WATCHING (47 page)

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WANTING

Agent Sebastian Lorcan looked around, taking in the calm, muted, stately interior of the hallway. Red and whiskey accents against a warm cream. Like her. It suited the woman he
’
d come to see, and surprised the hell out of him. The door finally opened a portion; red hair and whiskey eyes were just visible in the gap.

“
Agent Lorcan, what are you doing here? I don
’
t have people from the Bureau here. Ever
.
”

Her words were low and he strained to her. Her tone was anything but welcoming; he didn
’
t blame her. He
’
d not exactly gone out of his way to be friendly with her.

“
I need to talk to you. It
’
s urgent
.
”
He pushed the door back and stepped into her apartment. The move startled her; she jumped back to avoid touching him.

Her loft apartment was definitely not what he
’
d expected. He
’
d always thought she
’
d eat, sleep, and breathe surrounded by her precious computers—in a small, cramped little hovel only minutes from the Bureau. This place
was
close to the Bureau, but that was the only thing he
’
d been right about.

He
’
d never pictured her in this luxury apartment with granite countertops, leather furnishings, and expensive accents. This woman had some serious dough, somewhere.
“
Nice place
.
”

“
My place. So why are you here
?
”
She didn
’
t glare at him, but Lorcan thought it was pretty damned close. She stood between him and the two small steps that led up into the living area off the kitchen.

“
I need your help
.
”

“
With what? Don
’
t you have someone on your team who can work a simple computer program? I doubt you
’
re an agent short
.
”
She blocked him with her body when he would have taken those steps into the living room. Her body was taut, and her hand firm where she rested it against his arm.

“
I can work the damned computer
.
”
He looked down at the woman nearly pressed against him. Her hair smelled wonderful—almost enough to distract him from his purpose. Almost, but he reigned himself in.

He
’
d always found Carrie Sparks distracting.

“
So what? A case
?
”
She bent and lifted the black cat that rubbed against her leg. She cuddled the beast against her chest. It purred. Lorcan couldn
’
t blame him. He
’
d want to purr, too.
“
I
’
m off for the next four days. I
’
ve built up too much paid time off for this month
.
”

“
This isn
’
t through the Bureau
.
”

She still eyed him warily, suspicion clear.

“
May I sit down
?
”
He didn
’
t wait for her permission, slipping passed her and approaching the couch. He glanced over his shoulder just as annoyance slipped over her face.

“
Sure. Go right ahead.
May I get you something to drink; beer, soda, water
?
”

It was the first he
’
d ever heard sarcasm from her. It surprised him; he
’
d always thought she was incapable of it.
“
Soda sounds fine. Thank you
.
”

She opened the fridge and pulled out two green cans. He settled on her couch; it was as comfortable as it had looked. She plopped his soda on the end table, before perching on the glass and chrome coffee table. The cat hopped up beside her
, climbing into her lap. He stretched one paw over the woman
’
s lap, and looked at Lorcan. His eyes were glowing with what could only be interpreted as possessive claiming of his mistress.

Lorcan repressed to urge to say anything to the woman
—
or the cat.
“
Thank you
.
”

“
Why are you here
?
”
She repeated her question, and he wondered if it was just her customary speech pattern, or if it was a product of her own annoyance at his intrusion.

“
Two days ago, this little girl ran away from home
.
”
He pulled a small picture out of his pants pocket. She took it from him warily.
“
Her mother called a friend of mine. Who called me
.
”

“
And the police have nothing
?
”

“
She
’
s fourteen, and has had trouble before. Frankly, I don
’
t think they
’
re looking that hard
.
”

“
So why can
’
t your team help you
?
”
She returned the picture to him, and turned to look out the window at the arch.
“
Why me
?
”

“
She wasn
’
t abducted. Case doesn
’
t fit the parameters required for my unit. My team is still with yours in Nashville. And you
’
ve also been given mandatory leave. And I had no one else. This shouldn
’
t take long. I want to find her, I need to find her. I
’
ve known her since she was six
.
”

She bit her lip and looked at him.
“
I don
’
t know. What do you need
?
”

She was close to capitulating. It was in the way she looked at the photograph in her hand. He leaned forward, but kept his shoulders relaxed. Unthreatening.
“
Please, Agent Sparks. She
’
s just a child and woefully unprepared for the world outside on the streets. I need to find her
.
”

She sighed and Lorcan knew he had her cooperation. She squared her shoulders and looked at him directly, making eye contact.
“
I
’
ll do it
.
”

At her words, the tension that had plagued him for the last three hours lessened slightly.
He needed her skills, and now he had them.
“
Thank you
.
”

“
What do you know so far
?
”
Carrie moved, sitting beside him. Her shoulder brushed his. Lorcan felt that ghosting touch and his whole body went on alert. This girl did something to him faster than any other woman on the planet, and with any other kind of woman he would have acted on it months ago.

But not Carrie Sparks and not just because of her obvious differences. She was not the kind of woman a man like him ever fooled around with. He knew and would just have to remind himself of that.
“
First, the computer. Her mom said she spent quite a lot of time online. Blogs, emails, social media. Then I want to talk to her parents, in person
.
”

Carrie nodded.
“
I can start on the internet searches from here. My computers are in here
.
”

He followed her to the back wall. Just visible was the outline of a built in sliding door. It so seamlessly blended into the cedar wall around it that had she not opened it, he would have missed it. One more indication that this place was pretty damned pricey. And that didn
’
t fit with who he thought she was. Junior agent, living on a beginning federal employee salary. It wasn
’
t enough to afford a place like this.
“
How long have you lived here
?
”

Chapter Two

Carrie watched the man invading her home and couldn
’
t help but feel the natural irritation that he always caused.
It was so much worse than usual; this was her sanctuary. And he
’
d invaded.
And what she was about to show him had never been seen by anyone other than herself and her closest friend since the day she
’
d had it built.

“
Eighteen months
.
”
She flicked the switch to power the lights and the six screens that were housed in the small room. It had once been a bathroom, but she
’
d repurposed it. Her pair of laptops that she carried with her on cases were her babies, of course, but this room was her heart. For higher than state of the art hard drives were lined up like neat little soldiers under a long table. She
’
d built the hard drives from spare parts. Two wireless keyboards were configured to operate any drive.

The room had no windows; she hated glare on her screens when she worked. It seemed smaller and darker than she knew it was. She attributed that to the man crowding behind her. She could hear his breathing over
the steady hum of her machines.
The hum usually comforted her as much as Linux
’
s purrs, but not this
time. Not with him in the room.
“
You need to understand something. No one has ever seen this room. I need your word that you won
’
t disclose its location
.
”

“
Why? Do you keep this quiet, I mean
?
”

“
I
’
ve had burglaries before. And they
’
ve stolen important code. This was in Virginia, and I was asleep in the other room.
I wasn
’
t able to stop them. Do I have your word
?
”

“
Of course. I won
’
t tell a soul
.
”
He nodded, though Carrie suspected he didn
’
t understand. But the night that her old apartment had been broken into had left an indelible memory, just as strong as the sight of her mother dying in front of her when she was nine.
Carrie needed a safe place, especially in her own home.
“
What is the girl
’
s name and do you have her email address
?
”

****

“
Ashleigh Cavanaugh
.
”
He repeated the email address he
’
d been given. The room surprised him, but not as much as his anger at her need for it

She would have been extremely young when living and training in Virginia, only twenty-three or twenty-four. Vulnerable. The idea of a young Carrie sleeping in her bed and some strange, faceless man breaking into her home infuriated him.

“
I
’
ll track her internet paths. Since she
’
s over thirteen, she can open her own social media accounts. If I can find her communications, you can profile her posts to see if we can get a read on what
’
s going on
.
”
She spoke with confidence, not repeating herself even once. It surprised him; she always took the background with her team. She was part of the Complex Crimes Unit of the FBI, and it was a team of Bureau superstars. Lorcan
’
s team often worked in conjunction with the CCU, and in the two months Lorcan had been assigned to St. Louis, he
’
d had plenty of opportunity to observe Carrie and her team.

She was the youngest and in Lorcan
’
s estimation, the most vulnerable. She
’
d proven that the first time he
’
d met her, having been the victim of an attack by a former colleague that left her battered and in a leg cast. He still didn
’
t understand why Hellbrook, her team leader, didn
’
t keep her confined to the police stations they visited. It was where she belonged, safe behind her computer screens. And that
’
s where her strengths lie. The girl was phenomenal with computers, but she had certification by Quantico to be in the field. Hellbrook required every member of his team to be investigative agents, as well as any specialist position they may be qualified for. The CCU had former police investigators, two psychologists, a media specialist, and a former ATF agent. Plus Carrie, with her computer skills.

She continued speaking.
“
In my experience, these kids always leave hints, or trails. They very rarely keep it entirely to themselves
.
”

“
Your experience
?
”
How much experience could this neophyte agent possibly have?