Temptation in Shadows by Gena Showalter Page A

that? He’d admired his father but hadn’t wanted to spend time with the man. He’d enjoyed other family members but had easily left them when his darkness had begun to seep into their lives. He respected Rowan, and a few other agents he worked with, but again, he could walk away if necessary. But love?
    What he felt for Gabby had to be something else. Obsession, maybe. He scowled. He didn’t like that word, either. It implied that nothing else mattered. Still, a part of him didn’t mind the thought of hisdarkness being part of Gabby’s life. He
liked
it. Wanted to share it with her. Wanted to wrap her in his shadows and float away, just the two of them.
    Want, want, want,
he thought again.
    Stop examining your feelings, pussy, and go save your girl.
Sean tossed his packages in the car, buckled up behind the wheel, and drove. He parked at the edge of the motel, angling the car so that he had a direct view of his and Gabby’s room. The sun was high and bright, chasing away most of the day’s shadows, so his coverage was minimal.
    He was not at his best at times like this, but he had to get Gabby out of that motel room and on the road within the hour. She had to be in different clothes—people were already looking for that black top and jeans, he was sure—and she had to cut all that silky hair.
    No,
he thought next. Too much did he enjoy fisting that hair. He’d get her a ball cap.
    Get busy.
He dug out his new cell and dialed Rowan.
    The agent answered on the second ring. “Agent Patrick.”
    Finally. “Guess who?”
    There was a beat of silent surprise. “Fuck! Sean. Thank God, man. I got your message. What the hell is going on?”
    “I was hoping you could tell me.”
    “We found Bill’s body, just as you said. Someone popped him up good. He managed to drive to the cabin and crawl his way inside. Probably trying to warn you. Whoever did it followed him. We found nine sets of footprints there. They’d disabled the security we set up, so we didn’t get a look at their faces.”
    Shit.
“Why was Bill shot, though? As many secrets as that man had, he was better off alive, you know?”
    “I know, and we don’t have a goddamn clue as to what’s going on.”
    Sean stiffened. “Who’s we?”
    “Me, Bentley. A few others who’ve been pulled on the case. Look, why don’t you bring the girl to Rose Briar? We’ll keep her safe while we figure this out.”
    “No. I trust you, but no one else. Bill’s death wasn’t some random accident, and he wasn’t followed just so some thugs could rob him. They shot him for a reason. And whoever was there knew Gabby and I were there, too. They wanted us.”
    “Shit.”
    “Yeah. My thoughts exactly.”
    “Think it’s the scientist who messed with her brain?” Rowan asked.
    “Maybe.” Sean pressed his head against the back of his seat, the rough material making his skin itch. “Find out what you can about him, about the other kids he fucked with, too. Maybe Bill knew something he didn’t share with us.” With the words, an idea hit Sean.
    As high up on the power pole as Bill had been, he would have documents. Top-secret documents only he had been privy to. They could very well be stored on any or all of his computers. At the office, at his home. He might have text messages and e-mails on his phone.
    First order of business, then: getting Gabby inside Bill’s house. Second . . . “Did you get Bill’s personal effects?”
    “Yeah,” Rowan said. “Why?”
    “I want his phone.”
    “That’s already been confiscated by top brass. Standard procedure, you know that.”
    “Yeah, but can you get it for me?”
    A pause. A sigh. “Yeah. Your message said you abandoned your own phone. How do you want me to let you know I’ve got it?”
    As Rowan spoke, Sean’s gaze scanned the lot. He was just opening his mouth to reply when he spotted two men slinking along the pavement just in front of the motel room doors. Both wore jeans and T-shirts, as well as jackets.