She’d met Jacey in a homeless shelter. The other woman hadn’t belonged on the streets, that had been painfully obvious. She’d had easy mark written all over her. Cady should have minded her own business; truthfully, she had no idea why she hadn’t. Keeping her head down and not bringing attention to herself was how she survived.
So getting involved in Jacey’s issues hadn’t made much sense. But she hadn’t been able to stand by and watch the naïve girl get taken advantage of. Cady had tried to toughen her up.
How was she to know that Jacey would take that as a sign of friendship? Damn woman hadn’t left her alone after that. Always smiling at her, saying hello, trying to draw her into a conversation.
When Hunter had asked for her help she should have turned him away. Instead, she’d found herself agreeing. Not because of the money, but because she wanted to help catch the asshole threatening Jacey.
So she’d pretended to be Jacey, attending some sort of charity dinner with Derrick, Jacey’s lover. It had been a test of her endurance, all that smiling and being polite.
But she’d gotten through it and now Evan Sanders was dead. Jacey’s husband was still a problem, but if the look on Hunter’s face was anything to go by, Worthington wouldn’t be an issue for much longer.
She watched as Hunter handed his team their asses for allowing Jacey to go off and meet Sanders by herself. Even though everything had worked out, she couldn’t help but agree with Hunter.
She didn’t know Brax and Holly and she could care less about their lives. Jacey should have been protected at all costs.
Cady answered any questions directly aimed at her, but otherwise she was happy to blend into the furniture. She didn’t belong here. This wasn’t a really expensive hotel, but it was a lot nicer than the places she was used to. They hadn’t wanted to let her past the front desk; it had taken a lot of fast talking and a few false threats. Even after that one of them had escorted her to this room.
She didn’t think she looked that bad. She had clean clothes on, sure they were a bit worn in places, but they covered everything they needed to. Still, the front desk employees seemed to think she was some sort of petty thief.
Dumb asses.
“Okay, that’s all for now. You can all go. Cady, can you remain please?” Hunter turned his icy blue gaze on her.
Fuck. Why? He’d given her the money she was owed. She’d turned up here this morning, far as she was concerned her job here was done. But she waited until everyone had left and it was just the two of them left.
Hunter stood and moved toward the side table. “Coffee?” he asked.
“No thanks,” she replied stiffly, disliking the fact that he was standing behind her, but refusing to show her nervousness by turning around.
A plate of muffins was placed in front of her as Hunter took the seat next to her. She had the urge to move over and put some distance between them. He made her nervous. Not because she thought he’d hurt her, although she had no doubt he could. Without even breaking into a sweat.
But she knew he wouldn’t. Cady had good instincts about people and she didn’t think he would physically hurt her. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t a threat. There was something about him that intrigued her. She’d actually found herself dreaming about him. She’d wake up in a light sweat, her pussy throbbing with need.
She’d never reacted this way to a man before. Just having him close enough to catch his scent, to be able to reach out and touch his skin was torturous. Her nipples hardened. Luckily her loose shirt hid her reaction. She resisted the urge to squirm and press her thighs together as her clit swelled.
Christ, she had to get over this. It was ridiculous. She barely knew this man and after today she’d never see him again.
“Thank you for your help, Cady,” Hunter said. The words sounded slightly awkward. She’d bet he wasn’t used to thanking people.
She shrugged. “You paid me.”
He tilted his head to one side, studying her and she resisted the urge to look away. His gaze narrowed.
“That wasn’t the main reason you did this, though, is it? There was a fair amount of risk to you, but that didn’t bother you, did it? Why not?”
What was this? Twenty questions?
“Everyone was at risk,” she replied. “I got paid for a job, I did it. Just like everyone else.”
“But this is what we do, what we live for. I was impressed with how you handled yourself.”
Cady snorted. “I pretended to be Jacey. I ate some food, made small talk and tried not to show how bored I was. Not that hard.”
“You’re sensible, you’re a good shot and you can keep your cool. Gray has been at me for a while to hire a woman. There are often situations like last night that call for a woman.”
“So why haven’t you hired someone already?” Where was he going with this?
“Because I’ve been resistant to the idea. I’ve always been against putting women into dangerous situations. It goes against who I am. But with the right training, I think you’d fit in.”