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He groaned. “Dammit Maddie, I wasn’t going to bring this up, but you’re asking for it.

I don’t appreciate you blackmailing me into this.

For one, I’m lying to my best friend because of you.

And two, I had less than a damn month to organize a team for this and I don’t even know if we’re going to make it happen yet. ”

“Get your panties out of a bunch, you’re not lying.”

Nate scoffed. “It’s lying when I’m sneaking around with my best friend’s sister.”

Silence hung in the air.

Her palms turned damp on the smooth steering wheel.

She wet her lips. The light ahead of her turned red and she brought the car to a stop.

Slowly, her gaze dragged from the road to Nate.

His shoulders were too broad for her sleek sedan.

In the tight quarters, he invaded her space, even though every breath he took screamed that he didn’t want to be close to her.

Nate’s head rested in his hand and he massaged his temples. Guilt washed over her. When she’d called him a month ago, she hadn’t given him much choice. Blackmail was a bit of an exaggeration.

The light turned green and she brought her gaze back to the road and accelerated.

If you don’t help me, I’ll tell Ethan we slept together.

Her own words echoed through her head. She grimaced, and nausea pitched in her stomach. Okay, so maybe it had been blackmail. She hadn’t meant to put that on him, but she hadn’t been serious… well, not really.

Besides, the delicacy of the case had made it risky to let the FBI in on their investigation too soon.

Lieutenant Jack Davis had wanted to use his own contacts, but she’d insisted on working with Nate.

There was no way in hell she’d trust anyone else in the FBI.

The people within Carlos’s circle were like a scattered basket of snakes.

One could be lurking anywhere at any time.

An apology burned her tongue like a match. “You’re the only person I felt comfortable asking for help.” Heat crept up her chest at the admission. It was as close to an apology as he would get from her.

Nate moved beside her and her body tightened. “You felt comfortable because you knew I couldn’t say no?”

Her patience sizzled. “No, damn you. You’re the only person I trust other than Ethan, all right? And we both know how he would feel about this.”

“And he’s right. He’d fucking kill me if he found out I went behind his back.”

Maddie rolled her eyes. “For god’s sake, where did this conscience come from? I’m a grown woman, I don’t need my brother’s permission for anything—nor do I need yours.”

“Yeah, I know.” He sighed. “Fuck, we can’t last five minutes without arguing.”

A lump hardened in her chest. Was that why he kept her at arm’s length? She wasn’t one of the frilly bimbos that normally filled his bed. She was strong-minded and sharp-tongued, and not many men could handle it. Was it the same for Nate?

He shifted in his seat again and rubbed his hands together. “All right, enough of that. We’re here now, and the sooner we get this shit done the better.”

“I agree.”

Nate’s hand closed around her bicep and gave her a light shake. “See, look at that, we agree on something.” His words took some of the bite from his last ones.

A smile tingled the corner of her mouth. She flicked her gaze over his long, dark fingers on her arm, and then up to his face.

She snorted and lifted an eyebrow. “The night is young.”

The corner of his eyes creased. “That it is.”

His hand fell away from her arm, and her skin ached at its absence. He leaned forward in his seat, his hand stretched in front of her face. “Turn in here, that’s my hotel.”

Maddie slowed the vehicle and pulled into the parking lot. “Swing around to the side so no one sees us.”

She drove past a long stretch of cars and parked when she got to the end. One lone light hung from the side of the building, providing her a better view of Nate’s face. He unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face her.

“I don’t think you should be taking this baby to that raunchy club.” Nate ran his hand along the polished wood dash.

Maddie closed her eyes and opened them. “Not a big deal, I have insurance.”

His eyes sharpened on her face, and for the first time that night, her gaze didn’t waver from his. He crossed his arms over his chest and rested back against the door.

“I’m not worried about your damn car. That’s a shitty neighborhood, and you’re walking around like that”—his eyes slid down her body and back up—“and driving this. It’s only a matter of time before someone tries something.”

Maddie pressed her teeth together. He was worried about her? She was used to Ethan fussing over her. He always treated her like a child despite her skills and experience.

Nate, on the other hand, hadn’t treated her like anything. She’d always just been… there. Normally when someone insinuated she couldn’t take care of herself, it pissed her off.

But with Nate…

She chewed her cheek. Her eyes lowered to his body, comfortable and arrogant in the tight space. Her gaze stopped on the strained denim between his legs and a gentle throb started deep inside her.

She brought her eyes back up to his face, not missing a single shred of his chiseled body. The Adam’s apple at his thick neck bobbed and his eyes blazed. Shit. He’d caught her checking out his junk.

Her face warmed. She cleared her throat and forced her tongue to work. “Carlos lets me park in one of his owner parking spots. No one in that end of town would cross him.” She rested her head on the back of her seat and her eyelids grew heavy.

Nate lifted his shoulder. “You still need to be more careful. I jimmied your door in thirty seconds.”

“Not everyone’s as skilled as you.”

“Not everyone’s as stupid as you think.”

She sighed. “What did you drag me here for? I’ve been on my feet all night and want to go to bed.” She wriggled her toes around in the black stilettos and the arches of her feet throbbed. God, what she wouldn’t do for a foot rub.

“How close are you?”

Her eyes burned with fatigue. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Close. I’ve been working at the club over a month now. Three weeks ago, he started to show interest but I pushed him off. Now he’s lapping at my heels like a puppy.”

Nate guffawed. “Jesus. Do you realize he hasn’t had a serious relationship since his ex-wife Barbara?”

“Yes, Nate. I’ve been watching him as long as you have.”

“No, you haven’t. The FBI has been on his trail for four fucking years. No one’s gotten close. I don’t know what’s more terrifying, that you think you can, or that you have.”

“He invited me to go boating on Saturday. Just him and I on his yacht.”

Nate cursed. “That’s a bad idea and you know it.”

“I can’t get close to him if I keep pushing him away. Besides, if the rumors on the street are true, he’ll have another shipment coming in a few weeks. I have to get him to trust me between now and then.”

Nate bolted forward, his face stopped inches from hers. “You’re going to fuck him, aren’t you?”

Maddie’s body coiled into a spring. She closed the gap between their noses, her cheeks heated. “That’s none of your business.” Then more softly, “What choice do I have?”

The way she saw it—none.

His hand tightened into a fist and he punched the dash. Maddie winced.

“For fuck’s sake, you’re crazy,” he wheezed.

Shame crept up the back of her throat and hit her taste buds. Heat burned her skin. She flicked on the air conditioning, biting back the nasty words that singed her tongue, and inched away from him.

“Look, I know what I’m doing. If you had half a brain, you’d realize that he won’t let me get close to him while holding hands and pecking.”

Nate laughed, the sound was brittle and derisive. “And you think he’s going to keep you around after he screws you? C’mon Maddie, you should know better than that.”

“I’m not stupid. And believe me, once I sleep with Carlos, he’ll only want more.”

She lifted her heavy lids and met Nate’s gaze. His cheeks darkened and the solid lines of his face turned to stone.

“Your brother’s right. You’re too damn cocky.” He lifted his hips, dug his hand into his back pocket, and slapped a small black device onto her dashboard. “It’s an encrypted phone. Use this to contact me from now on.” His fingers closed over the door handle.

She gave one brisk nod. Tension crackled in the air between them. He cursed and leaned toward her, his thumb and forefinger gripped her chin. “Be careful, dammit. If anything happens, call me. Don’t worry about the case, just call me. Got it?”

She swallowed and nodded. His eyes moved over her face, and then dropped to her mouth. His jaw tensed and his grip tightened on her chin.

Anticipation froze her to the spot. Her eyes trained on his lowered lids. He shook his head and loosened his hold. His thumb smoothed over her lip. “Don’t be stupid.” His fingers fell away.

He climbed out of the car and shut the door. Silence fell around her and her shoulders sagged. His tall, dark form disappeared from view and she rested her forehead on the steering wheel, tears stinging the back of her eyes.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. She’d been stupid to call Nate. He was capable and trustworthy… but that hadn’t been her only motive. Now she couldn’t back out. The sooner she put distance between her and Nate the better. He sure as hell didn’t want to be near her.

Regardless, she needed to finish the job and get Carlos’s drugs off the street before more innocent people got hurt.

People like Leila.

Carlos would pay for what he’d done, and she’d make sure of it. If that meant sleeping with the enemy, then so be it.