“It’s nice to meet you.” Even as the words emerged from his mouth he was imagining her body under the silky blouse and tight skirt.
What the fuck?
“What can we do for you?” Nick asked.
“You could provide access to your records. If you want to play nice, that is.”
Nick smiled. “You have a search warrant, I assume?”
Her own smile was cool. “Not yet.”
“I can call our lawyer, but I’m guessing she would advise against it. You know how lawyers are. Of course, once you have a search warrant, we’ll be more than happy to comply,” he said.
Her eyes were appraising in the silence that followed. He had to hand it to her: she was one cool customer.
“I do,” she said. “Know how lawyers are, that is."
She looked away, letting her gaze travel the room. Nick tried to see it from her vantage point: the conference table and chairs, the projector they used for digital presentations, the sideboard that held drinks and refreshments when they met with clients.
Everything was as it should be. The offices of MIS could have been offices for any legitimate mid-size business in Boston.
She looked at Ronan and Julia, then turned her otherworldly eyes on Nick. “It was nice meeting you.”
She headed for the door and Nick’s eyes were drawn to the perfect curve of her ass, all too visible under the fitted skirt.
She turned around. “Not planning any trips are you?”
“Why do you ask?” Ronan’s voice was steely.
“I’d advise against it. As a lawyer, I mean.”
She lifted a hand in farewell as she stepped into the hall and Nick stared after her, trying to shake the feeling that he’d just been hit by a truck.
When he finally turned to look at Ronan, his brother was glaring at him.
“What?” he asked.
Ronan shook his head and Nick was glad he didn’t follow it up with some smart-ass remark.
“That’s not a good sign,” Ronan said, back on topic.
Nick couldn’t disagree. “They’re definitely not done with us yet.”
“We’re doing all we can to be prepared,” Ronan said. “Let’s just stay focused.”
“Hey,” Julia said, walking over to Ronan and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Everything’s fine. Whatever happens, we’ll be okay.”
Nick didn’t necessarily agree. If the true nature of their business was discovered, he and Ronan and their younger brother, Declan, could go to jail for a long time. Nick had been careful about hiding their assets so hopefully Julia — and Ronan’s unborn child — would always be provided for, but that would be cold comfort with Ronan in jail.
Ronan leaned his head against Julia’s, then kissed her.
Nick gathered up his laptop. He should have been used to their PDA by now, but the last thing he needed after the unsettling visit from Alexa Nash was a peep show.
He traveled the short distance to his office, shut the door behind him, and settled in at his desk. He felt the pull of his laptop and forced himself to look at the ocean beyond the room’s glass doors. The building’s proximity to their shared house had been a key part of their decision to lease and eventually purchase the space.
But the view sure didn’t hurt.
The water was flinty and rough, whitecaps dotting its surface as waves made their way toward shore under a gloomy sky. Despite the fact that it was winter, it seemed like a bad omen, and he had to force himself to push aside the feeling that the stormy seas were a harbinger of things to come.