Sex, Lies and Surveillance Read Online Free Page A

people whisper her name in reverence.
    But Mal’s partner had been killed by one of Carabini’s guns. If the DeMarcos were even remotely connected, he’d take them down. If the DeMarcos were dirty, he’d find their weaknesses, their secrets. He’d expose them, make them pay.
    He was damn good at his job. He was so damn good at his job, he’d been sent to do this one. Hell, for all intents and purposes, he’d left his government job to work for the DeMarcos. If he was caught, he’d be out two jobs. And probably a few teeth, if Nic ever got hold of him.
    Those were the risks. He knew them, embraced them. Hell, he thrived on risk. But he was going to pull his hair out if he didn’t figure out how to get access to Frank and Grace’s files without getting caught.
    Maybe—
    A knock on his open door had him spinning around.
    Frank DeMarco stood there, leaning against the doorjamb.
    And Mal literally snapped to attention. Old habits.
    “Yes, sir. How are you, sir?”
    Frank’s mouth tilted at the corners.
    “At ease, Malcolm. Is this a bad time?” Frank gestured toward his desk and, for a second, Mal wondered what the man saw there. Hell, maybe the guy read minds.
    “No, sir. Did you need something?”
    “No, just stopped to say hi. Can I come in?”
    Son, you’re an idiot. The man just had his chest cracked open—
    He waved Frank into his office. “Of course, sir. Please, have a seat.”
    With a nod, Frank walked in, his gaze taking in everything in two seconds flat as he shut the door behind him.
    Christ, what the hell was the man looking for?
    To say Frank DeMarco intimidated him was an understatement.
    At sixty-six, Frank retained the bearing of the decorated army officer he was. His features were remarkably similar to Nic’s but his once dark hair was now peppered with silver.
    Mal had met Frank at his first interview, but the DeMarco patriarch didn’t spend a lot of time in the office anymore, thanks to his recent heart surgery.
    Frank seemed to have recovered just fine, but the worry he’d seen in Janey’s eyes whenever she talked about her dad made Mal take a closer look at the man for weakness.
    Unfaltering steel-blue eyes. Straight slash of a mouth.
    Nope, the guy still intimidated the crap out of him.
    Nodding a greeting, Mal let his genuine surprise show. “How are you, sir?”
    “Not bad, not bad.” Frank waved to the chair next to him. “Sit down.”
    Mal caught his eyebrows before they shot up. Shit. Had they discovered why he was here? What had tipped them off? What—
    Don’t go off half cocked now, son. The man didn’t even speak yet.
    Mal let his gaze slide away from Frank’s, not having to fake his unease, which was completely in character.
    “So,” Frank said, “you settling in okay? Anything you need? Any questions?”
    Mal’s radar blipped. Frank had the reputation for being a top-notch investigator and this sure sounded like the beginning of an inquisition.
    Mal put on his best computer-geek grin. “Everything’s fine. It’s been an adjustment, sir, but a good one.”
    “Good, glad to hear it.” Frank nodded, settling himself more comfortably on the chair. Like a man with a mission. “We really haven’t had much time to talk since you started. But Grace has good things to say about you. So does Janey. She’s pretty impressed with you.”
    Damn it, that shouldn’t mess with his head. But anything to do with Janey made him hypersensitive. He just couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was—
    Abruptly, he realized Frank had asked him a question. Backtracking, he tried to find it in his overloaded brain but couldn’t.
    “I’m sorry, sir.” He grimaced, hating to look the fool in front of this man. “I missed that.”
    “I asked how you like working here.” Frank repeated.
    For just a second, Mal wished he could answer, “Fine, sir. I’m enjoying it,” and mean it. He said the words anyway, and Frank nodded.
    “Good, because we’re happy to have you. How are