Page 16 of Kissing Danger

I stepped back, accidentally kicking over a box sitting on the floor, and flinched as a roll of expensive cloth rolled across the room.

“What’d you mean? What does Nathan have to do with anything?”

The Agent pretended to look around my studio, but I could tell she was watching my every move. “Nathan? Hmm. From what I know, he doesn’t let many people call him by his first name.” She started searching through a box of spare bobbins and pins, taking her time like she had every right to be there. She was obviously trying to aggravate me on purpose, but I didn’t haveenough patience to avoid the trap even though I knew what she was doing.

“Hey, rewind for a moment. Why are you talking about Nathan? Why are you even here?”

Agent Belden finally stopped messing around and faced me directly, and I had an uneasy feeling that I was little more than an interesting lab rat in her eyes.

“A woman was killed at an event you were a part of, wearing one of your dresses. It can’t be a surprise that law enforcement would be looking into it.”

Crossing my arms, it was easy to ignore the feeling of the air conditioner blowing over my bare damp skin. Less easy to ignore, however, was my instinct to desperately clutch the towel wrapped around my waist like I was a blushing maiden afraid for my virtue.

“I was already interviewed by the police. You said you’re Interpol? What does a model’s death have to do with international law enforcement?”

It was probably a bad idea to question the woman with a gun standing in the middle of my studio. This was usually where Kiki would step in to save me from my own impulsive stupidity.

Where was she, anyway?

The studio wasn’t that big. She surely would have heard our conversation by now and come to investigate our guest.

My question seemed to have triggered something in the Agent, for her faux-casual tone dropped to reveal her true seriousness.

“What is your relationship with Nathan Sterling?”

Of all the things I expected her to ask about, that wasn’t even on the list.

A blush heated my cheeks and spread down my neck to my chest. Mostly naked as I was, my reaction was unfortunately very obvious.

“That... isn’t any of your business.”

Agent Belden rolled her eyes, and for a moment I could imagine the teenager she used to be. “I’m not asking about your sex life.” She shuddered, as if just thinking about it made her skin crawl. I wasn’t sure if it was meant as an insult to me or Nathan, but the meaning was still loud and clear. “I mean, what business do you have with him? Nathan Sterling suddenly takes an interest in the fashion industry, and the first event he attends, a woman is murdered. The victim was one of your models, and then Sterling immediately offers you a job.”

She spoke a lot of words, but there was obviously even more being said between her sentences. Accusations were being made without ever being voiced.

Although I quickly managed to figure out what she was implying, it took several moments for me to respond because I couldn’t believe what my own ears were telling me.

“You think I killed that model? For what? For a job? For Nathan? Why would he care about killing some random model?”

Agent Belden stalked toward me, forcing me to back up until I hit the drafting table in the middle of the room. It was a perverse mirror of my last interaction with Nathan, but far more terrifying and far less arousing.

“That model happened to be the FBI director’s niece. I don’t believe in coincidences. Sterling killed that girl, even if he didn’t do it with his own hands. Getting other people to do his dirty work fits his MO. I’ve seen it before. So, for your sake, I hope whatever he offered you is worth a lifetime prison sentence, because that’s what you’re looking at when you’re caught. And make no mistake. You will be caught.”

Situations like this were exactly why I needed an assistant to manage me. I hated being challenged, and I especially hated being threatened. The two together triggered my impulsivity like nothing else could.

Gripping the towel around my waist to keep it firmly in place, I stood tall and used my slightly greater height to stare down at the Agent. “Caughtisn’t the word you’re looking for. I can’t becaughtfor something I didn’t do. Maybe I can beframed, but I can’t becaught. So, if you want to catch the killer, you need to look elsewhere.”

Sighing deeply, Agent Belden backed off, looking around my studio again. “Pity. You’re a good artist, but apparently, you’re not very smart. I guarantee you’ll be in handcuffs the next time I see you, assuming Sterling doesn’t take care of you himself.”

If this were a movie, I’d get the last word with a clever comeback as she was heading out the door. Unfortunately, all I could think of doing at that moment was to glare at the back of her head until she left. My pulse was pounding in my ears, and it took me several moments to calm down and regain enough sense to remember that Kiki was still missing.

After a few minutes of searching, I found Kiki locked in a backroom closet, furious as a hissing kitten, and on the verge of committing a murder of her own.

CHAPTER 8

Nathan

Findingthe person who killed the model at the fashion show was surprisingly easy. They were barely trying to hide, as if they wanted to be caught. The man was completely unremarkable, and I could tell as soon as I saw him that he was just a hired lackey, barely worth my time.

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