Page 16 of Jonas

“I’ve seen Kira poking around so I know where you are.”

He let that hang.

“And you’re surprised I know⁠—”

“Not surprised. Impressed. Kira’s tried to give us all a tutorial so we can run simple searches but remembering the addresses since there’s no indexed searches proved to be too much for us. Even with the cheat sheet she provided she got frustrated and took away our privileges.”

The way he said “privileges” clearly stated he didn’t view internet searches as a privilege, more like torture. And for a man like him who was obviously more of an action man than an ass-in-a-chair man, it would be.

“The dark web is a scary place if you don’t know where you’re going. It’s also not my favorite thing. I’d rather be in the field, but sadly, I have to know my way around.”

Jonas leaned closer, forcing me to make a concerted effort to ignore the spicy scent of his cologne. Not that I hadn’t noticed it earlier, but this close he was making it difficult not to sniff him—which would be weird.

But I did inhale—deeply.

What can I say? He smelled that good.

CHAPTER FIVE

I heard Derrika’s deep inhale. But before I had the chance to ask her if I was making her uncomfortable sitting close, her fingers flew across the keyboard and I watched her type “Daryl Barnes” into what looked like a search bar.

A few moments later, results popped up.

“Did Kira send you his picture or should I tap into the building’s security?”

I pulled out my phone and pulled up my secure email. Something I should’ve done as soon as I entered Derrika’s apartment but I’d been more interested in seeing where she lived than work. The more I’d looked around, the more I hated the apartment. It was all creams and taupes—no color to be found. The kitchen was small and modern with black granite, stainless steel appliances. There was no hint of personality. No life. It was a room—nothing more. I’d spent mere minutes in Derrika’s presence yet I knew this wasn’t her. She had to be crawling out of her skin living on the top floor of this hotel-apartment building. The view out her windows didn’t suck but it wasn’t great. You could see the pool, the outdoor kitchen, dozens of outdoor chairs and loungers, along with a well-kept grassy area, but all it took was a flick of the eyes and the building next door came into view, and the highway beyond that, and if you squinted, Capitol One Park.

I wanted to ask her where she lived when she wasn’t working undercover. She’d said she had to sleep with the curtains closed because it never got dark. I could picture her living in a small house with lots of land surrounding her. A woman like Derrika would need wide open spaces.

But I didn’t ask. I scanned the email instead.

“Kira only had time for the preliminaries.”

Derrika’s gaze swung to me and she flexed her fingers over her keyboard.

“Quick and dirty works for me.”

Visions.

So many visions danced through my mind. I shoved aside my dirty thoughts but not before I muttered, “A woman after my own heart.”

I heard Derrika’s very unladylike snort. It wasn’t surprising she didn’t attempt to cover it up with a laugh. Nor was it surprising she didn’t seem the slightest bit embarrassed.

“Hit me, Casanova.”

Casanova?

“Did you just seriously call me Casanova?”

Derrika shrugged.

“Okay, Delilah.”

“Delilah…” Her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head. “Samson’s Delilah?”

“You referred to me as a philanderer,” I pointed out.

Her lips twitched before she remembered she was supposed to be mad. “So in return you call me a horrible name? She seduced poor Samson into telling her his secrets then she betrayed the guy by having his hair cut, stealing all his strength. That’s low.”