As she hurriedly undressed and threw on her workout clothes, she thought about Rome and what to do about him. She would just have to talk to him. Sure, they were playing lovers, but there was no need to do anything more. She would just tell him this was not going happen.
Because, if she thought about it, there was a good chance she’d definitely jump Rome’s bones. And if she did that, she would definitely end up with a broken heart.
Chapter Four
The ticking of the clock was the only sound in Rough ‘n Ready’s office after Rome explained everything. Even though the room was cool, Rome barely registered it. He was boiling hot. On one hand, he wanted the partners to accept Callahan’s idea. There was a good chance that the crazy ass plan might work. But it was that other hand that bothered him. Callahan was a competent agent. He’d checked her out that morning. He hoped that at least Evan would disagree, but Rome had known that was a long shot. Both men had been worried about the killings from the very first one and had been fully cooperative with the investigation. Their wives were well-known submissives at the club, so it was more than just protecting their name.
After a few more moments of silence, Evan leaned forward.
“You want to use the club for a sting?” he asked.
Rome knew that both partners would want all the information they could get on the operation. They might not have college degrees, but Rome hadn’t met many men as business savvy as Evan Chambers and Micah Ross. They both started out life on the wrong side of the tracks, but they knew how to build a business and how to thrive. They would also be an asset to the investigation, had been from the start.
Rome nodded. “That’s the plan. It wasn’t my idea, but there’s a good chance it could work. No one but the captain and I know she’s here to work. Her partner is going back to DC today.”
“You’re doing this outside the FBI, though. They think she’s here to observe and offer guidance, correct?” Micah asked.
Rome rolled his shoulders. “Yes.”
Micah looked at Evan. “He doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t have a choice.”
“Does he think the woman can’t do it?” Evan asked.
Micah shrugged. “Not sure. I do know he’s attracted to her.”
“Really?” Evan’s eyes widened. “He has been in kind of a dry spell.”
Rome’s irritation soared. “Hey, jackasses, I’m right here.”
They glanced at him then at each other and laughed.
He sighed, knowing they had done it on purpose to get under his skin. Ross and Chambers had grown up on the streets of Atlanta together, and their longstanding partnership allowed them to read each other well. In other words, they tended to be good at fucking with people. Especially him.
He pushed the thoughts aside and tried to concentrate on the business at hand. “I think she wants to start tonight.”
“I know she does,” Micah said. “She called Dee this morning about what she would need to fit in. She’s shopping with May and Dee right now.”
Evan raised his eyebrows. “Oh, that’s who they were shopping with this morning. They said something about how sad it was that they couldn’t make a trip to Maui Kink.”
Rome felt his temper soaring. He kept it in check—barely. “There’s no reason for that. What the hell are those two doing with her?”
Micah smiled, and Evan studied him. Rome ground his teeth together, knowing that both men were too perceptive to not pick up on the territorial note in his voice. Hell, if he could hear it, he knew they could.
“What I mean is that minimal expense needs to go into that. Knowing Callahan, she’s footing the bill for the clothing.”
“She’s going to stay at the Hilton?” Micah asked, ignoring his lie.
“No. She said something about having a rental or something from the FBI.”
And now that he said it, he realized he never asked her where she was going to be. It was a safe bet she would be out of the hotel today and in the house, and he had no freaking idea where that was. She had rattled him, and he didn’t like it one bit.
Evan tsked. “He’s not acting normal. He’s usually on top of everything.”
Micah nodded. “He was off last night, too. She really has thrown him for a loop.”
“Who would have thought some fed would come in here and mess with the ever-organized Romeo Carino?”
Rome gave Evan the finger.
“Okay, so we’ll put her name on the list. Is she using her real name?” Micah asked.
Shit. “We didn’t go into that last night.”
“What did you do last night?”
He could feel heat flare in his cheeks. Dammit, he was blushing again. He hadn’t done this much blushing since puberty hit him. No one at Rough ‘n Ready would believe it. Hell, no one at work would believe it.