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.Her snooty attitude and haughtiness had frankly irritated him as did her small curvy feminine form, cut out more for an aerobics instructor than his agency.She could handle herself, he gave her that much, but he resented having to put up with a woman in a man's profession.Women belonged at home to take care of the house and children, just like his wife.Not toting guns around and tracking down bad guys.She had the balls and brashness to attempt such a feat, but this time that wet-dream body wouldn't save her.He held the winning hand in a high-stakes game and would only be too happy to watch her house of cards fall into a messy pile.The reward would pad his bank account while he enjoyed watching her learn a hard lesson on why women shouldn't mess in a man's world.Both would be an early birthday present for him, one he couldn't wait to see.Chapter 11"Here's what I have thus far.It's not much, mostly circumstantial evidence." Clutching the printed pages from her purse, she laid them on Ryan's desk."Are you sure you're on the right track?" He picked up the small pile, thumbing through each page as his blue eyes scanned over the information.Of her four brothers, Lark remained closest to Ryan, for a variety of reasons.He was the nearest to her in age, a mere two years older.They'd teamed up as kids to harass the older siblings and played with one another when no one else had time or the willingness to do so.She loved her male-dominated family, but Ryan held an extra special piece of her heart."One of the team with some serious hacking skills couldn't even get through the protective walls.He said it was locked up tighter than the Pentagon, which is saying something big.""Sounds like it." He glanced up at her before resuming his investigation of the documents.He reminded her so much of their father, Jake.Tall and built, his boyish face took on a serious expression now, but at home, he glowed with amusement and mischief.Both men worked hard and used their time off to play harder.Blond hair, a couple of shades darker than her own, swept across his forehead.When amused, dimples appeared on his cleanly shaved cheeks.Jake, as well as all his children, had attended West Point.While Lark, Ryan, and Luke chose to resign from their military lives, the two oldest brothers, Marshall and Deacon, still served.In all reality, none of them had considered much else after high school.The military was all they knew as kids when their parents had packed them up and moved them all around the world as soon as the papers arrived with new orders.Despite the lack of constancy, Lark wouldn't trade the experience for anything.Not many kids visited such exotic locations, let alone lived there long enough to soak up cultures and languages.While others her age might have been playing in the streets or riding their bicycles, her family walked the Great Wall of China and enjoyed the exquisite tropical offerings of Fiji.Their mother was the exception to the military life, having attended a public university and never once considered joining the service.She'd cheered in college and had met her husband while cheering for the team playing against his.Jake, a running back at the time, had received a big shove out of bounds while carrying the ball.Unable to stop, he'd plowed her down where she had been positioned on the sidelines.Ryan placed the papers back on his desk then leaned forward, resting his elbows on a large desktop monthly calendar."It's not much.You have to have something much more concrete in order for me to even approach a judge for a search warrant."She nodded."I know and I'm working on it." Brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face, she met his gaze."You get the same feelings I do? That Thomas is the one?"For a long moment, he remained mute."Yeah, after this and what you told me, my gut says he's the one.Unfortunately, the court system doesn't operate well on just gut instinct.""Don't I know it.""You okay?" His blue eyes, a match to hers, flashed with concern."Yeah.I'm doing okay.My guardian angel is keeping me informed with notes and I notified my boss.He scolded me and warned me to call before I hit quicksand." A grin appeared."He threatened to take it out of my hide if I waited too long to ask for help from the team.""Sounds like a good man." Ryan leaned back in his leather office chair."Best boss a girl could ask for." She spoke with sincerity and truth."So, returning to the DEA full time is out of the question?" He steepled his fingers to rest under his chin.She heard the trace of worry in his voice."I'll remain on a contractual case-by-case basis, but no, I'm not going to return, at least not in the near future.What I do now makes me feel… I don't know.Alive.Like I'm actually doing some good in the world." Lark scooted closer and said in a stage whisper, "You should see all the toys.Man, oh man."Ryan chuckled, his shoulders easing for the first time since she walked into his office."You were always a sucker for a good rocket launcher.""Hey, takes one to know one," she quickly defended, knowing for a certainty the rest of her family, with the exception of possibly her mother, drooled over the latest high tech gadgets available in confidence to the military.Gathering up her purse, she stood to leave."I'll let you know if I get anything else of value."Standing, he ambled to her side before pulling her into a strong hug."You better.Call me each day and keep your head down.""I will.Promise." She lifted to brush a kiss across his cheek."Don't work too hard.According to Mom, you're supposed to be finding a wife and giving her some grandkids."He rolled his eyes."Don't you start, too."With a giggle, she strode from the room.When she returned home from the impromptu meeting with her youngest brother, Lark automatically locked the door behind her.She was still antsy with a high-profile criminal placing a fortune in bounty on her head.Normally, she handled stress well, blowing off the small stuff, absorbing the adrenaline rush, and relishing the revved-up feeling as she met the challenges involved with a dangerous mission.However, this situation proved completely different.She held very little control over when or where the bad guys might strike; the battlefront could be anywhere.From her apartment to a corner restaurant, any moment could turn to hell in a hand basket with absolutely no warning.Those fears kept her on high alert, unable to sleep at night, and weighed her shoulders down with worry.Her brother was concerned [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]