Page 23

Her laugh startles me. But until I know if my fate is at the bottom of a river or not, I refuse to join in. Laughing in the face of someone’s demise is something only a lunatic would do.
“That’s Special Agent Serena Cruz,” says the man, the one I’ve been trying very hard not to look at because every time I do I say or do something stupid. “And I’m Special Agent Caleb Harris.”
Caleb. Finally, a name I can fit to the man, and use as a curse behind his back.
“But you can call me The Rock if you prefer.” There’s a devilish smile on his very attractive face and I want to wring his neck.
“I’ll call you whatever I please until you release me from these chains,” I say.
He arches a brow. “I didn’t tie you up.”
“Then why do I feel trapped?”
He shakes his head. “Look, we need to talk about your date.”
I blink. “Excuse me? You can’t rattle off fake names and assume I have any clue what you’re talking about and what you want from me. You kidnapped me! Who are you really? Government assassins?” I stand from the floor of the van where he left me like yesterday’s groceries.
That spark I used to feel toward this man has turned into a raging inferno. If he doesn’t kill me, I will kill him. With my bare hands like a scorned ex-wife.
“We didn’t kidnap you,” he says. “We simply…relocated you. From the parking lot to our van.”
“Says every kidnapper ever! What’s next? Will you be relocating me to an early grave? I demand to dig my own grave, you won’t force me to share my final resting spot with a—”
“Amelia,” he cuts me off with a tender tone and takes a step forward, gently grabbing my elbow. I try not to feel anything from his touch. But I feel it all. And I’m angry at myself for melting into his warmth.
“I apologize for not explaining better,” he says, leading me to a chair in front of the computer screens.
I keep my glare aimed at him the whole time. But his green eyes make it hard to stay mad. They’ve got to be the closest to emerald that I’ve ever seen. I wonder if they get lighter in the sun? Even if I could stay mad at his eyes, I’d never be angry with his muscles. The man has so many trying to burst through his black shirt it’s selfish. Save some for the rest of the men on the planet.
“Amelia?”
I swallow. “Yes.”
His eyes sparkle with humor, like he knew exactly where my thoughts had gone. If that’s true he’s really going to like where they go next. He may be strong, but all men have the same weakness. My foot twitches, ready to take aim.
“As I was saying,” he clears his throat. “We work for the government.”
I roll my eyes. “Me too.”
He pulls a badge out of his pocket. I snatch it from his fingers, caressing the gold shield as I study it. Special Agent Caleb Harris, Federal Bureau of Investigation. I feel semi-relieved that they aren’t going to kill me. Well, they haven’t said as much yet. I guess the option is always on the table. I shove it back at him. “That doesn’t mean anything. I bet I could find one of those on eBay.”
“Would it come with a tech van like this?” Caleb motions to the wall of screens.
I glance around the van. It makes a pretty compelling case. There goes killing him. I try to relax in my seat, but it’s hard to do when I want to touch everything in this van and figure out what it does.
This may be the best night of my entire life.
“If you work for the FBI, what are you doing with me?” I ask, itching to push one of the buttons below the monitors. “I haven’t done anything criminal in my life. Well, that’s not true. I did sneak into my high school once, but I was a minor. And they weren’t that mad because they practically let me in for a senior prank—”
“Do you enjoy the sound of your voice?” Serena interrupts.
I thought we were friends. I’m basing this on very little, but still. “I prefer it to yours.”
Caleb scrubs a hand over his face. “If you would let me get more than a few words out without interrupting, I’ll tell you exactly what I’m going to do with you.”
My lips stretch across my face until my cheeks cramp.
“I mean us. What we’re going to— Never mind.” He rakes a hand through his cropped brown hair. “We need to talk to you about the man you ate dinner with.”