Page 5 of Liar For Hire (For Hire 1)

“Very well.” He dropped onto the love seat and leaned back to shut his eyes. A headache gathered at his temples, and he rubbed them. Why did drinking always do this? What happened to his great immune system, for pete’s sake?

“Declan.”

He stirred and opened his eyes. She hovered above him, concern in her expression. He hadn’t heard her approach, another thing that bothered him. Drinking dulled his senses up to a couple days after he’d enjoyed the alcohol. Why didn’t he ever learn?

All at once, the thought of alcohol left his mind. She was far too close, and she reached out a hand to touch his forehead. The warmth from her fingers seeped into his body, and he welcomed the sensation.

“Are you not feeling well?” she wondered. “You’re usually so cool. This morning, your skin feels a little warm. Are you coming down with a cold?”

Oh yeah, that was the other reason he sometimes gave in to drinking. The alcohol warmed his body. He brushed her hand away before sitting up. “I’m fine. I don’t get sick, remember?”

“Uh-huh.” She studied him in disbelief. “Yes, you do—when you’ve been drinking too much.”

“I had one beer.”

“That’s all it takes for you.”

He moved over on the love seat to make room for her to sit next to him. She sat down and folded one leg over the other. The movement drew his eye to notice she wore a dress that only reached mid-thigh. He thought about how attracted to her he was and questioned himself for the millionth time if what the guy claimed the night before was actually true.

Do I keep her from finding someone? Do I want her for myself?

Okay, that was a no brainer. Of course he wanted her. As to the other… no. One, he had no intention of being with her. And two, he couldn’t be with her. That was the bottom line. No matter how much she tempted him, it wouldn’t happen.

“Never mind,” he said to himself as much as to her. “Do we have another client? I’m growing bored with sitting around. Nothing has come along for months that’s stimulated my interest.”

“And it’s all about you having fun, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, let’s see.” She opened a folder she held and sifted through the pages. “We have Patrick Sevelle. He wants his son-in-law-to-be investigated to see if he should let his daughter marry the guy.”

Declan wrinkled his nose. “Any run of the mill private investigator could handle that job. He could pay a small fee and investigate him through one of those websites.”

“He’s done all that. Everything seems to be above board.”

“So he’s looking for an excuse to call off the wedding?”

“There’s been talk, he said, rumors. He can’t pin anything down, and he wants to do this one last thing so he can put his mind at rest. Sounds like he loves his daughter and wants to do right by her. While I talked to him on the phone, I didn’t get the sense that he was an overbearing dad. More like a loving one who will go the extra mile to be sure she’s safe.”

“Hmm.” Declan rubbed his chin. “I’m guessing they have money?”

“Loads. That’s why he’s not willing to risk her future.”

“Still…” Declan had learned to be cautious. He let Janessa do whatever she wanted when it came to their company. She had the business head and handled everything that bored him. However, every now and then he dug his heels in and steered clear of certain clients. When that happened, Janessa didn’t fight too hard. She knew he didn’t care about money, and that he had an instinct for people. She called it instinct, and he refused to enlighten her on his tactics.

“We can have him into the office or visit him. He said he’ll give us details about the rumors when we speak in person.”

A sixth sense made Declan ask, “When you say we…?”

“You and me. He insisted you come.”

“Why?”

“Oh don’t get all suspicious, Declan. I told you. He wants certain things looked into, and when I said you’re the one who will do all the face work, he said he wants to meet you. Is that so bad?”

“I guess not. Fine. Set it up. I’ll be there.”

“Good boy.”

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