Page 23 of Exposed
Time away from Maddie, she meant. Anger simmered beneath his skin.
He ground his molars together.
As if watching Maddie being cozy with Carlos wasn’t enough, he’d dug into Maddie’s friend’s sister Leila Ramez’s death. He couldn’t shake the image of the young woman and her deep olive skin and vibrant green eyes.
The picture that haunted him most however was the one taken of her leaned up against a dumpster, her face ashen and her body rail thin, with dirty, unwashed hair limp around her oval face. A hypodermic needle was still settled in her lifeless hand at her side. The autopsy report had found heroine laced with fentanyl in her system.
Rage bubbled to the surface of his consciousness, threatening to send him over the edge. No wonder she was dead. And no wonder Maddie was so fixated on Carlos. Ashley was probably right, but he’d be damned if he was going to take a step back.
“I’m fine.” He dug his fingertips into the collar of his shirt and tugged. “Why is it so damn hot in here?”
“She’s right, bro. I can keep an eye on them at dinner while you plant the audio bugs in their suite.”
“I said no, dammit.”
Dylan stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Don’t trust anyone to watch over her?”
Blood roared through his ears. Dylan had the innate knack to push his buttons at the worst time. He bit back the words that itched his tongue, and met Dylan’s steely blue eyes.
“Maddie is expecting to see me there. If I’m not, it will throw her off.” He held his hands out at his sides.
“They’re at dinner for God’s sake. What do you think is going to happen?”
Nate extended his finger at Dylan’s chest. “That’s exactly the reason you’re on surveillance duty.”
“Okay, cocktails start in fifteen. We should head down.” Ashley’s fingers curled around his elbow, but he kept his feet rooted to the spot as Dylan’s temper flared.
“If you had slept with her before the damn investigation started, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Your blue balls are cutting the circulation off to your brain.” He tapped his index finger against the thick, short brown hair at his temple.
Nate yanked his arm out of Ashley’s hold and advanced on him. Ashley sandwiched herself between them, and pressed her hands firmly against his chest.
“Nate, cool it. You guys are friends—good ones. We’re all a team, and what you do or don’t do affects everyone.”
Nate’s jaw loosened and he dropped his gaze to Ashley’s furrowed brow. Her dark curls hung over the navy-blue straps of her dress on her slight shoulders. His hands opened and closed at his sides.
“The last thing I want to do is agree with dickhead,” she said, jerking her head toward Dylan. “But he’s right. The tension between you and Maddie is like a damn solar flare.”
He snorted and stepped away from them. He pinched his temples together with his thumb and forefinger. Were they right? Had he only made things worse by avoiding her?
“Should have gotten it out of your system, dude. That’s all I’m saying. You’re torturing yourself.” Dylan shrugged, lifted the whiskey, and filled the bottom of a small glass.
Nate blew air through his nose and paced away from his friends. Sweat collected at the back of his neck and he wiped it off with the palm of his hand. A softthwacktold him Ashley had slapped Dylan.
“If he didn’t care about her, he would have tried.”
He stopped and turned to face them. Ashley’s shoulder lifted and a smile danced innocently on her face. Dylan crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes squinted in interest.
“You both are dopes. She’s my best friend’s sister.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “She’s off-limits.”
Ashley’s mouth opened and closed and she stepped forward, her hands on her hips. “You can’t be serious. You’re wasting your time resisting something that’s inevitable.”
A muscle at the corner of his eye twitched. He froze. “What do you mean, it’s inevitable?”
“Oh, c’mon.” She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and then brought them back to his face. “You can barely keep your eyes off her.”
Dylan snickered behind her and sank down into a chair. “Fuck man, do I feel sorry for you.”
Ashley reeled around to face him. “Would you be quiet? You aren’t helping.”
