was a chance her father, retired Major General Gregory Fallon, hadn’t heard of this recent development, but then her father still had scarily deep connections, and a reverberation of this sort was bound to ripple some water under the boats. However, if he didn’t mention it, she’d keep the information to herself.