Kissing Sin

"What about Gautier?" Even saying his name had a shiver ru

"He's not close to the director."

"But I'm betting he's reporting to someone that is."

"It wouldn't make a difference. Whoever the mole is, they've obviously been with the Directorate a long time. It's someone very ca

"So make a list of people you'd never normally suspect, and start watching them."

"Hard to do when we don't actually know who we can and can't trust."

True. "Couldn't we just watch who Gautier talks to?"

"Gautier's clever enough to realize we're doing that." Rhoan glanced at me. "Besides, he's on assignment up north at the moment. Has been for the last month. He's not involved in this little episode."

At least that explained why I hadn't seen him around. I thought I'd just been damn lucky. "What about Alan Brown?"

"As shifty as hell, and definitely involved in something, but again, I'm not sure he's in on this."

"But he fast-tracked Gautier's entry into the Directorate, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but we've a feeling he was forced into that. Brown's being blackmailed."

I raised my eyebrows. "Someone knows about his appetite for whores?"

"His appetite for gambling, more likely." Rhoan sat back with a grunt. "Can't find anything resembling a bug."

Good. At least I wasn't responsible for bringing problems home to threaten him and the others. "If you know he's being blackmailed, then surely you'd be able to trace the source."

He rose, grimacing. "I wish it were that easy."

"Paper trail?"

"No trail."

"How come?"

"Brown's as cagey as a fox. We're certain he's giving someone information, but we can't uncover who or what."

"You've put him under surveillance, then?"

He gave me the look. "Hell, no. We just thought it was easier to let him wander around as he pleases."

I whacked his arm. "Don't get smart."

"Then don't ask dumb questions."

I grabbed my clothes off the floor and re-dressed. "What about the whores he uses?"

"You've seen the disks in his office. If he's using the whores to pass information, there's only one way he could be doing it, because he certainly doesn't talk to them."

"He's a vamp, so he's telepathic. Maybe he's figured out a way around the psi-deadeners." Hell, if Jack could get past them, surely other vamps could. Though Brown didn't seem to be anywhere near the same league as Jack.

"We've checked the whores. Their minds haven't been touched."

"Then he has to be passing something during sex." Though given what I'd seen on those videos, the only thing Brown had seemed interested in passing was his own dead sperm.

"We've had our own cameras installed. We don't believe that is happening."

"Then how is he getting information in or out? And if you don't think he's involved in my snatching, does that mean he might not have been involved with Genoveve?"

"Possibly. Many of those files Brown inherited from the former assistant director."

"And he is?"

"Very dead."

I raised my eyebrows. "Accident?"

"Probably not."

I slipped on my shoes. Rhoan started for the door, but I placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. Lowering my voice, I asked, "I know you said you weren't going to steal Kade's file for me, but did you happen to search the database when you were in there today?"

"Yes. There's nothing to be found."

"Nothing you can get hold of, anyway."

"Yes." He looked at me. "What are you plotting?"

"Me?" I gave him my most i

"True enough." He continued to study me with that patient you're-about-to-get-me-into-trouble look. "But that doesn't solve the problem that I can't get into locked files."

"No." I hesitated. "But I can."

"Oh, can you now?" He eyed me with amusement. "I'm betting Jack doesn't know about that little gem."

"Er… no." As a liaison and his personal assistant, I did have some access that Rhoan didn't. But I'd also picked up some other access codes in recent months, thanks to time spent watching him key them in from the safety of my desk. It was amazing just how easily you could work out keystrokes if you took the time. "You really don't want to know any more. Do you?"

"No." He stood. "So what are you pla

"All you have to do is get me his com-unit."

He snorted. "Yeah. Like that's going to be so easy."

"It could be. After all, we're about to depart in haste. It'd be easy enough to grab equipment and just slide the com-unit my way."

He gave the sort of sigh that spoke of long-suffering patience. "I'll try."

I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Thanks."

He gri

"Anything to keep the peace, you mean."

"That, too."

Two of the three men in the main room swung around as we entered. Qui

"We're going to split into three groups," Jack said. "Rhoan, I want you to head into the Directorate and start writing up reports. Make sure they're encrypted and sent to Director Hunter only. Tomorrow morning, pick up some trackers and bugs, then head on over to the Blue Moon and do a thorough check of the club and its patrons. Riley's not going near the place until we know it's safe. Qui

"And what will you and Kade be doing?" Qui

"We'll be paying a little visit to the company who manufactures these devices." He held up the plastic-wrapped laser.

Rhoan and I shared a glance. If Kade was involved in something like that, he was definitely more than just a builder.

Jack tossed me a phone. "Don't go anywhere near that club until we call you."

"Just make sure you call me before three tomorrow. I doubt Misha will take kindly to being kept waiting."

"And yet he will wait. Remember, he's probably got as much to gain from all this as us. Let's move it, Kade." He headed for the door, but threw over his shoulder, "Rhoan, call in a cleanup team and ensure all Directorate goods are out of here before you leave."

My gaze shot across to my brother and I couldn't help my grin. Sometimes, things did fall into place.

He just rolled his eyes and shook his head as he said, "Qui

He waited until Qui

"By which time, I'll have returned it." I kissed my brother's cheek. "Don't worry, I won't drag you into this one."

"How often have I heard that?" His voice was dry and I gri

I walked into the room and dropped the unit on the end of the bed then headed for the wardrobe. "I just hope the passwords I know will get me deep enough into the system to uncover who the hell Kade is."

"If you haven't got full codes, it might be better not to tackle the Directorate's data, but rather, go for outside sources. As his assistant, you have clearances into most Government systems."