Dark (Beautiful Ashes #1)(28)
His grip loosened more and she broke free, taking off at a full sprint, but not before she heard, “Keeley.”
At a safe distance now from the man who had grabbed her, she shot a glance over her shoulder and froze. “Oh my, God. Leith?”
She never made it to him. Unbeknownst to her, Leith was with someone else. A well-dressed man stepped into her path and she ran right into his grasp. A hand stifled her scream as her knee came up between his legs, but he wasn’t stupid and blocked the kick with his thigh. Leith joined them. “Keeley. Stop fighting. We aren’t here to hurt you.”
Something told her it was a lie, but she wasn’t quite sure if Leith meant to give her a false promise. She stayed on alert and quit fighting. The hand dropped from her mouth and she noticed Leith’s face was covered in blood. “Oh nooooo,” she gasped. “Did I break your nose?”
“Most likely,” he chuckled.
“Why didn’t you fight back?” Heaven knew the man was trained to do so. She flicked her gaze on the suit and addressed, “What the hell do you want?”
Leith stifled his laugh. “Keeley, this is Mr. Reed. He’s one of several men who head up the organization I work for.”
She studied him closer and immediately registered: Mr. Reed was about forty years of age and wasn’t looking at her in a demeaning way. He held out his hand. “How do you do, Miss Kincaid?”
Her demeanor shifted from guarded to curious as she shook his hand. “Why are you two here?” He softly chuckled. Not an unpleasant sound, Keeley noted.
“I needed to discuss business with you away from the others. Leith, of course, is privy to an assignment I’d like to offer you. That is as long as you haven’t changed your mind?” He waved his hand in front of them indicating they start walking. Around the corner was a gunmetal gray town car with a driver holding open the door. Keeley climbed in as the men followed behind her. “Let’s get right down to business.”
“Yes, please do,” she replied.
He ran his hands over his thighs before he went on, “We have a new lead. I need someone to go in and gather intel.”
“Recognizance?” Leith queried.
“Precisely.”
Keeley wasn’t all together sure she understood. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“They need to know if their source was correct on this being tied to the slave cartel we’re investigating. Simply put, we need to go in and confirm the information, or prove it false.”
“That’s why you’re not telling the team?” Keeley inquired.
“Yes. You would be correct, Miss Kincaid.”
“And if it is part of the ring you’re trying to take down, then aren’t we in danger?” she asked again, not liking the sound of that.
“It’s all dangerous, Keeley,” Leith answered. “But I won’t leave your side.”
“Will the whole team be called in if your info is accurate?”
“Of course, Miss Kincaid.”
She locked her gaze with Leith’s. “Tar?”
“No need for him or any of them to know until we go in and find out what’s going on.”
She blew out a long breath. “Okay. When?”
“Right now,” Mr. Reed answered as they approached a hotel. “You can use my room to freshen up. Appropriate attire will be there waiting for you both.”
Keeley had at least a hundred more questions to ask Leith, but they were never left alone for her to do so. After a shower, she noticed a pretty, plum cocktail dress hanging by the mirror. She styled her hair, put on some makeup, then the simple dress. As she slipped on the five-inch black stilettos, she caught a glimpse of her backside. There was nothing innocent about the low V in the back. How’d I miss that when I put it on? The slit, which traveled down to her low back, was tasteful not vulgar, and as she turned this way and that, it opened and closed. Good. She wasn’t totally off her rocker. A knock at the door broke her inner musings. “Come in.”
Leith entered in a sleek, black Armani suit. She stood there speechless. He really was quite handsome. His gaze traveled down to her toes and back up. “Whoa. You look stunning.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” Keeley said as she stepped out of the room.
Mr. Reed gave them the key people they were to look for and cozy up to at the party. She studied the photos closely with Leith. He glanced over at her. “Ready?”
“Let’s do this,” she answered.
The zing of sexual chemistry kept Keeley on high alert while they mingled in the crush. Every time Leith put his hand on her bare back she became aware of just how attractive he was. His light brown hair had a tinge of copper she noticed under the lights. His eyes were brown like hers but softer, reminding her of amaretto. She followed his lead toward a back room, instantly spotting several men from the pictures she’d seen earlier. One in particular couldn’t stop looking at her. Something about him brought her gaze down as if waiting for permission to meet his. No, no, no. With deliberate effort she forced a glance up at him, her sable irises locking on his piercing ice blue ones. There was no warmth in the depths of those stunning eyes. Cold, calculating, he studied her as if wondering what his bid should be. Shit. She knew where this was leading and suddenly wanted to be safe in Tar’s arms. The tall man, though not as tall as Tarius, moved her direction with a predator’s grace.