Page 46 of Elusive Promise

She seemed surprised by his acquiescence. "Okay then."

"But I'm not tired yet, and I can't imagine you would be after your nap," he said.

"We could go on the computer and do some research."

"Sure."

"And then we could watch TV or talk."

"Or whatever," he added, just to see her blush again.

"We're not doingwhatever. I already told you that."

"Well, if you change your mind—"

"I won't," she said, cutting him off. "Let me finish this and then we'll decide what to do."

* * *

Doing the dishes wasn't quite as good as a cold shower, but it was a nice distraction from Jared, who seemed to get sexier and more irresistible by the moment. Parisa almost wished he hadn't told her about losing his mom on 9/11. He'd painted such a vivid picture of that day, she'd felt like she was reliving it with him, and his heartbreak, his anger, had been palpable. His emotions had made him seem much more real to her, much more likeable, because he'd shared his pain with her.

She tried to tell herself that that had probably been the point of his sharing, that he wanted her to like him, to trust him. But that felt too cynical for this situation. While Jared clearly had secrets, his agenda felt patriotic, honorable.Or did she just want that to be the case?

Shaking her head, she finished loading the dishwasher and then turned it on, her gaze moving over to Jared. He'd put his laptop computer on the kitchen table and was intensely studying the screen. He always seemed to be simmering…burning to get to an answer or a truth. And she didn't think he ever willingly gave up.

But why was he so fixated on the Paris explosion? Was there something to it that she didn't know?

Jared looked up from the computer and gave her a nod. "You done?"

"Yes." She moved out of the kitchen and pulled a chair up next to him. "What are you working on?"

"Just checking the news," he said, as he closed the laptop. "Wondering if there would be anything about the kidnapping."

"Was there?"

"Nothing we don't know."

"So, why did you close the computer so quickly?"

He shrugged. "Habit."

"You're used to being secretive?"

"I'm used to guarding my information. You can't break a big story if there are too many leaks."

"Well, I'm not competing with you on a story."

He tipped his head. "Good point."

"At any rate, I was thinking that Brothers of the Earth sounds solidly male. Are you sure Sara is a part of it?"

"I don't know how involved she is. Only men are official members, but there are plenty of women around—wives, girlfriends, siblings. The fact that she worked at the targeted explosion site and called in sick that day leads me to believe she knew what was coming. She could have done something to warn the people she worked with, but she didn't. She's complicit in their deaths."

"Maybe she was scared."

"So what?" he asked harshly. "People died."

"I know it's not an excuse; I'm just trying to get a handle on her. One thing I'm curious about—you were watching Ben at the party. If you wanted to talk to him, why didn't you? Why did you wait?"

---