Read Online Slow Summer Burn: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Elisabeth Barrett - Free Book Online
Authors: Elisabeth Barrett
Ads: Link
gave him a brief wave before walking through the big room and giving a rap on Cole’s door frame.
“Enter,” his brother said, his head down as he jotted something in a notebook. Even from behind the desk, Cole looked large and in charge.
“Don’t you even want to see who it is?” Val responded, bemused.
“Always know it’s you. I can tell by your knock.”
“And my footsteps?”
Cole finished what he was writing, shut the notebook, then looked up and grinned. “That too.” He gestured with his hand. “Have a seat. Tell me what’s up.”
Val settled into the chair in front of Cole’s desk and took the opportunity to examine his brother. A month ago as the authorities were closing in on Max Wright, Max shot Cole in the shoulder. Still, Cole looked like he was in good shape. He’d lost a bit of muscle mass in his arms due to the fact that he couldn’t hit the weight room with his arm in a sling, but he seemed well rested, even more so than before the shooting incident.
And Val would know. When Cole had stayed with him on his boat, Val heard his brother yell every time he woke up during the night—a symptom of the post-traumatic stress disorder he’d brought home from Afghanistan and worked hard to keep under control. Cole’s PTSD had intensified when he’d gotten involved with Julie Kensington, but once he’d accepted that he needed help and had gone back to see his shrink, things had turned around. Sure, his brother was still intense, but he was much less haunted. Now, when Cole smiled, his bright blue eyes smiled too—something that no amount of therapy could have accomplished. It was Julie who had worked her magic and gotten his brother living again.
“You’re looking good,” Val said, unable to keep from commenting.
Cole stared back intently. “You know why.”
Yeah, he sure did. Without warning, a vision of Cameron Stahl flashed through his mind, hitting him right in the gut. Just as quickly, he shoved it away. The thought of having a womanof his own was one thing, but the aristocratic beauty was beyond his grasp. A guy could dream, but that’s all it was—a dream. And the sooner he got his desires back under control, the better.
Frowning, he returned to the task at hand: getting his brother up to speed on the sting operation. “The agents my team sent undercover are in place. One is posing as a pharmacist, and two are doctors. Your guy, Pete Thawley, is in deep as a pharmaceutical rep. He’s doing a good job so far. Max Wright wasn’t able to get them vetted by the top dogs, but he was able to get us the weak links to help slip them in.”
“So he’s earning out his deal, then?”
“Hardly. In my opinion, anyone who shoots my brother doesn’t deserve a deal. But Colin thought it was worth giving Max partial immunity in exchange for his help setting up the sting. There are bigger things at play now.”
Cole sat upright in his chair. “Are you telling me you’ve zeroed in on a potential lead?”
“Yes. I can’t tell you much because of its sensitive nature, but let’s just say we have one major target in sight. Even if we get enough evidence from the sting to take down the prescription drug operation, we’re going to want to wait until we have enough to take down this guy, too.”
“Big player?”
“You have no idea.”
“Let me guess—scandal, corruption, political fallout?”
“Something like that.”
Cole gave him speculative look. “Hmm …”
“Don’t even try to guess. It’ll get you—and me—in a whole lot of trouble.”
Within a split second, Cole was back to his usual professional self. “Can’t have that happening. I appreciate you keeping me in the loop. I’ll tell my guys. Pete’s out front, but Kip, Jason, and Hank are working their asses off behind the scenes. Do we have any kind of end in sight?”
Val sighed. “Not yet. But I’ll let you know if that changes.”
“Good.”
“Can I work out of your office for the rest of the
“Enter,” his brother said, his head down as he jotted something in a notebook. Even from behind the desk, Cole looked large and in charge.
“Don’t you even want to see who it is?” Val responded, bemused.
“Always know it’s you. I can tell by your knock.”
“And my footsteps?”
Cole finished what he was writing, shut the notebook, then looked up and grinned. “That too.” He gestured with his hand. “Have a seat. Tell me what’s up.”
Val settled into the chair in front of Cole’s desk and took the opportunity to examine his brother. A month ago as the authorities were closing in on Max Wright, Max shot Cole in the shoulder. Still, Cole looked like he was in good shape. He’d lost a bit of muscle mass in his arms due to the fact that he couldn’t hit the weight room with his arm in a sling, but he seemed well rested, even more so than before the shooting incident.
And Val would know. When Cole had stayed with him on his boat, Val heard his brother yell every time he woke up during the night—a symptom of the post-traumatic stress disorder he’d brought home from Afghanistan and worked hard to keep under control. Cole’s PTSD had intensified when he’d gotten involved with Julie Kensington, but once he’d accepted that he needed help and had gone back to see his shrink, things had turned around. Sure, his brother was still intense, but he was much less haunted. Now, when Cole smiled, his bright blue eyes smiled too—something that no amount of therapy could have accomplished. It was Julie who had worked her magic and gotten his brother living again.
“You’re looking good,” Val said, unable to keep from commenting.
Cole stared back intently. “You know why.”
Yeah, he sure did. Without warning, a vision of Cameron Stahl flashed through his mind, hitting him right in the gut. Just as quickly, he shoved it away. The thought of having a womanof his own was one thing, but the aristocratic beauty was beyond his grasp. A guy could dream, but that’s all it was—a dream. And the sooner he got his desires back under control, the better.
Frowning, he returned to the task at hand: getting his brother up to speed on the sting operation. “The agents my team sent undercover are in place. One is posing as a pharmacist, and two are doctors. Your guy, Pete Thawley, is in deep as a pharmaceutical rep. He’s doing a good job so far. Max Wright wasn’t able to get them vetted by the top dogs, but he was able to get us the weak links to help slip them in.”
“So he’s earning out his deal, then?”
“Hardly. In my opinion, anyone who shoots my brother doesn’t deserve a deal. But Colin thought it was worth giving Max partial immunity in exchange for his help setting up the sting. There are bigger things at play now.”
Cole sat upright in his chair. “Are you telling me you’ve zeroed in on a potential lead?”
“Yes. I can’t tell you much because of its sensitive nature, but let’s just say we have one major target in sight. Even if we get enough evidence from the sting to take down the prescription drug operation, we’re going to want to wait until we have enough to take down this guy, too.”
“Big player?”
“You have no idea.”
“Let me guess—scandal, corruption, political fallout?”
“Something like that.”
Cole gave him speculative look. “Hmm …”
“Don’t even try to guess. It’ll get you—and me—in a whole lot of trouble.”
Within a split second, Cole was back to his usual professional self. “Can’t have that happening. I appreciate you keeping me in the loop. I’ll tell my guys. Pete’s out front, but Kip, Jason, and Hank are working their asses off behind the scenes. Do we have any kind of end in sight?”
Val sighed. “Not yet. But I’ll let you know if that changes.”
“Good.”
“Can I work out of your office for the rest of the
Similar Books
