The Defiant Hero

The Defiant Hero Read Free Page A

Book: The Defiant Hero Read Free
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Tags: romantic suspense
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the magic words field work, Locke shook hands on the deal, resigned her commission, and went out shopping for black business suits and a pair of dark sunglasses.

    The elevator opened onto her floor, and she moved briskly down the hall, keeping eye contact with the mostly male agents to a minimum. She’d give a nod of acknowledgment if she knew them on a first-name basis. But God forbid she smile. The male interpretation of a friendly smile in the hall was somewhere between “I’m extremely interested, let’s have a drink after work” and “I want to jump your bones right here, right now.”

    She’d stopped smiling at a man—unless he was a close friend—right about the time she’d turned fifteen.

    She breezed into her office, opened the drawer of her desk, and dropped her fanny pack inside.

    Jules was already in. He’d poured her a cup of coffee and left it steaming in a mug atop her desk, bless his strange little soul. Even though it wasn’t morning, their day had just begun.

    He stuck his head in the door, and today it was quite a head. FBI Agent Jules Cassidy had gone blond. Garishly, glaringly blond, with dark brown roots.

    The dye job and the new cut made him look about seventeen years old, which was exactly the idea. With his handsome baby face and vertically challenged stature, he could gain access to places more traditional FBI suits could never get into.

    “Any word?” he asked.

    Locke shook her head, settling behind her desk. “Nothing yet.” And she didn’t want to talk about it. “That nose ring real or—”

    “Nah. You think I would risk scarring this face?” He took it off as he came all the way into her office. He was wearing a silk shirt and leather pants that were impossibly tight. Amazingly tight. If she had a thing for gay seventeen-year-olds, she’d be in big trouble. “I was doing the club circuit—the early happy hour crawl—searching for Tony Ghilotti. I forgot I had it on.”

    “Find him?” she asked.

    “Nah. Son of a bitch’s long gone. I’m sure of it. But try telling that to the boss. . . .” He gazed at her, his brown eyes concerned. “I’m the one doing double shifts, but you’re the one looks like shit. Sleep much lately, girlfriend?”

    With anyone else, she would’ve lied. But this was Jules, so she shook her head. Over the past few months, they’d worked too closely together too often to keep any secrets.

    He watched as she took a sip of her coffee. “You know, it’s got to happen soon. And your sister’s going to be all right.”

    Locke nodded and smiled because he wanted her to nod and smile. “It’s the waiting that’s killing me,” she admitted.

    “Maybe you should take some time off,” Jules suggested. “Go hang out with her—”

    “Bad idea.”

    He shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He ran his hand across the top of his head. “So. You hate the hair.”

    Locke had to laugh. “You are so vain,” she told him. “You know exactly how gorgeous you look, Mr. Fishing-for-a-compliment.”

    He grinned, turning to give her a view of his backside. “Check out my ass in these pants.”

    “Already did, thanks.”

    “And . . . ?”

    “Thanks for the coffee,” she said. “Get out of my office.”

    “Hands up! Move it! Come on, hands high—up where I can see ’em!”

    Two of the men were standing by the sinks, two—Osman Razeen and the heavyset man—were still over by the urinals. They all looked up in surprise as Meg burst into the men’s room.

    “What is this—”

    “Freeze!” she shouted, holding the gun in both hands, the way she’d seen on cop shows on TV, shifting her aim from one group of men to the other. “Don’t move, don’t talk, don’t do anything but put your hands in the air! Now!”

    Oh, God, was she really saying this, really doing this?

    It worked. Four pairs of hands went up, and the heavyset man peed on his shoe.

    His pants were unzipped and . . .

    Oh, this was just perfect.

    She waved

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