Clearwater blinked. He’d almost forgotten what he was doing. “I’m here.”
“You won’t believe this.”
Holley was a former FBI agent who’d been hurt on the job and forced into retirement. He was pissed at the Bureau for treating him so shabbily and was now working on the opposite side of the law, making him of great value toClearwater. Although he no longer worked as an agent, he still had friends at the Bureau who trusted him.
“What won’t I believe?”
“There’s a good chance you’re looking for the same people,” Holley said, sounding amused.
Clearwater could hear the chuckle in his voice. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“That information the Bureau put out, about two federal agents on a sting operation that busted Meadows’ HT ring? I have good reason to believe it was a lie.”
“And?”
“And I’ve been connecting the dots. I have a feeling those ‘agents’ are the ME and her neighbor, the bodyguard, you’re looking for.”
Clearwater’s heart began pounding in his chest. “What makes you think that?”
“Just information I’m piecing together. But I’ll know for certain by tomorrow. The guys and I have another card game tonight. I’ll get them talking again and see what information they let slip.”
A smile touched Clearwater’s lips. He knew Holley regularly played cards with active FBI agents who kept Holley informed on what was happening in the Bureau. The fools had no clue that Holley would pass that information on to Clearwater for a price.
“I’ll look forward to your call tomorrow, Holley.”
When he hung up the phone, Clearwater was almost giddy with excitement and thought about calling Meadows. Then he stopped himself. He had to be patient and wait just in case Holley was wrong. The last thing he wanted was to give Meadows false information. But if Holley was right…
Clearwater laughed out loud at the possibility. It was the first time he’d laughed since getting word of his brother’s death. If what Holley said was true, he’d kill two birds with one stone.
Maybe today would be a good day after all.
I WANT A CHANCEto be the man who will hold your interest.
Rylee leaned back against the kitchen counter. Her breath would catch every time she thought back to Frazier Connelly’s parting words last night. It would not have been so bad if he hadn’t finished it off by tilting his mouth in a smile. Not an arrogant one, but an irresistible one. A smile that tempted her to let him be that man.
After that, she couldn’t get inside her house quick enough, worried that she would admit that she was already interested. What had made him say something like that? Had he been serious? She could see why she’d be interested in him, but to have that interest returned? It boggled her mind. Frazier Connelly was a hot commodity around town--he always had been. The man could have any woman on his arm—and often did--whenever he wanted. Women whose wealth rivaled his own and were in his social class. So why her?
That question had plagued her so much it had been hard getting to sleep last night. Every time she closed hereyes, she saw Frazier Connelly as she’d seen him last night. Dressed in formal wear, with the words ‘sexy man’ written all over him. Even as busy as she’d been with the gala, she noticed all the beautiful women who’d approached him, vying for his attention. They all seemed like his usual choice of companion, though some were bolder than others.
What was surprising, however, was that none had seemed to hold his attention. He hadn’t danced with any of them and had refused to let one claim a place by his side. The majority of the night, he’d been in the company of other CEOs, like Sheppard Granger and his wife Carson, and Sheppard’s sons and their wives. Yet whenever a woman approached him, trying to dazzle him with her smile, Rylee would admit to feeling somewhat jealous. Though why, she had no clue.
In the end, she was the one he’d walked to the door. She was the one he’d said those words to, letting her know what he wanted to do. She smiled. She’d enjoyed flirting with him, even though she knew better than to take him seriously. He’d probably woken up that morning, kicking himself for what he’d said.
At that moment her phone rang—it was Sheryl. Ireland had already called that morning, waking her up. But it had been a good thing--Rylee had been having a steamy dream about Frazier.
When Ireland had asked about the gala, Rylee had regaled her with news about how successful the event had been. Of course, she’d left out the details about how her boss had woken up her dormant libido, something she’d considered to be gone a long time ago.
She picked the phone up off the table and placed aside the newspaper she had been just about to read. “Good morning, Sheryl.”
“How did the night go? Did you enjoy riding in luxury?”
It was the same question Ireland had asked, but with Sheryl, she could get into the nitty gritty details. “Frazier Connelly came with the car, Sheryl.”
“Your boss, the hottie?”
She now regretted telling Sheryl how hot she thought Frazier Connelly was. “Yes. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and he was standing there in a tux, looking like he’d walked off the cover of aSimply Irresistiblemagazine.”
“He looked that hot?”