Duty Bound Guardian. Terri Reed

stood to the side of the door watching him with wary eyes. “What was that?”

      “You tell me.”

      Her brows pinched together. “I’ve never seen that bag before.”

      He pushed the chair back in. “I found the duffel hidden beneath your desk.”

      She blinked rapidly. “I didn’t put it there.”

      “Aren’t you curious what’s inside?” Or did she already know?

      She blew out a breath full of derision. “I’m sure you’re dying to tell me.”

      He arched an eyebrow. Add spunky to the list of attributes he was accumulating and attaching to her. “Money. By the looks of it thousands of dollars.”

      Her mouth dropped open then closed. She licked her lips. This time he refused to be distracted.

      “It’s not mine!” she finally managed to say in a voice full of fire that belied the coldness settling in her eyes, making them turn from dark brown to obsidian.

      “You’ve petitioned the court for custody of your nephew.”

      “Yes. Though now...” Anguish danced across her face before quickly disappearing as her expression froze into bland neutrality.

      He recognized the look. The same one she’d had when she’d heard of her sister’s death. Interesting. “It must have been expensive to hire a lawyer.”

      For a brief moment, dark eyes flashed with challenge before turning to stone. “I used my savings.”

      “You live in a nice apartment building in Georgetown. That must cost you a pretty penny.”

      “Not really. I went to school with the daughter of the family that owns the building. My rent is reasonable considering what they could charge for it. Why are you asking me this? Shouldn’t you be out looking for the man who stole the Golden Arrow?”

      “You’re having money issues. A good motive for theft.”

      Her hands fisted at her sides. “Things are tight, but that doesn’t make me a thief.”

      He came to stand in front of her, invading her space, crowding her back until she bumped against the wall. Her eyes widened. The fear flashing in her gaze grabbed him by the heart and squeezed. He hated scaring her, but intimidation was a useful part of the job. A part he’d never had trouble with before now.

      He planted a hand on the wall next to her head to keep from tucking a stray strand of silky hair behind her ear. “So here’s what I think happened.” His voice dipped, coming out huskier than he’d intended. But then again, his heart was beating fast and his blood thrumming. Her perfume filled his head, soft and alluring. He struggled to maintain detachment.

      “You’re trying to adopt your nephew, but the court costs and the lawyer have tapped out your savings. You have this item worth big bucks and you’re approached with a deal. Switch out the real arrow for the fake and receive a large lump of cash in exchange. Only at the last second your partner double-crosses you.” The words stuck in his throat. “He knocks you over the head, takes the arrow and leaves you to take the rap.”

      The color drained from her face, making her olive skin appear pasty. “No. No. That didn’t happen. I didn’t have anything to do with the theft. Why would I jeopardize my career, my chances of gaining custody of Juan? I wouldn’t do that.”

      Ace nudged Adam in the thigh. He straightened and stepped back, needing the space. Needing to grab hold of his judgment, his senses and bring them back under control. “The bag of money and your fingerprints on the fake arrow are pretty compelling.”

      “I thought a person was innocent until proven guilty.” She took a shuddering breath and pushed away from the wall. The ice in her expression could have frozen the Potomac. “I’m being set up.”

      The circumstantial evidence pointed at Lana as a coconspirator. Yet, she made a good argument. Yes, she could use extra cash, who couldn’t, but she had a good career and was going through the process to gain custody of her nephew. If she were going to steal from her employer, why wouldn’t she wait until she had custody of the boy? Maybe she planned to kidnap Juan and flee with the cash from the museum heist?

      But that thought didn’t ring true. If she and an accomplice were going to go to the trouble of pulling off a robbery at the museum, why only take one thing?

      According to the time stamp of the video of when the guard was rendered unconscious and the moment the thief opened the break-room window, he’d have had time to steal several other easily transportable artifacts. What had he been doing during those few minutes?

      Placing Lana’s fingerprints on the fake arrow. Planting a bag of cash in her office.

      Okay, that was a plausible scenario, creating enough doubt for him to wonder if her presence in the museum had truly been unexpected. Had framing her been a spur-of-the-moment decision? Was the theft random and had nothing to do with their open cases?

      So many questions with no ready answers. Too many variables to make a coherent theory.

      It all came down to this woman who appeared genuinely upset by the theft. Or was she a good actress?

      “Is silence a tactic you use to break your suspects?” she asked, her gaze meeting his.

      “Who would want to steal the Golden Arrow?”

      She blinked. “Plenty of people. The artifact is not only valuable, but a piece of history.”

      As if that would be enough reason for the theft. Her passion for her career was evident. And in different circumstances admirable.

      His phone trilled from his breast pocket. Captain McCord calling. “Ace, watch her.”

      Adam stepped into the hall. He quickly filled his captain in. “She claims she’s innocent of theft and doesn’t know anything about the money. She thinks she’s being set up.”

      “Hmm. What does your gut tell you?”

      Adam stared at the wall, turning the question over in his head. He was loath to conjecture. He preferred to have all the answers laid out in a tidy row. Most of the time the cases he worked were resolved with Ace at the forefront.

      Tracking a suspect down, like in the drug case they’d just closed. That had been all Ace. Adam had just been along for the backup. Adam relied on Ace’s gut more than his own these days. McCord knew that. McCord knew what haunted Adam and looked for opportunities to force him to rely on his own judgment.

      Was that why his captain had sent him to the museum rather than one of the other team members? To force Adam into a situation where he would have to call on his FBI investigative training?

      Adam sent up a silent plea for clarity. He searched his heart and found only peace.

      “I don’t think she had anything to do with the theft,” Adam finally admitted. “But something is definitely up with her. She’s cagey about her sister. That puts up a red flag for me, but she appears sincerely upset about the missing arrow.”

      “Do you think she could still be in danger?”

      “Hard to say, sir. This situation is strange, to say the least.”

      “I want you to stick close to her.”

      The air left his lungs in a swoosh. “Sir?”

      “She’s a tenuous link between her sister’s death and the Jeffries murder. The attack on Miss Gomez seems too calculated to be coincidence. If the two fatalities aren’t related to the attack on Miss Gomez, then no harm done. But if she’s the key to solving the mystery surrounding her sister’s fall, Michael’s murder and finding Erin Eagleton then we’d be remiss in not keeping Miss Gomez under close watch. I’ve got Senator Eagleton breathing down my neck to find his daughter.”

      Adam’s pulse tripped over itself. “I understand,