The Mighty Quinns: Cameron

“Any more questions?” she asked.

Cameron shook his head.

“I have one more,” Sofie said in a soft voice. Her gaze drifted down to his mouth.

“What is it?”

“You have to be completely honest,” she said. “Can you do that?”

Cameron nodded. “Ask away.”

“What are you thinking about? Right now? What’s running through your mind?”

He paused. Was he really prepared to tell the truth? If he did, there was every chance he’d feel compelled to turn thought into action. “I’m not sure I should—”

“Answer my question,” she said.

“Honestly?” Cameron cleared his throat. “I was thinking about what it would be like to kiss you. Not that I had any intention of trying to kiss you. It just crossed my mind. And hey, you asked for honesty.”

She didn’t seem at all surprised by his reply. The only reaction he saw was a quick blink of her eyes and a barely perceptible gasp.

“I’m not sure that would be wise,” Sofie said.

Cameron looked around, taking in their surroundings. “Not here. And not now. But maybe sometime. In the future.”

“When?” Sofie asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. You can’t really plan things like that. They’re much better when they come spontaneously, don’t you think?”

Sofie nodded. “We should go. We have a lot of work to do today.” She stood up and gathered her things, putting her computer back into her backpack.

“Just tell me what to do,” he said. “I’m ready.”

She pulled a file folder from her pack and handed it to him. “You can read this.” She started for the door.

Curious, Cam took the folder and opened it as they walked. A black-and-white photo of a middle-aged man smiled back at him—the kind of guy that everyone loved, everyone trusted. “He’s a politician?”

She shook her head. “No. But he knows a lot of politicians. His name is Walter Fredericks. He’s a real-estate broker and developer around Albuquerque. He owns most of the property in Vulture Creek, including Millie’s diner, plus land in almost every little town between Albuquerque and Gallup. He’s very well connected.”

“Does Millie know you’re investigating him?”

“No,” Sofie said. “He’s got a mistress in Vulture Creek. He’s got her set up in a nice little ranch outside town. I’m pretty sure he’s been paying her expenses with kickbacks he’s getting on some of his construction projects. And the people in his office are aware of this. I also suspect that there’s something else going on. He does a lot of business out of the local strip club, which seems to be the regular gathering place for the criminal element in these parts.”

When they got to the Jeep, she got in behind the wheel and Cameron slipped into the passenger seat. “He spends the morning at his office in Albuquerque, drives out to Vulture Creek and has lunch at the Bunny Shack most days, then spends the afternoon with his mistress. He heads back to Albuquerque at about three and has dinner with his wife.”

“You said he buys and sells real estate? Maybe I could mention that I’m looking to make some investments in the area.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” she said, nodding.

“It’s a good idea,” he said. “I could have lunch at the Bunny Shack tomorrow. Chat him up.”

“We’ll have to work on a cover story for you. Why would a yacht designer from Seattle want to buy land in Vulture Creek?”

“I’m looking to start over. Someplace where it doesn’t rain every day. I’m about to come into some big money when my grandfather sells the family business and I’ve always been interested in paleontology. I really don’t have to do anything but tell the truth.”

“All right, you are good at this. The closer you stay to the truth, the easier it is. But you need to get personal information out of him without seeming too nosy. Steer the talk toward women. You’re alone in town. You’re lonely.”

“But I’m not lonely,” he said.

“You’re going to have to pretend. I need to know as much as I can about this woman. Her name. Where he met her. How long he’s known her. What their arrangement is.”

“Maybe I should wear a wire,” he said.

Sofie laughed. “A wire?”

“Yeah. To record our conversation. That way you know exactly what he says and I don’t have to remember it all.”

She turned on the ignition and pulled the Jeep out of the library parking lot. “We’ll practice before we throw you in the deep end.”

“So, I have the job?” Cameron asked.

“Yes, you have the job. For now. But only as long as you do everything exactly as I say. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Cameron said. “We should probably discuss compensation. I’m going to have to find a place to stay.”

“I’ll take care of your expenses,” she said. “If you do a good job, I’ll give you a small stipend. And if we get what we need, then there’ll be a bonus for you.”

“All right,” he said. “I can live with that.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry, I plan to get my money’s worth out of you,” Sofie teased.

CAMERON STARED AT himself in the mirror, nodding his head. “I like this one,” he muttered, tugging at the sleeves of the pale blue work shirt. “It feels good. The sleeves are long enough.”

Once they’d found a hat, Sofie realized that Cameron would need a few long-sleeved shirts to protect his arms from the sun. All he’d brought along were dress shirts and T-shirts. But she hadn’t prepared herself for the fitting-room ordeal of watching him actually try the shirts on.

“That is a nice one,” she said. “It fits … well.” Sofie swallowed hard. He had such a beautiful body—long limbs, a finely muscled chest, broad shoulders. “And it will keep you from getting sunburned.”

“The heat down here is pretty intense,” he agreed as he unbuttoned the shirt. “Not like Seattle. That’s a city made for Irish skin.” He grabbed her hand and held it next to his. “I’m downright pasty next to you.”

She shrugged “I owe half of that to my Mexican father and the other half to my Hopi mother.”

“It’s a nice combination,” he murmured. “They did a good job.”

Her gaze skimmed over the naked width of his back as he slipped out of the shirt and handed it to her. Sofie’s fingers trembled as she fought the urge to touch him. “I—I should probably put the roof on my Jeep. That would help with the sun.”

Cameron pulled on another shirt, this one a deep garnet color. “How about this? Good for lunch at the Bunny Shack.”

She watched as Cameron toyed with the mother-of-pearl buttons on the pockets. He did look good in the deep red. It set off his dark hair and impossibly blue eyes. “The girls there are going to love you. They’ll be all over you before you even sit down.”