Page 108 of A Legal Affair

Daniela lifted her chin defiantly. “I’m not telling you anything.”

“That would imply you have something to tell.” He narrowed his eyes and stared hard, suspicion in his voice. “Has he confided in you or not, Daniela? If you have any incriminating information?—”

“Why are you so obsessed with Crandall Thorne?” she burst out angrily. “Maybeyou’rethe one who’s hiding a graveyard of skeletons. Maybeyou’rethe one who needs to be investigated and exposed!”

“Is that a threat, Miss Roarke?” There was no trace of the congenial mayor that the public knew and loved. There was cruelty behind those blue eyes, the cruelty of a ruthless man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Putting herself in his crosshairs probably wasn’t the wisest idea.

“Don’t trifle with me, Miss Roarke.” He bared his teeth in a menacing smile. “It’s a holiday weekend and I’m feeling generous, so I’ll give you a little more time to come to your senses. You have one week to bring me useful information. If you fail to deliver…” He let his voice trail off, the threat clear.

A shiver of foreboding ran down her spine.

“Talk to your brothers, Daniela. They’ll remind you just how high the stakes are. They’ll help you see reason. Because believe me, little girl, you don’t want me for an enemy.” Leaning back in the seat, Philbin smirked at her shirt and made a sign with his index and pinky fingers extended. “Hook ’em, Horns.”

Daniela shot him one last glare, then opened the back door and jumped out. She’d barely slammed the door before the SUV peeled off.

Trembling with anger and fear, she hurried back inside the building and was halfway across the lobby when she remembered her original reason for coming downstairs. She doubled back to retrieve Caleb’s mail, which included a package from his editor.

As she passed the front desk, the security guard nodded to her, giving no indication of whether he’d seen her climb into the backseat of Philbin’s SUV. Surely he must have. If he mentioned it in passing to Caleb, she was toast.

The distressing prospect shot panic and adrenaline through her veins as she boarded the elevator. The adrenaline made her shaky, her fingers fumbling as she took out her phone and fired off a text to her sibling group chat.

We need to talk.

Noah responded first.

Hey. Are you okay?

She chewed her lower lip, internally freaking out but trying to sound calm. Before going undercover, she’d been instructed to keep all phone communications as cryptic as possible. Sometimes, like now, it was hard to remember the rules of being a double agent.

Can we meet? I have a few updates to share.

Kenneth chimed in, his frustration coming through loud and clear.

You have the worst timing in the world, El. I’ve been begging you for regular updates and you’ve blown me off. Now that I’m headed out of town, suddenly you’re feeling chatty???

Daniela shook her head as she typed her reply.

I told you I’d share when I’m ready.

Can it wait until Tuesday? I’m taking Janie and the kids to South Padre Island for the weekend. I promised her no phones, no work, no distractions.

Noah’s text popped up right after Kenneth’s.

I’m about to board my connecting flight to Lake Tahoe. But I can turn around and come back home if you really need me.

Daniela forked trembling fingers through her hair. Noah took an annual fishing trip to Lake Tahoe with a bunch of his cop buddies. Those weeklong male bonding expeditions were one of the few things he looked forward to outside of work.

Sorry I forgot about your trip, Noah. There’s no way I’d let you cancel. The three of us can touch base next week when everyone’s back. You guys have fun!

Kenneth and Noah liked her response as she exited the elevator on the top floor. She made her way down the hall to Caleb’s apartment, a ball of dread lodged in the pit of her stomach.

When she stepped through the door, she could hear the low rumble of Caleb’s laughter. She paused in the foyer and took several deep breaths to steady her nerves and shake off the unsettling encounter she’d just had.

When she felt composed enough to face Caleb, she tacked on a bright smile and headed into the living room where he was lounging on the sofa with his laptop. He’d put on a white t-shirt and appeared to be on a FaceTime call. She didn’t want todisturb him, so she set the stack of mail on the coffee table and signaled to him that she would be in the bedroom.

Before she could walk away, he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her down to sit beside him.