Page 31 of Fire Peak

“Who is real.”

“Very much real.”

“And who you just met? You didn’t make up that part?”

“I didn’t make it up. You’re welcome to join us for dinner and she can tell you the whole story herself.”

She started, remembering that she was actually supposed to be on shift right now. “I can’t. I work here. I’m the hostess tonight.”

“How about at the end of your hostessing duties? Just sit and have dessert with us.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why? What’s your agenda? A month ago you were chasing me across Alaska, now you want me to meet your daughter? Am I no longer a wanted criminal?”

“Not by me. I mean, you’re wanted, yes. For dinner.”

That sounded quite flirtatious. But how could she know if this was just another angle, and that as soon as she let her guard down, he’d spring his trap?

Would he do that with his daughter right there?

“Maybe some other time,” she told him. “I don’t know yet if I can really trust you. And vice versa, by the way. You don’t know if you can trust me.”

“I’m pretty sure I trust you to have dessert with me and Hailey,” he said dryly. “Which is all I’m suggesting.”

She turned that over in her mind. What harm could that do? If anything, she might have a chance to pick up a few things about Nick Perini. He might be less perfectly controlled around his daughter than he would be otherwise.

“Okay, but you have to give me something first.”

“What?”

“Something. Any little tidbit of reality to prove you’re not a threat to me.”

“Fair,” he admitted. He seemed to think about that for a bit, while she took in the firm curves of his lips and the shadow of scruff on his jaw. His pleasant scent fought with the faint reek of old fish that lurked in the buckets and nets stored in the shed. She found herself leaning just a little closer to block out that fishy smell with his fragrance.

She straightened her spine. No sense in going overboard with this whole “cards on the table” thing. That would mean admitting that she found him attractive.

“Okay, I can tell you this much. I work as an investigator for hire, mostly nailing embezzlers and insurance fraudsters, sometimes inside traders, sometimes industrial spies. My daughter says I’m upholding the corporate overlord structure, and to be honest, she has a point. I’m now considering a change in focus.”

“That’s funny, because—” She broke off before she said too much.

“Because what?”

“Well, without providing details, it’s safe to say I’m very much not in the business of upholding the corporate overlord structure.”

“I figured as much.” He flung up a hand to stop her from interrupting. “I know a lot about you, but I don’t know everything. When I took the job, I was given a file on you. You have no criminal record. You’ve never been caught committing a crime. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you had skirted the law. That’s not my concern. And honestly, it never was. I’m an information gatherer. That’s all I do.”

She pressed her lips together. Being good at gathering information made him dangerous. None of this was reassuring.

“What if you had caught me that day when you chased me into Firelight Ridge? What would have happened next?”

“I would have found a place with Wi-Fi and set up a call. They wanted to talk to you, one way or another.”

“You mean, like, dead or alive?”

He snorted. “More like, FaceTime or Zoom. That’s if I couldn’t convince you to meet them in person.”

“That’s it? Just talk?” She wasn’t sure she believed that. “What did they want to talk about?”

“They didn’t tell me that. I was supposed to keep tabs on you until they could fly someone out to meet with you. You disappeared before that could happen.”

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