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We simply stared at each other a moment.

“Why did you walk out like that?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” she said, stepping aside.

I walked in and closed the door behind me.

She gestured to the couch. “Have a seat.”

I followed her across the living room to her brown suede couch, where we settled on opposite ends.

Looking across at me, she put her hands in her lap. “Well?”

I sighed. “Seeing you with Melvin upset me,” I admitted.

“Okay, that’s a good start.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“I’m not. Geez. Give a girl a break, would you?”

“I got jealous, okay? Are you interested in him?”

“No, not at all. He asked me to do a story on his security company.”

“You mean our security company.”

She tilted her head sideways. “What do you mean?”

“I’m investing in the company with him.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Something isn’t right. I talked to the real estate agent, and no one is supposed to be in that office. It’s been rented already.”

“What? When? And what make you think to do that in the first place?”

“Does it matter? I multitask. I’m a journalist. Well, used to be, anyway.”

“A damn good one.”

She smiled. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

“Good to know,” I said, moving closer toward her.

“I think it seems like he’s trying to start up that smuggling operation again. He might be starting the security firm as a front operation.”

I clenched my jaw. “So that mother fucker lied again.”

“Calm down,” Rose said. “We should go talk to the FBI. I’ll tell them everything I know.”

“No. I don’t want you involved in this any more than you are already.”

Rose’s expression turned defiant. She folded her arms. “That’s bullshit.”