Deadly Intuition(16)
“You think I’m in danger?”
“I don’t know,” Grady said. “You obviously do, though.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because you immediately jumped to the conclusion that the sheriff had something to do with the shooting,” Grady said.
“I was just overreacting,” Sophie replied. “I was worked up. I don’t really think that.”
“Are you sure?”
Sophie was quiet, considering. “I think he’s hiding something. I think he could be guilty of taking the money himself. I don’t think he’s a murderer, though.”
“Okay. That doesn’t mean someone else isn’t desperate to cover up a crime.”
“And how would you figure out who it is?” Sophie challenged.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Grady admitted. “It will take some work, some investigation. I just thought you might want some help.”
“And why would I trust you?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? Grady wanted her to trust him – he didn’t know why – but he wasn’t sure how to earn that trust. “Maybe you don’t need to trust me.”
“Then why would I agree to work with you?” Sophie asked.
Grady decided professional accolades were the way to approach the situation. For now. “If I can get you information that you couldn’t get on your own, why wouldn’t you? This could be the story of the year.”
Sophie furrowed her brow. “And what would you want in return?”
“Why do you think I want anything in return?”
“Because I’ve never known anyone who does anything out of the goodness of their own heart,” Sophie said, her tone flat and even. “People always want something.”
“Does truth count?”
“No.”
“How about curiosity?”
“If you’re a reporter? Sure. You’re not a reporter, though. You’re in the security business. You work for money. Nothing else.”
Grady wanted to argue – but she wasn’t wrong. “I get why you’re suspicious,” he said. “You grew up in the system. You work in a world where people lie to get what they want, lie to you just because they can. That’s not me. That’s never going to be me.”
Sophie didn’t respond.
“Sometimes, though,” Grady continued. “People do want to help. They do want to do what they can because it’s the right thing.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that’s you?”
Grady ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “I hope so.”
Sophie didn’t answer right away. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
Grady watched her go. He knew why she was really leaving the table: She had to think. She was stalling.
SOPHIE locked herself in the bathroom stall, sitting down on the toilet and sucking in a deep breath.
There was something about Grady Hardy that tugged at her heart – and it wasn’t just because he was smoking hot. That didn’t hurt, of course. She’d imagined what was under those tight blue jeans of his more than once since she’d met him. There was something else there, something she couldn’t put a name to.
Belief in people wasn’t something she usually embraced. It took the Marconis years to chip at the wall she erected around her heart and, even now, they’d never fully managed to eradicate it.
Still, Grady Hardy had resources she could only dream of. It’s not like she was inviting him into her life – or bed. She was just working in conjunction with him. What was the harm in that?
Sophie made her decision. They could work together. They could solve the case, and then go their separate ways. She would get her story – thank Grady Hardy for his help – and then move on. She didn’t care what her hormones were saying.
When she returned to the table, Grady had cleaned his plate. He was watching her – those rich, chocolate eyes washing over her sore body – but he wasn’t pushing any agenda that she could immediately identify.
She slid into the booth and took another sip from her Diet Coke. “What do you think we should do first?”
Grady quirked an eyebrow. “We?”
Sophie felt color climbing her cheeks. “I thought … .”
“I’m just messing with you,” Grady said hurriedly. “You’re skittish. I get it.”
“I’m not skittish,” she protested. “I’m … wary.”
“Is that different?”
“Do you want to press you luck?”
Grady smiled, one of those melt-your-heart grins that tugs at the very core of a woman. “Why don’t we start with your files?”