“Right.”
“Weren’t you here local for a while? In some special crimes unit?”
Lindsey didn’t immediately respond. Her eyes drifted to the ground as her mind flashed back to some of the horrific crimes she had investigated. She had gotten out of practicing law to avoid the turbulence and bureaucracy of the legal system. In the process, she had gone from bad to worse. Her criminal law background had made her first pick for criminal investigation, and in a city like New York, that had meant she was in big demand. When the opportunity to transfer to a counter-terrorism division had come about, she had jumped at it.
“Lindsey?”
Lindsey mentally shook herself, desperate to snap out of her own dark thoughts. As she refocused on Mark she realized he was staring at her. Something in his eyes made her stomach flutter. There was a sizzling awareness between them. Something she didn’t understand. It laced the air, hidden behind their conversation. She pushed the feeling aside, and said, “Yes, sorry. FBI, then and now. Only now I deal with counter-terrorism. No blood, no bodies, no red tape.” She wished she could yank the words back, but they were out before she could stop them. Her feelings about her career were none of his business.
“I take it you saw a lot of violent crime?”
“In the local office, all the time. Local officials called us in as back-up. In this city that was a regular thing.”
He studied her a moment, as if he wanted to ask more. Instead he said, “Tell me about this reputation I have.”
She raised a brow and shot him a knowing look, thankful for the change of subject. “Your way or the highway.” Inwardly she smiled, because despite her disapproving tone, she actually respected his success and the methods he used. He wasn’t dishonest or devious, just ruthlessly competitive. He won fair and square, no foul play.
Mark’s lips turned up with a confident smile. “I like to win, if that is what you mean. I have little tolerance for obstacles.”
“And my father was an obstacle,” she stated in a toneless voice. Even as she said the words, they didn’t make sense. What obstacle would her father offer that would bother Mark? Her father could be impossible at times, not listening to new thoughts and methods. Mark could have easily gotten tired of walking around his idiosyncrasies.
Lindsey crossed her long legs and watched as Mark’s eyes shifted and followed the path from her hem to her shoes, and then back up again. She should have been insulted . . . instead, she found herself warm with awareness. She swallowed. It had been forever since she had wanted a man. Why, now, was she responding to Mark?
“Look, Lindsey.” His voice was different now. She could tell he had decided to explain. “His priorities became skewed. At first I thought he was just distracted and would get back on track, but that wasn’t the case. Your father lost his business sense. I take my work very seriously. There are things I can deal with and things that I won’t tolerate. There are distractions, and there are obstacles. Distractions can offer a needed break, while obstacles impede progress.” He paused, looking a bit torn about his next words, before adding, “Your father became an obstacle.”
She could understand his point, but it didn’t change her position. “He’s no longer capable of being an obstacle.”
Mark shook his head. “He’s still an obstacle I can’t overcome, and you know it. He would cause me unwanted grief I’m simply not willing to take. Good thing you’re an attorney, Lindsey. He always wanted you to follow in his footsteps and take over for him. Now you can.”
“I’m not an attorney any longer,” she stated firmly.
“I know you’re still licensed to practice law.”
She frowned, wondering how he knew that. “Only for convenience,” she clarified.
“Are you afraid you’ve lost your touch?” The words were spoken softly, and were packed with far too much truth.
Lindsey felt the heat of her emotions like a pinch, sharp and quick. She ignored his question. “I don’t want the firm. Don’t you understand that?”
He gave her a level stare. “Seems you have no options.”
Lindsey breathed in and out deeply. “Mr. Reeves . . .” she started to say, but he interrupted her.
“Mark,” he corrected.
Her teeth ground together. “Mark, I want you to take over the firm.”
He stared at her a long, tense moment, his expression indiscernible. Lindsey wished she could read him. It was damn irritating the way he managed to hide his thoughts, and lord knew she was trying. No wonder he did so well in the courtroom.
He shook his head. “That simply isn’t an option.”
Lindsey didn’t try to hide her irritation. “Why?”
He didn’t miss a beat, answering immediately. “I don’t need a reason. Let’s just say Edward and I disagree on a great many things.”
She tried to keep the urgency from her voice. “Such as?”
Mark raised his glass and finished off the contents, setting the glass down on the table. “Clients, staff, you name it. We simply don’t agree on anything.”
She stiffened, feeling desperation, and hating it “What if I told you he’s given me full control of the firm, and I’m willing to hand it to you?” Lindsey searched his face for a reaction, but he wasn’t allowing her to get even an inkling of what lurked beneath his surface.
His reply was short, giving her no hint of what he was thinking. “Why?”
“I don’t want it,” she insisted. “I have a job I love in another city.”
His eyes probed, and silence lingered so long it made her uncomfortable. Then, “Still messed up over the Hudson case, aren’t you, Lindsey?” His voice held no taunt, no accusation, just fact.
Just hearing the name Hudson made her skin chill. Her win of a not-guilty verdict had gotten another woman killed. It was the last time she stepped into a courtroom as an attorney. If there was anything this man could do to rattle her, it was this. To bring up her career-ending case was like a walk down nightmare lane.
And he did it in a voice both soft and familiar. Too familiar . . . and his words were far too knowing. Anger swept through her. She didn’t like his quick dismissal of her offer nor did she like the way he sized her up and identified her weakness.
Lindsey stood up and walked to the window, looking out across the city, trying to shackle her temper, and regain some semblance of control. She wasn’t even sure how to respond to such a remark. She stood there, deep in thought, unable to manage a reply.
“Lindsey?”
Without turning, she answered. “Yes?” She felt, rather than heard him move behind her, but she didn’t turn around. He was so close she could feel the warmth of his breath when he spoke. And somehow, as strange as it was, his presence comforted. It defied reason since he brought up the very subject that upset her. Besides, she hardly knew him.
“It wasn’t your fault,” he said in a voice laced with sincerity.
Her father had said those exact words too many times. “I got him off, and then someone died. He killed again, and it was my fault.”
She felt his hands on her shoulders. The touch was a surprise, but somehow it felt right. He turned her to face him, and she didn’t resist. She stood perfectly still, afraid of what she was feeling. An overpowering urge to lean into him consumed her.
“You did your job.”
His words felt almost protective. “A job I no longer want,” she said through tight, trembling lips.
He ran his hand through his hair before turning and walking back toward the couch, stopping with his back to her. The odd need to reach for him, to pull him back to her, was overwhelming . He was a virtual stranger, so wanting him near was crazy.
He turned to face her. “Look Lindsey, I have obligations I’ve made since leaving the Paxton Group.”
“I’ll beat any price that’s been offered,” she said with hope in her voice. “My father has money.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want your money. The water between me and Edward is far too muddy.”
She made a desperate effort at reasoning. “He’s not capable of working now. You and I have no history. I don’t resemble my father at all.”