Covert Pursuit by Terri Reed Page B

material. A hallway led off to the left and had three closed doors. Two bedrooms, she assumed, and a bath.
    She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but the contrasts between soothing beiges and splashes of colorpiqued her interest. He wasn’t a utilitarian type or messy.
    The walls and carpet were a soft cream broken by a dark red sectional with multicolored throw pillows strewn over its surface. A big-screen television, much like the one her eldest brother had given her parents for Christmas, served as the focal point near the sliding-glass doors, which led to a small terrace. Colorful abstract prints graced the walls, pulling the colors of the couch and the creams together.
    Various pieces of electronic equipment lay scattered over the surface of the square coffee table in front of the couch.
    She arched an eyebrow. “Is all that for me?”
    Jason laughed as he handed her a steaming mug of coffee. “Not all of it. Come sit down.”
    Holding the mug with both hands and inhaling the aromatic perfume of the rich coffee, Angie followed him to the couch and sat beside him, vividly aware of the energy coming from him. “So what does a super-secret ICE agent have in his grab bag?”
    He picked up a small disc about the size of a quarter. “This is a tracking device. Can I have your shoe?”
    She slipped off one of the soft-soled Mary Jane shoes as an uneasy feeling rose in the pit of her stomach. “Why do I need tracking?”
    “You can’t be too careful.”
    He was thorough, she’d give him that.
    He took out the insole of the shoe and placed the round disc inside and then replaced the insole beforehanding the shoe back to her. “I don’t think we’ll need it, but—”
    “Just in case,” she finished for him, not even wanting to contemplate a scenario where the tracking device would be needed. But knowing he’d have her back gave her a big dose of comfort.
    He dug through a small box. “This is a button camera with audio feed.” He held up a small unit that did indeed look like a navy button on the front, with matching coated wiring on the back and a short dark cable dangling down. “May I have your coat?”
    Setting her coffee down on the table, she shrugged out of her navy suit jacket. He cut off the top button and replaced it with the button camera, hiding the cable beneath the lapel of the coat. He held the garment up for inspection. She couldn’t tell the difference between the buttons. Impressive. “This won’t set off any alarms if they wand you.”
    He referred to a handheld metal detector. “I should probably leave my Glock with you then, too,” she said.
    “Probably wise.”
    She slipped her holster and weapon from her waistband and handed them over. Jason clipped the holster to his own waistband. Angie felt naked without her piece.
    From another small box Jason took out something that looked like a flesh-toned piece of wax. “An earpiece. You’ll be able to hear me.”
    “I’ve used these before. You’ve thought of everything,” she commented as she took the device from him. Their fingers brushed, sending small little shiversup her arm. How could such a simple touch affect her so? It didn’t make sense.
    She put the piece in her ear, wiggling it around to get it comfortable. He inspected her ear, his face close. If she turned her head, their lips would meet. She held herself still even as the urge to turn toward him gripped her in an iron fist. The last thing she needed was to make a mess of the situation by acting like a love-crazed teen. When he moved back, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d held.
    “Looks good,” he said and handed her back her coat. “Are you ready?”
    “You bet.” As ready as she’d ever be considering she was going in wired. Investigation was her forte, not acting. But she could do this. She was sure of it.
    Jason picked up a handheld device a little bigger than a PDA that blipped a red dot. He held it out for her view. “That red dot is