She wouldn’t have left him anyway. Rachel hooked Disco’s leash and hopped from the Jeep. Liam was already at her side, his hand on a handgun strapped to his waist. When had he put that on, and why hadn’t she noticed?
A series of entrances, passageways, and security codes later, Liam opened a final door into… not at all what she’d expected. She’d imagined being escorted into some kind of cold, sterile inquisition room. Instead she looked around what appeared to be more of a comfy lounge area. Granted it was all industrial, military-issue furniture. But the space contained a sofa, a couple of chairs, a table in the corner with a laptop computer and LCD projector. A television monitor hung from the ceiling.
Disco plastered himself to her leg. She sat uneasily on the sofa while Liam paced.
She toyed with her dog’s leash, weaving the rough hemp length between her fingers. “What happens next?”
“We wait for my friend.” He pivoted to face her just as the door opened again.
Rachel shot to her feet, her dog’s ears radaring forward.
A man and woman stepped in—one in uniform, the other in civilian clothes. Not surprising, since the OSI was a mix of military and civilian employees. Still, Rachel was caught off guard. She’d expected older grim secret service–looking sorts, given that this building was full of grizzled men in camo and nondescript suits. The man—probably in his early thirties, despite a surplus of gray in his salt-and-pepper hair—wore a blue air force uniform and a huge grin. The woman—Liam’s “friend”—sported sleek designer slacks and sky-high heels and brought with her an air of crisp efficiency and subtle perfume.
“Sylvia.” Liam stepped forward, his hand falling to rest familiarly on the woman’s shoulder. “Thanks for meeting us so quickly.”
Sylvia patted his wrist quickly before he pulled away. “Absolutely. We’ll do our best to sort this out.” She gestured to the man beside her. “This is my associate, Captain Bernard. And I assume this is Ms. Flores? I’m Special Agent Cramer.”
Standing, Rachel thrust out her hand and shook hands with both of them. “Yes, and thank you. I know you’re here because of Liam, but still, I’m grateful.”
Sylvia tucked her iPad under her arm. “That’s what friends are for—and it also happens to be my job.”
Friends, or more? If it had been more, then it was in the past. That much she was sure of. Liam had always been straight with her. While he may have had three wives—God, that freaked her out—he had a code about being faithful. He wouldn’t have kissed one woman in the car while dating another woman.
But if Sylvia Cramer was in his past, was this his type? Sylvia, who wore sleek black designer pants and a white silk shirt, crisp pleats and her lanyard precisely aligned? Her pearl earrings matched her pearly white perfect teeth, which were a little large in a way that made her smile seem… off. But then, all that might be jealousy, since this woman could have leaped out of an airplane without a hair sliding out of place.
Sylvia gestured to the door. “Liam, if you wouldn’t mind stepping out, please? Captain Bernard will accompany you.”
As if there were really a question in there anywhere. And she’d used his first name, just as he’d used hers.
Rachel chewed her kissed-tender bottom lip.
“Of course.” Liam turned to Rachel, squeezing her shoulder, and yes, she wanted to believe there was something more when he touched her. Especially with his kiss still imprinted on her lips and brain. “I’ll be just a few feet away if you need me.”
The door clicked closed behind Liam and Captain Bernard. Was it her imagination that it hissed like a portal, trapping her in a vacuum-sealed chamber with someone who’d shifted from ally to jailer?
Her inquisitor pulled a Coke from her purse and popped the top. Offering the soda can, she nodded back to the sofa, green with an iron framework. “Make yourself comfortable. I wish I had something to offer your dog, too. Would you like me to call for a bowl of water?”
“Thank you. If we stay here too long, then yes, he will need that and a trip outside.” Rachel wasn’t fooled for a second by the show of niceties. The woman was trying to work an angle, get closer with the drink and the concern for Disco.
Which should have been fine.
Special Agent Cramer actually was here to help, right? She’d come in late at night just because Liam called. Except Rachel felt the investigator’s suspicion all the way to her toes. This agent was a person who didn’t trust anyone.
“Relax,” Sylvia said, settling into the chair by the sofa, resting her iPad on her knees.
“Easy for you to say.” Rachel clasped the soda can between her palms. “No one tried to blow up your home today or run you off the road.”
Poison one of her dogs.
Threaten her on the phone.
But hey, one thing at a time. No need to sound like a paranoid lunatic straight out of the gate.
“You’re right. My day was quite mundane until now.” She smiled again, pearly teeth flashing as the chilly gust of the air conditioner wafted around more of her subtle signature scent.
Sylvia smelled like expensive perfume and Rachel smelled of Liam’s soap. And Liam had appreciated her just fine when she’d been covered in grime, working an earthquake rescue. He didn’t need glam. She grinned inside.
Then remembered why she was here in the first place. “What happened to my condo?”