He waited while she eyed him, clearly trying to decide what to say.
“Mass suicide.” Her voice hardened. “But with a catch. From what I understand, she’s planning to ask for payment from their families in order to save some of the wealthier members’ lives. How she plans to explain this to her followers, I have no idea. It’s crazy.”
Jaw tight, Jake grimaced. His stomach turned at the thought of the depths to which the woman he’d once believed to be his mother was capable of sinking. “No surprise there. The lure of money has always been her motivator. All the rest of it comes secondary. Micheline is one of those people who doesn’t care what she has to do to pad her pockets. Even murder, apparently.”
“But this will be too blatant. She’ll face charges. A full bank account won’t do her any good in prison. And the feds will probably freeze her bank accounts.” She shook her hea
d. “If she’s looking for notoriety, this will get her that. But the risk of getting caught is really high. I’d think it outweighs whatever monetary gain she’d stand to get.”
“Unless she has a plan,” Jake said, unable to keep from wanting to hold her. “And believe me, Micheline always has a backup plan.”
“I’ve got to find out what it is.” Rubbing her temples, Fiona sighed. “Jake, I know we had...words earlier. But you did agree to help me, and right now I need your help. I was basically told to turn up the heat with you. Leigh is even going to send me over some more revealing clothes to wear.”
His heart skipped a beat at the thought of what she might wear. “We can work together,” he said, keeping his voice level.
“Can we?” Her gaze found his. “We’ll have to act as if we’re really into each other.”
“Act?”
This teasing question earned a smile from her.
“We’ve got that covered,” he continued. “We’ll continue on as before. And I promise I won’t bring up anything about—”
“Feelings,” she said, slightly breathless. “Not now, not yet, okay?”
Yet. That single word made him happier than he should have been. Proof once a fool, always a fool. “Sounds good.” Still deliberately casual.
“Thank you.” Her frown showed him her thoughts had already turned elsewhere. “If I’m going to find out exactly what Micheline has planned, I’m going to have to push. Try to get closer. The only way she’ll trust me enough to—”
“Stop.” Unable to help himself, Jake brushed a kiss across her lips. “I know you’ll do whatever you have to do in order to stop her. But know this. Micheline trusts no one but herself. Not even that perky coordinator of hers.”
“Leigh.”
“Right, Leigh.” He kissed her again, lingering this time. “Leigh might think she knows everything that’s going on, but I guarantee she doesn’t. Micheline will probably leave her twisting in the wind, holding the bag.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Kiss me again,” she demanded. “In case someone is watching.”
Wisely, he swallowed back a chuckle at her justification and covered her mouth with his.
For a moment, just a brief heartbeat or two, nothing else existed but the two of them.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing heavily. “You are a hell of a distraction,” she told him.
“You needed to break your focus. You were on the verge of—”
“Panicking?” Interrupting, she shook her head. “Maybe. Maybe not.” Professional Fiona had returned. “The more I hear about this, the messier it gets. I like clean cases, all wrapped up in tidy bows. Of course, the vast majority of them aren’t anywhere close to being like that.”
“And I can promise you this one will never be.” He let his gaze roam over her, allowing himself to reveal his very masculine appreciation for her sensual femininity. She blushed, which fascinated him, and cleared her throat.
“How much longer are you staying?” she asked, not even bothering to try and pretend her question was casual. He liked that about her.
He laughed. “Oh, I’m not going anywhere until this is over. No way could I go back to the ranch without seeing how this all ends. I’ve got people in place running things for me. Plus, I’m really enjoying getting to know the Coltons. They’re really good people.”
“They seemed like they were,” she agreed. “Much better than the family you formerly believed was your own.”
“True.” Cocking his head, he eyed her. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”
“I’m going to do some exploring. I need to find out what’s in the basement.”