The Girl Next Door (Shadow Agents #6)(20)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Playing the gentleman. What a lie.

He was sure Cooper wouldn’t keep up the act for long.

In his experience, Cooper wasn’t exactly a man known for his patience. When Cooper saw something he wanted, he took it.

Just like I do.

He and Cooper had quite a great deal in common. That similarity was why they had worked well together in the field.

They’d battled side by side.

Cooper had even saved his life.

He should have let me die.

That had been Cooper’s mistake. Now, death would come again. Only this time, Cooper would be the one to wind up in the pine box.

Chapter Six

“You can’t do this,” Cooper’s voice rumbled as he leaned over Gabrielle’s shoulder and glared at the computer screen. “If you publish this, it will be like waving a red flag right at the killer!”

Gabrielle glanced up and found him just inches away from her. Close enough to kiss.

No, no, do not go there.

She jerked her gaze away from his lips. “Other reporters have already scooped me on this case! I can’t sit on the story any longer.”

It was just past 9:00 a.m. She’d given up on the whole concept of sleep quickly enough, and when Rachel had appeared with fresh clothes—Gabrielle seriously owed that woman—she’d wasted no time in rushing down to the Inquisitor’s main office.

Her home computer might have been smashed, but she still had data on file at her workstation.

“No one else,” he said slowly, seeming to force the words out as he glared at her, “is even mentioning anything about a message being written in blood. You can’t—”

“I can,” she cut him off. “I will.”

His eyes narrowed to blue slits. “You’re baiting the killer. You want him to come after you again, is that it?”

“I don’t have a death wish.” She hit Send on the file—it would be on her boss’s computer instantly. With a story this big, she had to get Hugh’s permission to publish. Hugh lived for breaking the big news. He’d probably give her the okay in five minutes flat.

“He was in your home.”

Like she needed the reminder. “I want him stopped.” She pushed to her feet.

He straightened and kept that hot, bright stare on her. “You think using yourself as bait is going to do that?”

“I’m not—”

“Harper!” Hugh’s bellowing voice cut across the room. “My office. Now.”

Wow. That hadn’t even been two full minutes. The boss did like his stories. She brushed by Cooper, slid out of her cubicle, and hightailed it to Hugh’s office. She heard Cooper following behind her, and she saw Penelope Finn’s gaze cut appreciatively to him. Penelope was the lead entertainment reporter, and the woman was always, always, styled to perfection.

Penelope leapt to her feet as they passed her desk. She was wearing a body-hugging dress that matched her golden eyes, and she zeroed in on Cooper—literally blocking him with her body. “I don’t think we’ve met,” she said.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. Typical Penelope. Gabrielle didn’t slow down to rescue Cooper. He was a big boy; he could rescue himself. Besides, her boss stood in the doorway, glaring at her.

Hugh was wearing a stark white shirt that emphasized his coffee-cream skin. Hugh considered himself a master of style, and the guy had been known to charm his way into any and every closed-door meeting in D.C.

But, beneath the charm, a real bulldog lurked.

She loved that about him. After all, Hugh had been the one to teach her everything that she knew about reporting.

“No, we haven’t met,” Gabrielle heard Cooper say flatly to Penelope. “Sorry, but excuse me.”

Then, before she could reach Hugh, Cooper’s fingers closed around her shoulder.

Gabrielle glanced back.

“You can’t go live with that story,” he told her.

“No,” Hugh said, voice still a bellow even though they were about five feet from him. “She can’t.”

The charm certainly wasn’t in effect then.

Jaw dropping in surprise, Gabrielle whirled back toward her boss. “You’re not serious.”

“Dead serious.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “My office, Harper, now.”

Definitely no charm.

She stumbled into his office.

Cooper tried to come with her.

Hugh stepped in his path. Cooper was at least a head taller and probably seventy-five pounds heavier than her boss, but Hugh still doggedly blocked his entrance as he studied the younger man.

“Who are you?” Hugh demanded. “And why are you in my newsroom?”

“I’m her partner,” Cooper shot right back. “Where she goes, I go.”

“Is that so?” Hugh let him in the office. His dark, assessing gaze raked over Cooper. “Protection, huh? A bodyguard?” He shut the door behind Cooper, sealing them all inside. “Good.” He stomped toward his computer. “After what I just read, she can’t be safe enough.”

“Uh, she is right here!” Gabrielle barely managed to keep the words below a shout. “And what do you mean, Hugh? I can’t publish the story? It’s a huge story.”

Hugh exhaled loudly. “When are you going to realize, there are more important things than stories? Your life is on the line here.” He shook his dark head. “No, no, I’m not doing it. I’m not going to let you tell the killer you were minutes behind him last night—”

Gabrielle had to laugh at that. “He already knows. Why do you think he broke into my place?”

“Because you’re the next target on his list?”

Hugh’s words made her skin chill. “I’m not.”

“You’re smarter than that. You just don’t want to admit it, because if you do, then you’ll realize that you’re neck deep in danger.” He ran a hand over his chin. “We’ll keep some of the article. The parts that don’t yell ‘Come and get me’ to the killer.”

Her article did not yell that.

“Get a confirmation from Carmichael that we’re dealing with a serial, and we can lead with that. We’ll give him a name, something flashy and scary like the City Stalker, and we’ll—”

She could see red. Literally. “It’s not about making this guy into a celebrity. It’s about catching him!”

Hugh crossed his arms over his chest. “For me, it’s about keeping my reporter safe. Change the story. Take out the part about the message that was written in blood—hell, the cops probably want that kept off the record anyway.”