“And?”
“And I feel like I’m never going to be able to resume my normal life again.”
He brushed his lips along her neck. “Nonsense. I told you this will all be over soon.”
Marin pulled out of his embrace. “But I don’t even know whatthisis.” Tears welled in her eyes.
Griffin took the pot from her hands and guided her over to the table. “Sit,” he commanded.
When she did, he picked up the dish towel and began drying the pot. “What do you want to know?”
“You and Agent Morgan said the creepy guy I saw on the stairs was after me. But who were those guys who attacked us today?” She swallowed roughly. “The one I killed.”
Sighing, Griffin put the pot away and sat down beside her. “They were speaking Greek. If I had to guess, they’re part of a counterfeiting ring.”
“Counterfeiting ring? How do they fit into this? I thought you were investigating art thieves?”
“I work for the Secret Service’s Criminal Investigations Division. We concentrate on ferreting out counterfeit bills within the US monetary system. And the crooks who print them. Most people don’t realize that was the agency’s original mission when it was created. For the past couple of years, I’ve been working out of the New York office taking down the money makers.”
“You went there after you left the President’s protective detail?”
Griffin tensed at her question. He wondered how much she knew. Given her friendship with the First Lady and the head housekeeper at the House, he guessed she knew the entire sordid story. He nodded.
“And you work with Agent Morgan?”
He tried not to flinch at Leslie’s name. The last thing Griffin wanted to do was to discuss his and Leslie’s colleagues-with-benefits relationship with Marin. Even if it was in the past. “On this case, yes. She heads up the FBI task force. We’ve been trying to track down a ring of counterfeiters responsible for flooding the US with fake hundred dollar bills. They have ties to a crime family in Greece.”
“But they steal art, too?”
Griffin scrubbed a hand down his face. “Apparently. This gang’s claim to fame is a person known as The Artist. He makes the bills look unbelievably realistic. We had no idea The Artist was forging art until we stumbled on the originals from the White House.”
“Agent Morgan said that your only clue was a White House dish towel. And that led you to me. Why?”
Was it his imagination or was she getting defensive? He decided she deserved the truth.
“Several of the money laundering drops occurred at Chevalier hotels.”
Marin’s mouth dropped open. “What? Does my grandfather know that? My brother Sebastian is going to freak out.”
“We were never able to link anyone at the hotels to the counterfeiters, Marin. It was all circumstantial as far as we can tell.”
She stood up abruptly. “Then if everything was circumstantial, why was I the prime suspect?”
Griffin didn’t have a ready answer to offer her. At least one that he wanted to admit. After a few moments of charged silence, she turned for the front cabin with a huff.
“Wait.” He wrapped his fingers around her wrist before she could storm past him. Sighing heavily, he tugged her onto his lap. “I told you before, I was attracted to you the moment I saw you,” he admitted. “I concentrated on you as a suspect because I wanted to be near you. Plain and simple. And that’s definitely not the way we’re trained to conduct an investigation.”
“Why did you leave me that night?” she whispered.
Jesus, she wanted her pound of flesh.
He swallowed roughly. “Because you scare the hell out of me, Marin.Thisscares the hell out of me.”
Her mouth curled up into a contented smile as her body relaxed into his. “Because I’m irresistible?”
“Something like that,” he replied.
“Well, you’re pretty irresistible, too, you know.” Her hand traced a path down his bare stomach.