Page 112 of Three Steps Behind

“May I?” he asked, holding it between his hands.

She swallowed at the memory of her hand being in his, as short as those seconds were.

“Sure.” She lifted her hair in her free hand. She’d worn her hair down for the day, cresting mid-back.

Once again, his touch sent shivers through her already mortified self. She hoped he didn’t notice. If he did, he didn’t mention it this time.

“Let’s test it out. Go into the restroom.”

“All right.” She stepped into the bathroom, and he shut the door behind her. She waited a few seconds before saying, “Testing, testing.”

“Did it work?” she asked, returning to the main room.

“Loud and clear.” He gave her a thumbs-up.

At least that was reassuring. She had no idea what the surprise was, and a nervous energy tracked through her. How could she be on her game, ready to go, without knowing the plan?

“We expect you’ll end up at Dalton’s house at some point today, so we need you to prioritize finding his ledger,” Baxter said, crossing one leg over the other, his Foster browns shiny at the toe.

“What ledger?”

“Dalton continues to have conversations about his ledger with Miquel. If you’d placed the bug in his office as instructed, we’d probably know exactly where it is by now.”

Oh, she could bet where, but the question was, Had Aubry told Baxter about the second office?

“We’ve also heard him reference the ledger while on the phone, but we have yet to discover who he’s talking to. He mentioned his next business trip and taking the ‘book’ with him. We think that denotes the ledger, and we need to get it before he moves it to who-knows-where.”

“You’re the FBI. I thought you pulled phone records and that kind of stuff.”

“We do,” Baxter half said, half grunted. “Unfortunately, the call goes to a number for a place that doesn’t exist.”

“Location?” she asked.

“There’s a supposed business attached to the number, and we know it’s based in Vegas. We can tell that much.”

Her stomach sank.

Aubry gazed at her with compassion, or was it pity? She didn’t want anyone’s pity and especially not his. Her childhood was what it was. No changing it now. Besides, she’d made it out of her parents’ home and out of Vegas . . . leaving her siblings behind. She bit her bottom lip hard, trying to stave off the tears pricking at her eyes.

“Well, I’m on my way out for the day,” Baxter said, heading for the door. “Good luck today, Aubry.”

Aubry? Last she’d looked, she was the one going into a viper’s nest. Not Aubry.

The door shut, and she turned, totally missing Baxter exiting through it.

“You okay?” Aubry asked.

“Yeah.” As far as he was concerned, she was always fine. She’d tried being vulnerable with him, and all it had gotten her was humiliation.

He stepped closer, the scent of his cedar aftershave swirling around her. Of course he’d smell great too. “I know what we’re asking of you. It’s dangerous, and Vegas must hold horrible memories for you.”

“I’m fine on Vegas. Let’s leave it there.”

“Understood.” He nodded, but that compassion filled his gaze again.

“As far as the dangerous part, that’s the purpose of this gig, right? Send me in to get what you need, and if I die in the process, so be it.” Okay. That was too far. She was being mean. She’d let the embarrassment take a nasty turn.

He stepped closer still. “You know that isn’t true.”