The Girl Next Door (Shadow Agents #6)(22)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Her temples were pounding.

She turned away from him. There were other leads to follow. Actually, Hugh had just given her the best lead possible. She might not be able to print the story about the EOD—not yet, anyway—but now she knew where to start digging.

She just needed to get the right shovel and to dig in the right place.

There were plenty of skeletons buried in D.C. Skeletons and secrets. Time to unearth them.

* * *

“WE HAVE A PROBLEM,” Cooper said, voice low, as he held his phone in a too-tight grip. “Hugh Peters knows about the EOD. He’s in a closed-door meeting with Gabrielle right now, and he’s telling her about us.”

The line was quiet. Dead silent. “I’ll take care of Peters,” Mercer finally said. There was a lethal menace in the director’s voice.

“What about Gabrielle?”

“Find out how much he’s told her. Then we’ll see if containment is necessary.”

Containment? No. “She’s just trying to help,” Cooper heard himself saying. “She wants justice for the victims. She’s not trying to take down the organization.”

“Marshall…” Now curiosity had entered Mercer’s voice. Emotion of any kind in Mercer’s tone was unusual. “Just how close are you getting to the reporter?”

Not close enough.

Cooper glanced up then because he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The curvy blonde, Penelope, was strolling toward him with a wide smile. He bit back a curse. Like he needed this now. “I’ll update you ASAP.” Then he ended the call. Mercer would make sure that Hugh didn’t spread any more stories, and as for Gabrielle—

Over Penelope’s shoulder, Cooper saw Hugh’s office door open. Gabrielle stood on the threshold.

“Hello, again,” Penelope said. Penelope Finn. He’d glanced down at the nameplate on her desk when he’d been trailing Gabrielle into Hugh’s office.

Penelope lifted her hand toward him. “I didn’t catch your name before.”

Because he hadn’t thrown it at her. He’d been too concentrated on Gabrielle. And I still am. “Cooper.” Quickly, he shook her hand. Then he tried to step around her so that he could catch Gabrielle’s attention.

Penelope sidestepped, keeping her body in front of his. “I was about to cut out for an early lunch. Want to join me?”

Just then, Gabrielle glanced his way. Gabrielle frowned when she saw just how close he was standing to Penelope. He was pretty sure that Gabrielle shook her head in disgust, right before she turned away and headed for the door that led to the stairwell.

“Wait!” Cooper called out.

“Oh, I’ll definitely wait for you,” Penelope promised him.

She couldn’t be serious.

“I’m with Gabrielle,” he said flatly, because that was all he needed say. “Enjoy your lunch.”

Her jaw dropped, but then she gave a little laugh. “Good, very good response.”

He didn’t have the time to try to figure out that woman. He just skirted right around her. He rushed across the room and caught the stairwell door just as it was swinging closed.

He heard the clatter of Gabrielle’s footsteps. Rachel had brought her a pair of high heels that morning, and it sounded like Gabrielle was trying to race away in them. He jumped down the stairs and caught her, locking his fingers around her wrist. “Partner—” he stressed the word “—just where are you going?”

“Digging,” she mumbled. “Going to find my shovel and dig.”

What? He pulled her closer, positioning them into the shadows under the stairs. As far as privacy went, this place was their best bet. “I want to know what your boss told you.”

She bit her lower lip.

I want to bite it.

He shoved the thought back into the darkness of his mind. Later, he could try to get that delectable mouth beneath his again. At that moment, he had to find out if the EOD agents had been compromised.

Gabrielle shook her head. “I don’t want to risk you. This thing…it’s bigger than I thought. If possible, even more dangerous.” She tugged her arm free from him. “The partnership was a bad idea.”

Oh, no. This could not happen. He held his body perfectly still. “I thought the partnership had saved your hide a few times. Your boss was the one just saying you needed a bodyguard.”

“But who protects the bodyguard?” Gabrielle asked, voice sad and a little lost. “I didn’t think about the risk to you. I was only concerned with myself. I can’t do that anymore. I can’t put you in jeopardy.”

She was protecting him? He hadn’t needed protection, not since he’d been a kid.

A scared teenager, clinging tightly to his mother’s hand and begging her not to leave him. The memory flashed through his mind. There had been tears in his mother’s eyes. She’d promised him, promised, that no matter what, she’d always be with him.

His mother had lied. Before night had fallen, she’d been gone.

He’d been alone. No father. No grandparents.

Alone.

“I’m sorry, Cooper,” Gabrielle told him. “But this is where we end. I’ll pay you for the time you helped me.”

Back to payment? A growl rose in his throat.

“You can’t work with me any longer. There are things that you’re better off not knowing about at this point.” She headed down the stairs.

He stared after her a moment. She was seriously trying to protect him, him, from the EOD.

Right now, he hated his job.

The secrets between them weighed heavily on his shoulders, but he knew he couldn’t let things end like this.

Despite what she’d said, they weren’t even close to an end.

He stalked after her. Just as she was about to reach for the door that would take her to the ground floor, his hand lifted, and he shoved his palm against that door, making sure she couldn’t open it.

Her scent—so sweet and light, not like the cloying scent of Penelope’s perfume—teased his nose.

He bent his head closer to hers, following that tempting scent. “I’m not the kind of man who gets frightened by a little danger.”

“It’s not little.” She turned her head, met his gaze. “And I can’t let you take this risk for me.”

She was being honest. Brave. Caring. She was ripping his guts apart. He stared into her eyes, and he wanted her.

Yet the truth was that she was so far out of his league it wasn’t even funny.