Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(18)
Author: Gena Showalter

"You have no idea," he muttered.

Yeah, I did. John carried some of the biggest secrets in the world. Where scrims were imprisoned, who worked undercover in the paranormal underground, where agents – and their family members – lived. In the wrong hands, that kind of information could place everyone I loved on some scrim’s kill list.

"So why didn’t Memory Man take Rome’s PSI knowledge when he had the chance?" I asked. "He left those memories alone."

"Only he knows the answer to that." Pensive, Cody rubbed at his scalp. "With Desert Gall now at the helm of the OASS empire, Pretty Boy’s plan to destroy us is alive and well, even if Pretty Boy himself isn’t. We need to follow every lead, not just focus on Memory Man. In those papers I mentioned, there was a reference to Big Rocky Spring Water."

"What reference?"

"Some sort of coded message, I think. ‘You’ll never be thirsty at Big Rocky.’" Hard to argue with that statement, no matter what secret message it might contain. I loved me some Big Rocky. Fresh and crisp with no chemical aftertaste. "What does a major water company have to do with those disgusting scrims? Could one of the employees be a potential target? Or maybe an asset of some kind?"

"I don’t know, but I plan to fly to their headquarters in Colorado and find out." I didn’t have to ask how he’d get answers. His usual method was to sleep his way through a company until he learned all he could about it and its employees.

Yet another reason he shouldn’t be allowed near Sherridan. Even if he were dating my friend, he wouldn’t walk away from a target’s bed if sleeping with her was necessary.

"All right. Hop a flight, but stay in contact with me. I want to know what you know, when you know it.

I’ll expect daily updates," I added so that he couldn’t feign ignorance later.

He saluted me, the smart-ass. "Aye-aye, Captain. That was my plan, anyway. John and I already talked."

Of course they had. John might have told me I was in charge of this case – to keep me from threatening to quit, again, I’m sure – but I knew the truth. Even though I held the title of Special Agent in Charge, Cody and Rome were the ones calling the shots. In John’s eyes, at least. Still. I planned to do things my way.

"Give me your list of prisoners to interview," I said. "I’ll do it for you." Well, Tanner and I would.

Tanner, my human lie detector, would find the answers that I, novice that I was, couldn’t hope to find with written, detailed instructions and a GPS tracker.

"I’m a few steps ahead of you, Wonder Girl. While you were arranging your flowers, I stuffed the list in your purse."

As he spoke, a wicked gleam entered his eyes. What else had he done to my purse? With Cody, a girl never knew.

The front door creaked open, preventing me from asking. Footsteps echoed, and then the door banged closed. Voices drifted into the kitchen.

"I can’t believe you’d nail Lexis over Jessica Alba. Jessica’s hot!" Sherridan said. "I’m not a lesbian, but even I’d do her."

"Yeah, but – wait. What? Details, woman," Tanner said. "I need details. Start with how you’d strip her and end with her smiling and saying thank you."

Cody groaned as though he were in pain. "Are you sure I can’t take her out? Girl-on-girl crushes are my favorite, and I’d like to hear more about hers."

Men! "I’m sure," I told him. More loudly, I called, "We’re in here." The footsteps quickened. Then, "Oh, look at the pretties!" Sherridan cooed as she brushed past me to smell the orchids. "Who sent? Rome? Has he finally come to his senses, the jackass? Or maybe his amnesia has a silver lining. It wasn’t like he was this considerate when he was using half his brain rather than none of it."

"I wish, but no." Bastard. "They’re from a secret admirer."

"Maybe Sherridan sent them," Tanner said, leaning against the entry frame. Did my heart good, seeing him so relaxed. "Since she’s into girls and all."

Cody gave another of those groans.

Both Tanner and Sherridan faced him. Tanner nodded in acknowledgment. Sherridan puckered her brow in confusion.

"Hey," she said in greeting. "I’m Sherridan, Belle’s friend. And you are…?" Was she serious? "Uh, Sherridan. You’ve met him. In John’s office. Even a few times in passing before that." I glanced from her to Cody, Cody to her. Her features registered disbelief. His registered embarrassed irritation. "Remember?"

She frowned, bit her bottom lip. "I’m drawing a blank. Are you sure he was in the office?" Was everyone in my life destined to suddenly forget pieces of their own?

"I was there," Cody answered for me.

Ouch. He sounded pissed.

"Sure, sure, I, uh, recall now." Sherridan laughed, probably to cover her lie, and damn if it wasn’t a good look for her. Her cheeks glowed a rosy shade of pink, and her blue eyes sparkled. Tall and curved as she was, she could have been a goddess or an Amazon come to passionate life. Had to make her total disregard hurt Cody’s ego.

He turned to me. "I see we didn’t need to have this conversation after all."

"What conversation?" Tanner asked.

I patted Cody’s cheek as I said, "I’ll tell you later, Crazy Bones."

"Belle." It was a warning unlike any I’d heard from Cody before. "I thought we were speaking in confidence."

"When did I ever give you that impression?" I said, all innocence. "I tell Tanner everything."

"Some things a man likes to keep private."

"Like what?" Sherridan asked.

Cody gritted his teeth. "I’m out of here. I’ll call you tomorrow, Belle. Maybe." He didn’t wait for my reply, but stalked from the kitchen, then the house, the door slamming behind him.

"You are such a liar," Tanner said.

I gasped in affront. "I told the truth! I do tell you everything."

"Not you. Her." His gaze slid to Sherridan, who was squirming in place.

"What?" she asked, projecting the same innocence I had.

"You can’t fool Mr. Sensitive." He’d chosen the name himself, and it always made me laugh. "You totally remembered him."

"You did?" I stared at her, wide-eyed. How dumb was I, not to have known that? "You sly little hooker, why’d you pretend you hadn’t? And don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I’m impressed." She crossed her arms over her ample chest and grinned. "Clearly he’s a player. I mean, I remember you told me he even romanced the silver foxes at your dad’s assisted-living center when he was on guard duty."