Keeping an eye on them, he followed their gaze when the one nudged the other and pointed.
Wyatt felt his eyes bug out. Damn, that was Reese Hampton, who was supposed to be Knight’s girlfriend, doing some kind of weird touchy-feely thing behind a potted plant with Markson, the Cooperative Witness.
They were holding hands, leaning close together and whispering. Wyatt edged closer, hoping to hear what they were saying. Damn, he felt lousy for Knight. Here the guy had all but admitted he was in love, and right under his nose she was cheating on him. With a guy who was married.
This was why he wasn’t ever falling in love. To hell with that.
He couldn’t hear Reese and Markson, but he heard Goldberg clear as crystal claiming Reese was in it for the money. Markson was chuckling, Reese was whispering to him, Jenkins was stewing, and Goldberg was nodding like he had predicted the whole thing all along.
Wyatt heard the elevator ding and turned back.
He didn’t know whether or not Reese was a gold-digger. He didn’t know her, had never even met her.
He didn’t even know if he should tell Derek about this or not.
The only thing he did know was what he’d seen didn’t look good. Not at all.
Derek was exhausted.Tired from the cramped flight, worried about the case, and worn out from making sure all theequipment was in place and working correctly. He just wanted to curl up with Reese in his arms and order room service.
She met him at the door wearing a dress with a bunch of flowers all over it. The dress distracted him so violently, he barely heard her when she said, “I’m so glad you’re back. I’m dying of boredom. I can’t wait to go exploring.”
Grabbing her purse, she looked him up and down. “If I wasn’t in such a hurry, I’d insist you change out of those snappy clothes. But I can ignore it. Let’s go.”
Snappy? He glanced down at his khaki pants. He was just trying to look like any other American traveling on business. Casual. Then he realized that was her signature sarcasm.
“Reese, babe, I’d rather stay in if you don’t mind.”
Apparently she did. The way her jaw dropped and her bottom lip went out, he could tell he’d lost some ground with her.
“Knight! I’m wearing a dress. I’m in New Zealand! I want to leave the freaking hotel.”
He was about to remind her that neither one of them was there on vacation and that it might be a better idea to just stay in and get some rest.
“Don’t be an old fuddy-duddy.”
That clamped him up. She knew exactly which buttons to push, namely the one that implied that he was boring.
He caved like a sand castle hit by a wave. “At least let me go to the bathroom first.”
“Sure.” She smiled, with a smugness that made him wince.
Wyatt’s poodle analogy popped into his head.
“And don’t call me a fuddy-duddy. You sound like my grandfather.”
Two could play her game.
FIFTY-THREE
Reese wasglad Knight had seen her point of view. The sight of the harbor from Prince’s Wharf was incredible, the breeze was warm and humid, and Knight was standing beside her, even if he was wearing khaki pants.
This was her idea of perfect.
She reached out and slapped Knight’s arm hard, shaking off a mosquito corpse when she pulled her hand back. Who knew what diseases these bugs were carrying.
“Mosquito,” she told him.
Knight looked down at her, the corner of his mouth up, something deep and soft and puzzling lighting up his dark chocolate eyes. “What?” she asked.