Sweet Justice by Christy Reece Page B

attendant his bag, grabbed a cup of coffee from the table, and then sat down several seats away. Without acknowledging anyone, he lowered his head and proceeded to read the documents in the folder he’d brought with him.
    Seth got the impression that the black-haired, silver-eyed operative was a loner. In yesterday’s meeting, though he’d asked pointed questions and offered intelligent observations, he’d engaged in no small talk or joined in conversations with anyone. Solitude surrounded him like an impenetrable shield.
    “We set?”
    Seth watched as Honor made her way down the aisle to them, and swallowed past an immediate dryness in his mouth. He’d spent five long years trying to forget that loose-hipped walk that somehow exuded both competent professionalism and gorgeous, sexy femininity. Dressed in another pantsuit, this time navy blue and just as serious-looking as the one she’d worn yesterday, paired with a white blouse with ruffles. One of the many things he’d loved about her was the paradox between her professional persona and the woman outside the job. As his lover, she’d not only been feminine and sweet, she’d been the sexiest and most giving woman he’d ever known.
    “All set,” Aidan answered.
    Jared Livingston lifted his head, offered a grim nod, and went back to reading.
    Seth gave her a nod, too, and then, forcing himself to look away, pushed the past where it belonged. Last night, he’d spent considerable time lecturing himself about working with Honor. A lecture he fully intended to remember and abide by. And her behavior yesterday was an indication that she’d put the past behind her, too. She’d been professional but pleasant. Seth told himself he could do the same. Okay, so the pleasant part would require some work, but dammit, he would try.
    Lifting his gaze from the folder whose contents he had memorized, Jared Livingston turned to the window to watch the building’s blur as the jet taxied, then zoomed down the runway for takeoff. This was his favorite part of flying … the exhilaration of speed. Damn, he loved that belly-dropping moment when the wheels went up.
    Though he enjoyed that moment, he was also aware of what the other occupants of the plane were doing. Aidan was pretending that flying didn’t bother him by cracking a wise-ass comment. Jared had come to work for LCR six months ago, and one thing he’d learned about Aidan Thorne was that you should never believe the surface of the man. Behind that cocky grin and bad-boy demeanor lay secrets. But that was Aidan’s business. Digging deeper and knowing the man better wasn’t on Jared’s agenda. Who didn’t have secrets?
    Eyes still on the blurring view outside the window, Jared turned his attention to Honor Stone. He’d met her a half dozen times and had worked one rescue with her. She seemed competent, if a bit too soft. Since she’d been an FBI agent and had dealt with some seriously dangerous criminals, he assumed the softness was a façade. Again, everyone had their secrets.
    Seth Cavanaugh sat to the right of Stone and was doing his best to act as if he wasn’t totally aware of her. They had a past. Didn’t take a genius to see that or to know that the chemistry was still there. Jared saw past the chemistry to the hurt both of them refused to acknowledge. Their story wasn’t over.
    The jet leveled out. The small jolt of excitement over, Jared returned to the file for Missy Meads. He’d be interviewing her employer and people who knew her in Indiana before he went on to Michigan to interview Karen Hatcher’s family and friends.
    Last night, he’d spent hours on the files … knew them by heart now. However, Missy Meads’s story continued to draw him back to her. Each time he read it, the details made him angrier. How the hell could a young girl be gone for two frigging weeks and no one report her missing? He knew the answer, but it only infuriated him more. Truth was—nobody gave a damn.
    No family;