This time, it was Malco’s turn to clench his fists and wish he could smash his contemptuous grin until it turned upside down.
Frida didn’t look away until all the cops had rallied and left. She told her two employees to secure the premises and all official documents before closing her door. Only then did she open her desk drawer and grab an innocuous remote control. After tapping a few keys, the wall slid open. The space was small but packed.
“That’s all the evidence I was given, and it’s what we need to transfer to the Agency.”
Malco grabbed his phone. They would need more people on this. More hands, more eyes, and from the last look on Kasten’s face before he left, more security if he wanted to keep Frida safe and carry this investigation of hers to the end. He didn’t trust that asshole as far as he could throw him, and he had a feeling he was just the tip of a rather large iceberg.
Chapter Four
When the last box from her office was finally safe at the Alliance Agency, Frida felt like collapsing. Her body felt shaky, her feet were on fire, and it felt like she had grit under her eyelids.
Mason Bentley graciously offered her his office, so that not only could they store her documents, but she would also have a place to work, although she would be the only one who’d be able to fit in there. The other more sensible option was to commandeer the conference room.
She made sure her assistant and paralegals were safe and sound at home and reassured them they’d get paid throughout this ordeal. She wasn’t sure how she’d accomplish that, but if there was a will, there was a way, even if it meant selling her car and the entire contents of her apartment, down to her underwear.
Through the barred windows of the building, Frida could see the sun rising, the light so bright it hurt her eyes. Pushing aside any thoughts of lying down, she forced herself back to reality and smiled at one of Shane’s men who had helped with the transfer of the documents. She recognized him from earlier last night, but her brain couldn’t come up with a name.
“Thank you for helping me. Sorry if I sound like a bitch, but can you tell me your name again?”
His smile was dazzling as he extended his arm to shake her hand. “After the night you’ve had, I’m amazed you’re still standing. I’m Cain. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Frida.”
How strange, this handsome man with piercing, smoldering eyes, and a face that would turn grown women into giggly girls was gently caressing her hand, and she didn’t feel a thing. She must be more exhausted than she realized.
“I’ve gone through worse, but I’m lucid enough to know I appreciate all the help I can get, so thank you.”
His smile hyped up a notch, but it was the wide hand in the small of her back that cranked up the heat with surprising vigor. Surrounded by Malco Aguilar’s heat and scent, it took her a full second to realize that Cain had let go of her hand and was backing up with an amused gleam in his eyes.
Not certain of what was going on, she turned to Malco, who looked at her with those deep, assessing eyes. “Shane and Emme are waiting for us in the conference room with the others. They retrieved your briefcase, but you’re the only one who’ll know if anything is missing or not.”
Frida nodded, slightly shaking her head in the hope to clear it and focus on the task at hand when all she wanted to do was shut her eyes and lean closer for a quick rest on his broad shoulder. The last few weeks had been hectic at best, and last night was the last straw in a month of accumulated lack of sleep.
She pressed both the heels of her hands against her eyes and mentally tried to restart her brain.
“You shouldn’t do that. You’ll just abuse your eyes more.”
Malco seemed closer now. Even without seeing him, she could sense him. His voice was lower as he spoke to her, her very own kind of lullaby. Too bad she had to fight it, to fight him. She was in the middle of the ultimate mess, one that could make or break her future as a lawyer in Miami. Even worse, one that could very well end her life if she didn’t get her wits together. Malco was a growing temptation, and it would be very unwise to succumb.
Gathering all she had left, she pushed her shoulders back and took a step away. “I don’t have to go to court, so the state of my eyes are inconsequential. With a coffee, or maybe two, I should get my second wind.”
Frida started toward the conference room but stopped and turned once more toward him. “Thank you for organizing all this, Malco. I do appreciate it. Really.”
With his usual intensity, he gave her the briefest of nods, and if she wasn’t mistaken, his lips almost trembled into a smile.
The meeting had been brief. Frida was grateful for that small blessing as she didn’t know if she could’ve stayed focused for much longer. The contents of her briefcase seemed untouched, and Shane had made sure the third floor of her firm’s building had been secured with a few extra security features, just in case someone was tempted to sneak back in.
The Agency’s security had been increased, and the building would not be left empty until further notice. Cleo, the violet-haired admin of the Agency, was already working on a 24-hour schedule with all the team members who weren’t already involved in other tasks or missions.
It was the status quo concerning her investigation until she could go through all the papers that were brought in. Chief Randall had been adamant that
