by sending some jobs his way, but Cash was finished with that life. He didn’t want money from running cons. Every penny he earned for his new life with his son would be earned legally.
Turning down a familiar street, he realized he’d been walking in the direction of the house where he’d grown up. The house where he believed his father still lived. Not looking to dredge up buried memories or walk in old footsteps, he changed directions.
This was a fresh start. Another one. When he’d married Britney and talked her into moving to DC, he’d promised to leave behind contact with the criminal world. His single foray back into that world had been to save Adrian’s life.
Benjamin knew about Adrian, but he’d said he needed Cash in DC, working to find Clifton Anderson. The faster they closed the case, the sooner Cash had more options. At least, that was what Cash was telling himself.
To ease some of the hurt in his chest, he forced his thoughts away from his son and they turned instead to Lucia Huntington. He’d find out why she had a chip on her shoulder. From what he’d gathered from the others, she carried power in the organization, although she was quiet and didn’t seem close to anyone in the office.
He’d win her over. Having an enemy in Lucia could mean his return to prison. Having a friend in her could mean a transfer to an FBI field office closer to Adrian after the case was closed and maybe even a raise. The more money he could sock away, the faster his son was back in his life.
As attracted to her as he was, Lucia seemed equally put off by him. She was the first woman he’d met since his late wife who got him hot under the collar. She was smart, sophisticated and articulate. It didn’t hurt that she was gorgeous. Brown hair and deep brown eyes, delicate features and lips that on some women might look too big. On her, it worked, drawing his attention, making him think about the things she could do with her mouth. She was put together and in control, but he sensed that, if she allowed it, passion and heat would come roaring out. He’d gotten a peek at her bare midriff, which showed him enough to say she had a body to match her face. It was rare to cross paths with a woman who was the complete package. He wondered why she was distant from the team. A professional code of conduct or was something else at play?
He crossed the street and walked past a man and his dog sleeping on the cement steps outside a church, both curled near the railing. Cash reached into his pocket and pulled out the rest of the cash Benjamin had given him that morning. It wasn’t much, about thirteen dollars and some change. He tucked it under the man’s hand.
“Thank you,” the man muttered. His dog whimpered.
“You’re welcome,” Cash said.
He’d been there. He’d been that down and out. He hadn’t had anyone to help him. But he was resourceful. He would find a way to make a good life for himself and Adrian.
“We may have more success if you don’t flash your badge at everyone we pass,” Cash said, after Lucia had shown her identification to the guards working the security desk at Holmes and White, the company Clifton Anderson had defrauded into near ruin.
Lucia whirled to look at him. Though he’d been quiet on the ride from headquarters, she didn’t appreciate his criticism. She was irritated enough that Benjamin had assigned her and Cash as teammates for the day’s assignments.
“I’m not here to con anyone,” she said, keeping her voice low. “I’m here to speak to Clifton Anderson’s victims. I’m identifying myself because I’m on their side.” She had interviewed dozens of victims. She knew what she was doing.
Cash lifted a brow at her.
“Do you find this funny? Because nothing about this is funny. People lost their homes, their pensions, their savings and their college funds over this. Regular people. Teachers. Nurses. Police officers. Everyone who trusted this place lost everything. We have to find this money for them.”
Cash frowned. “I take this seriously. I know what was lost. I have a way I do things. Getting upset changes nothing.”
Lucia took a deep breath. She’d been told she could be a stickler for the rules and policies and procedures. If she and Cash were going to survive this, she needed to give him some latitude. It was one afternoon. She could do anything for one afternoon.
Cash folded his arms over his chest. “Did you see the security guard’s reaction when you told him you were with the FBI? He got nervous. He was worried.”
Lucia was accustomed to people having a reaction to her badge. “I got what I wanted. I was let through without any fanfare.”
“He’s no doubt calling ahead to give warning we’re on our way to the top floor.”
“It’s not a secret that we’re investigating the embezzlement. There’s nothing to give warning about.” The FBI was working under the assumption that the C-level managers at Holmes and White wanted the culprits found and the stolen money recovered.
Cash took her elbow and moved her to the side of the hallway, out of the way of a passing group of employees. “Let’s not leave time for preparations. The most telling reactions are the most impromptu.”
Benjamin’s voice rang in her head. He wanted her and Cash to get along. Benjamin seemed set on the idea that their skill sets complemented each other. Lucia had the sense they’d been partnered for today’s interviews as a test. If they made it through the two interviews Benjamin had assigned them without killing each other, it was a success. Lucia wouldn’t let Cash make her lose her cool or fail in Benjamin’s eyes.
“I will hold back on showing my badge to too many people. Happy?” She pulled her elbow away from him. Touching was off-limits, especially after the kiss last night. She didn’t know how he’d convinced her it was a good idea, but it wouldn’t happen again.
“Thank you. Has anyone else mentioned you look hot when you’re fired up about something?”
She gave him a cutting glower. “My colleagues don’t talk to me that way.”
“I wasn’t asking about your colleagues. I was asking about people in your personal life.”
Sad to admit, even if it was only to herself, she wasn’t sure any man besides Cash had ever called her “hot.”
“That’s not a conversation we’ll have right now.” Or ever.
They stepped onto the elevator and Lucia pressed the button for the top floor, where Holmes and White’s CEO, Leonard Young, had his office. Her arm brushed Cash’s and Lucia increased the distance between them.
Every time the elevator stopped at a floor and people entered and exited, Cash seemed to flirt and smile at every woman, especially the pretty, young, well-dressed ones. It bothered Lucia to watch. Given the long over-the-shoulder looks they shot his way, these women would be all over him if given the chance.
Lucia and Cash got off the elevator. Young’s office was directly ahead. The cube farm around them was empty. Layoffs had been an immediate fallout of Holmes and White’s recent financial problems.
Young’s assistant stopped them in front of his office’s beveled glass doors.
“Mr. Young had to
