for them in his lab. His eyes sparkled as he showed Vanessa a set of press-on nails decorated with an intricate swirling crystal design.
Thinking about the nail she’d broken while sparring with Jimmy, she suppressed a smile. Alan was good at customizing his gadgets to fit his customer’s personalities and lifestyles. When Alan showed her that parts of the detailed design on the nails were actually electronic bugs that could be peeled off and stuck on various surfaces, she nodded approvingly.
Vanessa also received a slim gold-colored cell phone that functioned as a Global Positioning System device, a speaker and recorder for the bugs from the fingernails, and a gadget for opening electronic locks and accessing computer systems. Cool.
Alan opened a slim jewelry box and drew out a fourteen-carat gold watch with a detailed antique rose design on the face. “Press the side button in firmly three times in succession, and Agent Mackenzie and your backup team will know that you need help. It’s your panic button. It sends out a homing signal, too, if you only press it twice.”
“I like it.” Vanessa fitted the delicate watch onto her wrist and snapped the clasp closed. “Thanks, Alan. For everything.”
Alan drew another box from his workbench and gave it to Mackenzie. “Your watch. It does everything Vanessa’s watch does.” The watch was a Movado. As Mackenzie put it on, Alan drew another package from the alcove on his desk. Mackenzie opened the next package to reveal a 35mm camera. He eyed Alan cautiously. “A camera?”
“A camera that enables you to see in any light. It’s got built-in night vision and a few extra buttons.” Alan showed him a row of small buttons on the back of the camera. “Hit number one and your subject gets a knockout mist. Make sure you’re within two feet. Hit number two, and it shoots a paralyzing dart.”
“And number three?” Mackenzie asked, his finger close to the button.
Alan’s expression held a dare. “Press that and count to three, throw the camera as hard as you can, and run like hell!”
“A grenade?” Mackenzie’s fingers moved far away from the row of buttons.
Alan grinned. “For all intents and purposes.”
Mackenzie stepped forward to carefully place the camera back on Alan’s workbench. “This thing is some piece of work.”
Alan lifted the camera from the table, handling it carelessly. Mackenzie and Vanessa shot him incredulous looks. “The camera is quite safe to use,” Alan informed them. “There’s a safety switch along the side here,” he said, fingered a sliding bar. “None of the extra features work until you take the safety off.”
Vanessa released a sigh of relief. “Do you have any other gadgets for Agent Mackenzie?”
Alan glanced back at Mackenzie. “Not at the moment, but I’d love the chance to whip something up just for him.”
Vanessa stared. Had Alan just made a pass at Mackenzie? Hostile elements colored Mackenzie’s expression as he met Alan’s gaze.
Damn, tough break for Alan. Vanessa had instinctively known that Mackenzie was straight. She cleared her throat. “Thanks again, Alan. We’d better see what Kristi’s got for us.”
Mackenzie thanked Alan. Then he and Vanessa made their exit. Outside the room, Mackenzie rolled his shoulders and said just under his breath, “Your Alan’s got a little sugar in his tank.”
Vanessa hated all the euphemisms used to describe men like Alan. Her gaze hardened. “If you mean he’s gay, yes, but he’s never tried to force it on anyone.”
“And how would you know?”
“We don’t just work together. Alan is a friend,” she said, steel creeping into her tone.
Acknowledging her statement with a nod of his head, Mackenzie fell quiet as they made their way to Kristi’s office.
Vanessa introduced the agent to Kristi—adding that she was Alan’s sister, in case Mackenzie planned to make any more comments about him—and they sat down.
Kristi opened a leather file and drew out a list and a set of color pictures. “For this assignment I selected items that go with the clothes you have, but I tried to pump you up a little more,” she told Vanessa. “You already have fabulous instincts when it comes to fashion. This time, you want to make more of a statement and get the right kind of attention.”
Vanessa liked clothes. It was one of the things that had made her enjoy modeling. She looked at the first designer outfit. It was a slinky, sexy white DooRi wrap dress. Vanessa flipped through the rest of the file, her smile growing. Kristi had included items from a number of her favorite designers, including bustier dresses and silk camisoles from Dolce & Gabbana, classic but sexy gowns from Versace, Vera Wang, Valentino couture, Prada, Manolo Blahnik, and Jimmy Choo. Just about ready to swoon with satisfaction, she turned to Kristi.
“Thanks, I love this wardrobe!”
“I thought you would.” Kristi beamed back at her, something just short of envy in her eyes. She loved clothes just as much as Vanessa did. Sometimes the two of them went to fashion shows together.
Drawing another folder from the leather file, Kristi handed it to Mackenzie. “Agent Mackenzie, as the photographer on this project, your wardrobe makes much less of a statement. I’ve been told that you prefer casual wear. Therefore, I’ve put together a wardrobe centered on relaxed easy wear by Sean John and Fubu. For dress, I added a couple of Ralph Lauren suits, and a tuxedo from his Mister shop. For shoes, Nike Air Force Ones, Johnston & Murphy slip-ons, and Prada dress shoes. What do you think?”
“Fine by me.”
“I like the colors you chose for Agent Mackenzie,” Vanessa added. “They highlight his skin tone.”
Mackenzie looked at Vanessa with thinly veiled surprise, or perhaps annoyance. She had a feeling he didn’t appreciate her input on his wardrobe. She met his gaze squarely, intuitively aware that working with him meant she’d have to earn his respect and fight for equal footing.
But first, she’d have to loosen him up.
Chapter 3
Tired from a late night out with her friends, Vanessa dragged herself out of bed at eleven the next morning and began to pack the clothes Kristi had sent over. The rest would be shipped to her new apartment in Miami.
After giving her word to Renee and signing the magazine contract, Vanessa was prepared to go through with the assignment, no matter what. As she showered and got ready for an early dinner at her parents’ home, she rehearsed how she would tell her father that she was going back into modeling. She was an adult, already twenty-seven, and her career choice shouldn’t be his business, but she knew he wouldn’t be happy.
Manfred Dawson tried to run his family the way he ran his successful real estate business, with mixed success. Her mother was good at appearing to toe the line while managing to get exceptions for the things she really wanted to do. Michelle, Vanessa’s fourteen-year-old sister, was Daddy’s girl. She generally got what she wanted, but she could forget getting anything that might grant her a measure of independence.
Vanessa was the rebel in the family. She’d gone head to head with her father
