“So the question is, what does Feliks want the land for?” Nick shadowed the Lincoln’s movements, careful to stay a few car lengths behind as it moved toward the exit ramp. “Feliks’s outfit runs drugs, weapons, and human traffic. He buys a lot of buildings and warehouses to keep his inventory moving. All the land he scouted today is west of Dulles, within close proximity to the airport and two major interstates, but far enough from the city to stay under the radar. Good for flying merchandise in, and then trucking it out.”
My stomach turned at the idea of my children’s soon-to-be stepmother sleeping with this man. “He sounds like a real winner.”
“Believe me,” he said as the Lincoln circled into the real estate parking lot. “I’d love nothing more than to put Feliks Zhirov away for the rest of his life.”
“Is that why we’re here?”
Nick barked out a laugh. “I’d have a better chance of winning the lottery than landing Feliks Zhirov in prison. We’re here because every ounce of Zhirov’s business is dirty and dangerous. And if Theresa’s working for him in any capacity, then she’s already in over her head.” We watched Theresa get out of the car alone and disappear inside her office. Nick didn’t follow the Lincoln as it pulled out into traffic again.
“Shouldn’t we be following him?”
Nick gave a thoughtful shake of his head, his eyes glued to the door of the office. “We’ll learn a lot more following Theresa. I find it a little too convenient that she’s a person of interest in a murder investigation while she’s acting as Feliks’s agent.”
“You mean a missing persons investigation,” I corrected him.
“If it looks like shit and smells like shit, it’s probably shit,” he deadpanned. “We found Patricia Mickler’s Volvo at the bottom of the Occoquan Reservoir last night.”
“Are you sure it was hers?” The car I’d seen in Patricia’s garage had been a Subaru.
“Her personal effects were inside, and the VIN was a match.” I sank back, a queasy feeling stirring in my stomach. Nick shrugged. “Harris and his wife will eventually turn up. Bodies always do.”
I rested my head against the cold glass. Harris’s body turning up was exactly what I was afraid of.
Nick reached over, gently tugging the string of my hoodie. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I promise.” His hand slid over mine, his thumb tracing slow circles over my knuckle. This was wrong. I couldn’t get involved with Nick. It would only complicate things.
“Nick,” I said, turning in my seat to face him. “About earlier. I think maybe…” My thought trailed as a flash of red caught my eye.
Nick’s head started to turn, following the direction of my stare as Aimee came through the vestibule door in a bright red scarf with Theresa at her side. If Nick spotted Aimee and recognized her from Harris’s photos, this could all go very, very wrong.
I clamped a hand over my face. “Oh, crap! I think I’ve got something in my eye.”
Nick whirled back to me, ducking closer to see as he gently pried my hand away. “You okay?”
“I don’t know.” I squeezed one eye shut hard enough to make it water. I struggled to see past Nick’s head with the other as Theresa and Aimee dropped into Theresa’s car.
“Here, let me look at it.” Nick took my face in his hand, delicately drawing down my lower lid with his thumb. My breath caught as he tipped up my chin. Our eyes locked and held. His thumb trailed down, caressing a tear from my cheek.
“Better?” he asked quietly.
“I think so,” I breathed.
Nick’s eyes closed. He leaned in, closing the narrow gap between us. I might have forgotten about Theresa and Aimee altogether when his mouth grazed mine.
This was nice. This was … so much better than good. Oh, hell.
His tongue skimmed past my teeth. My fingers slid into his hair, and the seat-belt latch pressed into my hip as our bodies met over the console. He made a hungry sound deep in his throat, his fingers digging into the seams of my jeans before roaming under my sweatshirt and spreading across my back.
Holy mother, it had been a long time since I’d made out in a car. I arched into him, shutting out the voice in my head that said I was going to regret this.
His breath was ragged against my neck. “I want to take you in the back seat right this minute. But if I do, your sister’s going to shoot me.” He gave me a last lingering kiss that made my toes curl and left me panting. “Now,” he said as he nuzzled my ear, “what happened in the parking lot a minute ago that you didn’t want me to see?”