Dead No More. L. R. Nicolello

Her brown hair was pulled back into a high, messy ponytail. She wore a black tank and matching yoga pants. There wasn’t a spot of makeup on her olive skin.

      She was beautiful.

      His stomach tightened. Focus, Moretti.

      She glanced at the box of case files in his arms and grimaced. “This is the part I could’ve lived without.”

      Stepping back, she let him through the door, then closed it tightly behind them.

      “You and me both. But there’s no getting around it. We have less than three days to bring you up to speed, and we need to put together your file. Rowland will vet you, so we need your identity to be airtight.”

      “I thought you might say that,” Lily said, grinning. “I’ll be right back.”

      She disappeared into her bedroom for less than sixty seconds, then reemerged, balancing her open laptop. “Already started.”

       Of course she had.

      And that, ladies and gentlemen, was exactly why he wanted—needed, really—Lily on this case. She knew the outer workings of this game just as well, if not better, than he did, and a solid, unbreakable file was crucial to the success of their mission—and essential to keeping her alive.

      She set the computer down on the island and turned it to face him. “Take a look. Rowland is your guy, so feel free to add whatever information you feel is pertinent.”

      Derek set his box of files next to the computer and silently scanned through her backstory, checking for any inconsistencies. He found none. “Impressive.”

      She leaned against the counter, an embarrassed smile lighting her face, and shrugged. “Thanks.”

      “Now we bring in the big guns.” He reached for his phone and punched in his security code.

      “Wait, what? What are you doing?”

      “Testing to make sure this thing holds.” He punched in a number he knew by heart, held the phone to his ear and waited, grinning at the sight of Lily’s scrunched forehead.

      A soft, feminine voice answered on the third ring. “Hey, D.”

      Derek smiled at his baby sister’s nickname. Alexis didn’t call any of her brothers by their given name, hadn’t since she was old enough to talk.

      “Hey, sweetheart.”

      Confusion swept Lily’s face, and her brows arched in a silent question. He threw her a wink. She turned away, color rushing her cheeks. Derek turned his attention back to the other woman in his life. “You have a second?”

      “For you? Always.”

      “Great. I need red.” Red was their term to go secure on any line. His genius baby sister had figured out a way to scramble their calls without needing a special phone. It had saved all the Moretti brothers at one point or another.

      “Go ahead,” she said, her voice high with excitement.

      “I just sent you a file. I need you to run a background check on it, see if you can find any holes or discrepancies.”

      “Easy peasy.” Her tech skills were legendary and highly sought-after. She’d been able to hack into the FBI database without leaving any type of footprint since she was fifteen. Vetting Lily’s cover story would be child’s play for Alexis. “When do you need it done?”

      “Yesterday.”

      “How about thirty minutes?” she countered.

      “Sounds perfect. I’ll wait for the call.” He hung up and pocketed his phone.

      “Okay, I’ll bite,” Lily said. “Who was that?”

      “My baby sister, Alexis.”

      Lily’s mouth popped open. “You sent my encrypted file to your sister?”

      “Easy, tiger. There’s no one else on this planet that I’d want to make sure your file is bulletproof. Trust me.”

      “Okay, but we’re going to need something stronger than water tonight.” Lily headed to the kitchen and called over her shoulder, “What do you want, Merlot or Guinness?”

      Derek followed her movement with his eyes. What he wanted to drink didn’t matter, not when he was in the same room with Lily. Especially not with her walking around with that tight black getup hugging her curves just so, no matter how he looked at her.

      She stood on her tiptoes and reached for a glass on the top shelf, her shirt riding up, exposing her soft yet tight stomach. Oh, shit. “Guinness.”

      Lily obliged and rejoined him at the island, handing him his chilled beer and staring down at the overflowing box. He took a sip of the frothy liquid and watched as she grabbed half the case files and, bypassing the table, plopped herself on the floor. Without a word she spread the files out, arranging them and rearranging them, and finally made herself at home on the floor among the information.

      As she caught her lower lip between her teeth, he couldn’t help but stare. She flipped through Rowland’s folder, stopped, turned back a page and frowned. Tossing the file aside, she bent forward and stretched for a file just beyond her reach. The neckline of her tank fell open slightly, revealing a sexy, black lace bra. Derek did a double take, staring at the soft feminine form playing peekaboo with his libido.

      He scrubbed his hands over his face and swallowed hard, unable to focus. He couldn’t believe he was in the same room with Lily instead of watching her through a scope. He cringed inwardly. That sounded creepy. He took a swig of his beer. It was the truth, though, wasn’t it?

      What had started as a simple mission directive—keep an eye on Lily Andrews—from Director Kennedy months ago had turned into something more. Much more. At least for Derek. He’d have to be a dead man not to notice her sex appeal, her strength and dogged determination, or how—despite the shit life had handed her—she attacked each new day with a fresh vigor, which surprised even Derek.

      But he wasn’t dead.

      He was alive and kicking...and every cell in his body went on full alert whenever she was near.

      Now he wanted to know everything about Lily—not just what he could see through a scope. He wanted to know what made her tick. What went on behind those mesmerizing hazel eyes when they locked on to a target. It was almost as if a nebulous star had exploded within them: a rich chocolate hue warmed to a honeyed gold before giving way to an exotic teal green. He glanced over at her and was surprised to see her quietly studying him. For a moment, he got lost in the vibrancy of her gaze.

      Color kissed the tops of her mile-high cheekbones as she looked away.

      Yeah, he wanted to know everything about her, all right. He took a swig of his beer. But was the feeling mutual? How much would she let him in? Would she be honest with him about George? Ben? Jackson?

      “Tell me about your doorman.”

      Lily’s head snapped up, and she slowly set down the file in her hand. “George? Why?”

      She reached for her glass and took a sip.

      “Because he’s one of us.” Derek kept his tone casual, curious to see what tale she’d weave. He could easily go to the director and gain access to both men’s files, as it pertained to the case, especially now that Lily was part of it, but Derek posed the question to see how much of the internal wall she’d constructed he’d be able to dismantle. He wanted—needed, really—Lily to share, let him in. To trust. So he pushed harder. “So is Ben.”

      She choked on her wine. Carefully placing the glass down, a nervous laugh escaped her lips. “You don’t miss much, do you?”

      “Part of what makes me so good at my job.” He winked at her, then grew serious. “But what I don’t understand is how