Covert Intents: A Branson Family Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

buyer’s way of gently nudging him or her back on track.
    Nothing helped focus people like being trapped inside a steel box that might plummet down at any moment to a painful death.
    Whatever it meant, it meant that something was happenin g soo n . Seth needed more information fast.
    Going out with Rachel —with all the computer engineering lab colleagues there— was his best bet at gathering the intel he needed. Because he sure as hell wasn’t getting the intel on campus.
    So here he was, gathering intel. Soft, sweet Rachel next to him looking bewildered.
    He was treating this like a real date, which he was sure confused her even more. Fortunately none of her coworkers, except her friend Lydia, realized who he was. To keep the conversation flowing naturally, Seth pretended to be just a guy interested in Rachel.
    Not that that was any hardship. Even knowing he shouldn’t, Seth couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her lush body. He’d made sure their arms and legs were touching on the couch. He’d leaned into her whenever she’d said something, which hadn’t been often, but usually what she said was funny or insightful.
    There was definitely tension between Lydia and Dale Hudson, the professor directly in charge of the lab. But Seth wasn’t sure the root. Both of them had the means to steal the microchip.
    Ryan Powell, his other suspect, didn’t seem to be around at all.
    “Is Ryan Powell around tonight?” he whispered to Rachel.
    Her face flushed. Seth had no idea what that meant. “He was here earlier but left. He was acting weird.”
    “What do you mean?”
    Rachel shook her head and shrugged. “He and Lydia and Dale were arguing or something. I don’t know what about. Then he left.”
    Seth’s eyes narrowed. There was more to the story than what she was telling him, but Seth wouldn’t push. At least not right now.
    Rachel was uncomfortable with the evening, Seth knew. But he didn’t know why. Could she tell his attention was divided? It was a fine line he was walking: needing to use her as a guise for getting information while not wanting to lead her on.
    While at the same time very much wanting to lead her on. Not just lead her on, but lead her to his apartment and spend the entire night forgetting about janitors and microchips and investigations. Only thinking about her.
    But that just wasn’t in the cards.
    Soon everyone was getting up to leave, heading toward the exit of the restaurant. Seth stayed close to Rachel, his hand at her back. He could admit that was just as much for his enjoyment as it was for the cover.
    He’d have to leave Rachel here. He wanted to follow Hudson — see if he really went home or if he was meeting up with Ryan. If a sale was going down soon, and the incident with the elevator suggeste d somethin g was about to happen, Seth wouldn’t be surprised if they were meeting tonight. He’d already arranged to have another Omega agent follow Lydia for the same reason.
    “I guess I’ll see you around campus,” Rachel whispered, barely looking up from her shoes as they walked out the door.
    Everyone else was certainly looking at them, some discreetly, others less so. Like the tall brunette —Seth thought she was from the math department— who had been trying to get his attention all evening. She had pressed a note into his hand as he’d walked by a few moments ago.
    Call me later if you decide mousy bookworms aren’t your type and real women are.
    He realized most of Rachel’s colleagues were attempting to ascertain the relationship between he and Rachel. To see if they were really romantically involved or if this had just been for some sort of show.
    He looked at Rachel who was still studying her shoes and obviously had no idea what to do. Seth wanted to protect her from her colleagues’ prying eyes. He wanted to sweep her up in an embrace that would put to rest all questions of whether he was hers or not. A kiss that would burn to ash that note from the