Hot Item

He held the tiny piece up to the light. “It’s a dud.”

“As in a practical joke?” Yank asked. “I’m going to kill the bastard who tried to scare my niece that way.”

Sophie exhaled hard.

Beside him, Riley felt her tremble.

“It’s no joke, Uncle Yank,” she said. “It must have been part of the break-in. Someone probably planted this here when they broke all the flower vases.”

Riley didn’t know what was going on. He’d rushed in here so fast he hadn’t noticed the flower shop was no longer in her office. And as for a break-in, he’d seen men fixing the broken glass outside but he’d never considered that it’d been more than an accident. He was unprepared for the feeling of protectiveness that swept over him at the thought of anyone wanting to scare, let alone hurt, this woman.

“I’m going to let the police know ’bout this.” Yank started for the door.

“That’s a good idea,” Sophie said softly. “Uncle Yank? Can you also call your friend Curly who does security? Ask him to come down and see what he thinks of this thing before the police take it away.”

“That’s my girl. Always thinkin’,” Yank said, and left.

She lowered herself to the closed toilet seat. “I just don’t understand who’d want to do this to me.”

Riley placed his hand on her shoulder. He noticed the damp towel in the sink and shut off the still-running water. “How about we talk it through. Sometimes that helps to figure things out.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“If it wasn’t the break-in, if someone else did this, who could it be? Who has access?”

“But…”

“Humor me. Just to cover all bases.”

She glanced down at her hands. “There’s the cleaning crew that comes in at night, the security people who patrol in the evening, and everyone in the office who passes by when I’m not here.”

“Have you fired anyone recently?” he asked.

She shook her head. “We’re a small office and all get along.”

“Okay then, let’s talk about the times you aren’t here. You and I were just in Florida. Could anyone have let themselves in here then?”

“No!” Sophie jumped up from her seat. “No way is it anyone who works for us. We’re like a family here. I’m not stupid or naive, but I refuse to believe someone within this office would do this to me.”

He followed her out of the bathroom back into her office, watching as she paced the room, silently mouthing the expected number of steps across the carpet. He couldn’t control his grin as she reverted to the comfort of counting, the same thing she’d been doing the day he’d come looking for his old man.

At the thought of Spencer, Riley realized that not once since he’d been here had he worried about running into him. Instead his thoughts had been occupied by Sophie.

“There is one person who might be behind all this,” she said, stopping in her tracks.

Her words caught him off guard. “Who?”

“I don’t like suggesting this. It hurts me because he’s dating one of my closest friends, but…”

Riley tipped his head to one side and studied her. “Nobody’s going to do anything without proof, but if your gut’s telling you something, I suggest you listen. At this point we can’t afford to overlook anything, no matter how remote it seems.”

Sophie swallowed hard. “Miguel Cambias.”

“No!” Cindy had entered without Sophie realizing it and stood with her mouth opened in horror. “How could you say such a thing? How could you even think it?”

Sophie’s heart skipped a beat, then began pounding harder. “I’m sorry, it’s just that-”

“What? You think he’d use me to get to you? That he doesn’t care about me? He just wants to sign your uncle’s draft pick? You’re wrong. I know him.” She pointed to her heart. “I know him in here.”

Sophie closed her eyes for a brief second. This was exactly what she’d wanted to avoid. “I’m not saying it is Miguel. I’m just saying it’s possible.”

“And how do you think breaking in here and planting a camera would get him any closer to John Cashman?” Cindy folded her arms across her chest.

“I don’t know.” Sophie looked out the window over Manhattan. “It’s a stretch,” she admitted.

“What about the idea of deflecting Yank’s and Spencer’s focus? If they’re busy worrying about you, looking out for you, then that would leave Cashman open and vulnerable to another agent.” Riley stepped between the two women. “To any agent. Not necessarily Cambias.”

“That’s what I thought.” She shot Riley a look filled with gratitude for attempting to salvage her friendship with Cindy.

“Everyone’s shaken up from the break-in. Sophie’s rattled about finding the camera. I suggest nobody holds anything said in the heat of the moment against the other.”

Cindy, with her pale face and defensive posture, appeared unsure, shaken and still very upset. “I have to go.”

“Don’t say anything to him,” Sophie called out to her friend.

Cindy turned back. “Why not? So the police can handle it instead? I don’t think so.” With that, she was gone.

Sophie stepped forward to stop her.

“Let her go,” Riley said.

“But…”

He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Wouldn’t you warn the person you cared about if you thought someone was out to get them?” The intensity in his eyes was enough to make his question seem infinitely more personal.

Wouldn’t you warn me? he seemed to ask.

Don’t you care that much about me?

She shivered, unable to process the implications and feelings when everything around her was falling apart.

“Listen, I know you need to go down to the police station this afternoon. But once that is done, I think you could use a break from all this.” He swept his hand around the office. “I want to bring Lizzie home to see her grandparents and I’d like you to come with us.”

She knew he’d had something in mind for them this weekend but traveling with his daughter to meet his parents? It was too much for her to take in right now.

“I don’t think it’s such a good idea.”

“You’d rather stick around the city this weekend alone? Worry about stalkers, nut jobs, admirers, cameras in your bathroom and break-ins at your office.”

“I’m not alone,” she said, shivering.

“I overheard your uncle’s secretary making plans this weekend for him to keep Cashman busy. Do you really want to divert his focus the weekend before the draft by having him worry about you?”

“You’re not playing fair.”

“Neither are you, pushing me away. What happened to the brave Sophie who went parasailing with me? Who planned to go to Florida alone to find Spencer without a clue where to start?” He propped one hip against the desk and crossed his arms over his chest, pinning her with a knowing stare.

He was taunting her. Calling her on her fears. Daring her to say yes. She’d grown up with siblings and a dare was something she couldn’t possibly refuse. Apparently, she couldn’t refuse him, either.

Sophie never considered whether she was a brave person or not, but she certainly didn’t want to be known as a coward. “Mississippi?” she asked.

“Brandon, Mississippi.”

She swallowed hard. “I hear it’s nice there this time of year.”

A slow, sexy smile spread over his face. “It sure is.”

“And how’s the mood this time of year with thirteen-year-old girls?”

“Unstable,” he said, laughing.

He was taking her home with him. And that had her more frightened than when she’d found the camera in her ceiling.

YANK WOULD HAVE DANCED if his bum hip allowed it. Before he could get caught eavesdropping, he headed