"Even with your new team?"

  "I just don't know them that well. And after the safe house location was leaked, I'm concerned about whether or not that came from us or from the other office."

  "That is concerning."

  "Tyler suggested you could be the leak. You were there, and you probably shouldn't have been because you're working for Dominic. He implied that I had made an error in judgment, and maybe he wasn't wrong about that. I never actually thought about taking Whitney there on my own, and I should have."

  "Things were moving fast," he said quietly. "But I didn't leak the location, Kara."

  She met his gaze and saw nothing but truth there. Or maybe that's what she wanted to see.

  "You don't entirely believe me," he said with disappointment.

  "I want to believe you. But someone leaked, and if it wasn't you, then it was someone on my team, which I don't want to be the case, and if it was someone in the other office where I used to work, that will be disappointing, too. I just want to be able to trust everyone."

  "Hard to do in the business you're in."

  "It is," she agreed. "But we'll see what happens. In the meantime, I'm going to trust my gut more than anyone else."

  "And what does your gut say about me?" he asked quietly.

  She didn't answer right away because her gut was saying a lot of things. "I don't know," she said, because that was easier than telling him what she did know.

  Disappointment ran through his gaze. "You do know; you just don't want to say."

  "It's complicated."

  "It doesn't have to be. Sometimes, life is a lot simpler than we think." He suddenly moved, sliding down the couch until he was right next to her, and then his hand was cupping the back of her head, his eyes asking a silent question that she could only answer in one way.

  She lifted her mouth to his, and the sparks between them ignited as soon as their lips touched. All the feelings she'd been fighting for the past few days caught fire, and the heat was too enticing to run away. She wanted to kiss him, to touch him, to connect with him on a more physical level. And while her head was screaming caution, her body was melting into his.

  After several passionate kisses, Max pulled away, this time putting the question into words. "Do you want me to stop?"

  "No," she said. "I don't want you to stop, and I don't want you to sleep on the couch." She got to her feet and held out her hand. "Come with me."

  "You're sure it's not too complicated?"

  "I'm sure it is, but I don't care," she said as he got to his feet. And then she was in his arms again, and they kissed their way into the bedroom, stripping off their clothes along the way, stopping briefly to find protection before falling into bed together and pushing all the stress and anxiety and complications away.

  Because it really was simple. She wanted him, and he wanted her, and neither of them had any idea what tomorrow would bring.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Saturday morning, Kara slipped out of bed carefully, trying not to wake Max. The mid-morning sunlight streaming through her bedroom window was bright and warm, and she felt ridiculously, foolishly happy. It was dangerous to feel this way about Max Malone, dangerous to let her guard down with a man whose past was still largely a mystery.

  But the night with him had been good. Better than good. Earth-moving.

  She pulled on a robe and padded to the kitchen, starting the coffee and opening her laptop. She wanted to get back into the case, and the judge, Michael Androni, was weighing on her mind. If their theory was right, if someone was systematically going after everyone connected to the Meridien Tower case, the judge who'd signed off on those plea deals could be next, and she needed to warn him.

  Grabbing her phone, she called her office, hoping Wes would be working today. He was not, but Kelly Moran, one of the other techs, picked up her call.

  "I need a phone number and address," she told Kelly. "For Judge Michael Androni. He presided over the Meridien Tower case seven years ago."

  "Okay," Kelly said. "Hang on."

  She tapped her fingers on the table, waiting for Kelly to come back. Thankfully, she didn't have long to wait.

  "Here it is," Kelly said, giving her phone numbers for both the judge, his wife Paula, and his clerk, Drew Emerson. She also gave her an address on Long Island.

  "Morning." Max's voice, rough with sleep, made her look up from her laptop.

  He stood in the doorway wearing only his boxer shorts, hair messed, looking unfairly attractive for someone who'd just woken up.

  "Coffee's almost ready," she said, trying to keep her voice steady as memories of the night before flooded back.

  He walked over and kissed her, soft and lingering. "You're already working."

  "I'm trying to reach Judge Androni. I just got phone numbers. I need to warn him that he might be a target."

  He nodded. "I'm going to grab a shower. Unless you want me to wait so you can join me…"

  That offer was more than a little tempting, but she managed to resist. "I really need to make these calls. It's time to get back to work."

  "Of course," he said with a nod, but she didn't miss the disappointed gleam in his eyes.

  As Max left, she punched in the judge's number. It went straight to voicemail. She left a message, then tried his wife's number. Fortunately, she answered.

  "Mrs. Androni? This is Special Agent Reid with the FBI. I need to speak with your husband about a potential threat."

  "Oh my goodness! He's not with me right now. I'm at the wedding venue. He's still at the hotel. What's going on?"

  "The wedding venue?" she echoed.

  "Yes. We're in St. Barts. My daughter is getting married today. Is my husband in danger?"

  "Not if he's in St. Barts," she said. "This is more of a New York problem, but can you have him call me?"

  "Yes, I will. You're sure he's not in danger?"

  She didn't quite know how to answer that, because there were no guarantees. "It's unlikely. Please don't stress about it. Enjoy your daughter's wedding."

  "Okay. I'll make sure he calls you back," Mrs. Androni promised.

  She ended the call, feeling relieved that the judge and his wife were out of the country. She doubted he would be targeted on an island in the Caribbean, not that she could completely dismiss that thought, but she liked the odds.

  As she debated what to do next, the sound of the shower running sent her thoughts in a different direction entirely.

  Impulsively, she got to her feet and walked into the bedroom. She knocked on the bathroom door, then pushed it open. "Want some company?" she asked, shedding her robe as she entered the steamy room.

  Max opened the shower door and beckoned her inside with a smile. "I thought you wanted to work."

  "I changed my mind," she said, stepping inside.

  "Did you find the judge?"

  "He's in St. Barts. I think he's safe for the moment. So…" She put her hand on his shoulders, pressing her body against his.

  "So…" he echoed, sliding his hands down her hips as he gave her a heart-stopping kiss that drove everything else out of her mind.

  She was fast becoming addicted to his taste, his touch, to everything about him. The reckless, passionate madness would have to end sometime soon. But not now. Not yet…

  An hour later, they were dressed and sitting at the table, drinking coffee and eating avocado toast, which were two ingredients she actually had in her kitchen. Despite the stress surrounding their relationship, she felt pretty relaxed right now. It was nice to have Max around. She could get used to this, she thought idly, then immediately told herself she definitely should not get used to it. Max had already told her he didn't do long relationships, and she'd told him that work always took priority. This was just a fling. It couldn't be anything else.

  But if she was going to make work less of a priority, he wouldn't be the worst choice: smart, handsome, sexy, knew how to drive her crazy, and was happy to do so over and over again. She flushed at that thought.

  Max also understood her in a way no one else ever had. Which didn't make sense. She'd dated a cop for a year, but even though they'd done the same job, she'd never felt as close to him in all that time as she did with Max, whom she'd known for a week.

  "What are you thinking about?" Max asked, startling her with the question.

  She looked at him in surprise, then lied, "The case."

  "Really?" he challenged, giving her a doubtful look.

  "Why? What are you thinking?"

  "That I wouldn't mind spending the day in bed with you."

  Her body shivered at that thought. "I can't. I want to. But I can't."

  "Yeah, I know. But you asked what I was thinking, and I told the truth. You didn't."

  "We need to stop…this, whatever this is, and focus. In fact, maybe you should go home. You're distracting."

  "Good," he said with a smile. Then he surprised her by pushing back his chair. "I'll go home and change my clothes, check in with my contacts, and also with Dominic, and then I'll be back. Because I think we work better together." He paused. "Will you still be here?"

  "Probably. If I go out, I'll text you." She met his gaze. "I think we work well together, too. But we need to actually work."

  "We will," he said. "I want to close this case as much as you do." His jaw tightened, his gaze taking on a faraway expression.

  "Because it might tie to Qadir?" she asked.

  "Well, that would certainly be one reason, but not the only one. I'd like to clear Dominic, too. Make sure he's not the next target. Because he's certainly friends with many people who appear to be on that list."

  She nodded, but as he left, she couldn't help wondering if Dominic was on the list or working the list. But that didn't really make sense. What on earth would Dominic have to gain by blowing up buildings in the city? And he hadn't lost anyone in the Meridien Tower fire. But it was interesting that he was friends with two people who might have a motive for revenge. She needed to find out more about Harry Faulkner and David Hartford.

  Max couldn't stop thinking about Kara. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had been on his mind so much and so often. He'd thought after the night they'd had, the edge would be off, but that wasn't the case. He just wanted her more. But she was right. The night was over, and he needed to get his head together.

  After changing clothes, he texted Reza, who told him to meet him at St. Mark's Church, which was a few miles from his house. On the way, he called Kai, who had left him several messages in the last twenty-four hours.

  "Finally," Kai said. "Where have you been, or do I need to ask? The pretty FBI agent seems to be your best friend these days."

  There was a tart note in her voice. "Jealous?" he asked, knowing that wasn't the case since Kai had just told him she was moving in with a woman she'd met a few months earlier.

  "Annoyed," she returned. "I don't like to be ignored."

  "What's up?"

  "I've been looking into Costa and the Novik brothers as you requested, and last night Elias Costa died in a solo car crash in southern Maine," she said.

  His pulse leapt. "Seriously?"

  "Someone is cleaning up or taking over," Kai said. "Have you talked to Reza again?"

  "On my way to meet him now."

  "What about Dominic? What does he have to say about what's going on?"

  "I'm going to talk to him today, too. He's very concerned."

  "He should be," Kai said. "And not just about what's happening here. I spoke to Milos," she added, referring to a mutual friend of theirs still with the agency. "He said things are heating up in Tajikistan around Dominic's project."

  "What else is new?"

  "What's new is that Malik Azrani was in Tajikistan last week."

  Excitement ran through him at that piece of news. "Which means Qadir might be there as well. This is good. This was the plan. Flush him out, take him down."

  "But you're still going to make sure that Dominic doesn't actually go. You can use his money, use his resources, use his project, but you can't risk his life."

  "You don't need to remind me of that," he said. "I have no intention of risking Dominic's life, but everyone needs to think he'll show up, that the groundbreaking will happen. So, we'll stay the course."

  "You haven't been on this course all week."

  "Well, I need to make sure Dominic is safe here, too, and at the moment, that's the priority. I don't like that Malik's brother is here. If Malik is in Tajikistan, maybe Caleb is carrying out some part of the plan here. I gotta go. I need to talk to Reza. I'll be in touch."

  After hanging up, he parked and entered the church. It was empty on a Saturday afternoon, with one older woman on her knees in the first pew. He went up the stairs and into the choir loft, where he found his old friend. He sat on the pew next to him. "Getting more creative," he said.

  Reza smiled. "Confession starts in twenty minutes. Figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone."

  "You're going to confession?" he asked with surprise. "Since when are you Catholic?"

  "Since last year, when I met someone at a mass."

  "Someone, as in a woman?"

  "A beautiful woman," Reza said. "I'm who she needs me to be."

  "Is this business or personal?"

  "A little of both."

  "What do you have for me?" he asked, more interested in Reza's information than anything else.

  Reza took his phone out of his pocket, opened his camera, and showed him a photo of a man at a train station. "Malik Azrani was in Berlin yesterday."

  "And he was in Tajikistan last weekend," he muttered. "He's on the move."

  "I checked the train schedule. Looks like he was headed to Munich."

  He studied the image. He hadn't looked at a picture of Malik in over a year, but it definitely appeared to be him. He wasn't as tall as Caleb, and his hair was much lighter, but he had the same long and lanky limbs. "He's not avoiding the cameras. He wants to be seen," he murmured. "Maybe to get us away from Tajikistan. Or to make us think he's going somewhere in Europe, somewhere that isn't the US."

  "That was my thought," Reza said. "But none of my sources seem to think he's headed to the US or that he's involved with Caleb. The brothers were estranged a long time ago. Caleb is eight years younger than Malik. When their parents divorced, Caleb went to the US; Malik stayed in Istanbul with his father. Caleb hasn't been on anyone's radar until now. I don't know if he's working with his brother or making his own name."

  He nodded. "I'm going to find out." He got up. "Thanks. And good luck with that confession. I hope the priest doesn't have a heart attack."

  Reza smiled. "I'll go easy on him."

  He smiled back and headed down the stairs. He'd wanted information, and he'd gotten it, but he wasn't sure what to do with it. When the café bomb had gone off, he'd never imagined it could be tied to anyone connected to Qadir, but maybe this wasn't about the Meridien Tower at all. Maybe it was about Dominic.

  Maybe it was about him…

  It was a little past noon when Max showed up with deli sandwiches, chips, side salads, and a couple of cookies. Kara was almost as happy to see the food as she was to see him. Oh, who was she kidding? He won hands down.

  She smiled to herself as she unpacked the food. And smiled even more when Max came over and stole a kiss.

  "What was that for?" she asked.

  "I was hungry."

  "Well, you did bring food," she said with a laugh.

  "I wasn't only hungry for food."

  Her stomach fluttered at the sexy banter, reminding her how long it had been since she'd shared this happy feeling of attraction and intimacy. "Well, I think food is the only option right now," she said, giving him a stern look. "Work, remember? Did you get information from your contacts? Did you speak to Dominic?"

  "Dominic is attending an overnight executive retreat at a very private, very exclusive lodge in the Hudson Valley."

  "Who's at the retreat?" she asked with interest.

  "I believe Caroline Rowe and Sebastian Hanover were going to be there with some unnamed individuals, who I suspect are in town for the conference on Tuesday."

  She frowned at that thought. "That could be dangerous. How secure is this location?"

  "It's very secure, and Dominic has his own security with him as well."

  "That's good. As long as you can trust the security. Didn't you say there was a breach on Dominic's last international trip?"

  A cloud crossed his expression. "I did, but that area of the world is much harder to protect."

  "Did you learn anything else?"

  "Not related to your case. I did find out that Malik Azrani, Caleb's brother, and someone who has been high up in Qadir's network was in Tajikistan last weekend and spotted at a train station in Germany yesterday."

  "That doesn't sound good for Dominic's project. But I'm not too unhappy that Caleb's brother is in Germany and not in New York." She took their food from the counter to the table and pushed her laptop to the side so they could eat. "You don't think Caleb is working with his brother or Qadir, do you?"

  "There's no evidence of that," he said as he unwrapped a sandwich. "Oh, one other thing. Elias Costa was killed in a solo car crash in southern Maine last night."

  "What?" she asked in surprise. "Seriously?"

  "That's what I was told. I'm sure your office can get the details."

  "Damn. I wasn't expecting that."

  "There's no way it was just an accident. What have you been working on?"

  It took her a minute to move her mind away from Elias Costa. She needed to have Wes find out more about Costa's death. Realizing Max was still waiting for an answer, she said, "The Meridien Tower case."

  "How's that going?"

  Before she replied, she took a bite of her turkey sandwich. "This is good," she said happily. "I was just thinking I was hungry when you showed up with a banquet of food. You must have read my mind from afar."

  He gave her a lazy smile. "My mind-reading skills are not that good. I was hungry, too. So, have you learned anything new?"