Page 50 of Lost to Thievery
“So I’m your bloodhound now?” I quipped humourlessly, staring at the woman behind the glass who was staring at her nails, grimacing at the state of them.
“Yep.” Owen grinned as he held the door open for me.
A moment later, I lowered myself into the chair opposite Raina, keenly aware of her scrutiny. She smirked at me, a devilish twinkle in her eye. She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “You’re no cop. You’re way too pretty to be a cop.”
“Good eye,” Owen said sarcastically, as he slammed a file onto the table, plopping down into the chair beside me. He sighed and tugged at his collar. “Raina, I’m Special Agent Becket and this is my consultant, Miss Beaumont. We’d like to ask you a few questions. Preferably before the stench of this place sticks to my suit.”
Raina flipped her hair back, laughing elegantly. “Then you shouldn’t have come all this way, Agent Becket. Haven’t you heard? I don’t talk. But I appreciate the check-in.”
“I know this comes as a surprise, Raina, but we’re not here to talk about you. You’re a friend of some friends of mine. So I thought we’d chat for a bit. You know, trade some embarrassing stories of our mutuals...”
Raina frowned, uncertainty clouding her eyes.
Owen continued animatedly, “Like that one time Miss Beaumont and I tracked them down to an old cartel house in Mexico and smoked the little weasels out of hiding. You should have seen the look on Gemma’s face when we busted into the house.” Owen laughed, shaking his head as if reliving the memory. “Classic! And Hunter! God, you should have seen him! Running from us in nothing but his underwear.”
With every word Owen uttered, Raina’s face fell. Recognition and shock made her eyes go still, unblinking. She knew those names. She stared at Owen, and he smirked at her.
“Graysondidn’t think we were very funny though. But you know him,” Owen waved a hand dismissively. “No fun. A real party pooper.”
Raina swallowed hard and shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Grayson.
My heart sank. She knew them. And I never knew abouther. They never mentioned her. I never met anyone they were acquainted with. They never spoke of anyone. How had I been so blind? How did I not notice such things?
“Listen to me yap on and on…” Owen leaned back into his chair, an easy smile playing around his lips. “Let me hearyourstories. I’m sure you haveplentyto tell.”
Raina had regained her composure. She leaned back into her chair, mimicking Owen’s demeanour. “Cute story, Agent. But I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
Owen gave a cold laugh. “Nah, your memory is just foggy. It’s this stench. It’ll drive you nuts. I am absolutelycertainyou know them.”
“I guess the stench has gotten to you too, Agent. I’ve never heard of those people.”
“You sure?” Owen countered, slamming a photo of Gemma on the table before her. “You never giggled over a glass of wine about your celebrity crush with this woman?”
Raina’s eyes sparked with recognition, but she kept an aloof smile on her face. “Never seen her before.”
My heart thundered in my throat.
“What about her boyfriend?” Owen pressed, slamming down the photo of Hunter. “Never cheered for your favourite boyband from the nosebleeds with him before?”
Raina’s shoulder twitched. “Can’t say I have.”
Owen sighed dramatically. “Well, my female colleagues assure me thatthisone has a face thatcan’tbe forgotten.” He slowly slid the picture of Grayson over the table.
Raina kept her face blank, but her breathing grew unsteady, her fingers twitching ever so slightly as she studied the photo.
Owen caught it too. He gave a sharp laugh, making Raina jump. “Oh, you fucked him, didn’t you?”
I stopped breathing as I saw the truth of Owen’s words in Raina’s eyes.
She straightened in her chair. Her eyes flicked to me, then Owen, then back to me. A quizzical look formed on her face as she observed me. “Does that bother you, Miss Beaumont?”
Owen leaned over the table. “I have a question. It’s more of a theory, really. He has a small dick. I’m right, aren’t I? He walks around with all this big dick energy, but it’s tiny. Right?” Owen tried to steer the conversation away from me, but Raina’s attention didn’t falter.
She ignored Owen and cocked her head at me. “What exactly do youconsulton?”
Breathe, Ava.
I plastered the fakest smile on my face, mustering my last nerve. I chuckled and hoped it sounded nonchalant. “Well, Raina.” I leaned forward. “You and Agent Becket here might be their friends. But me? I’m practically family,” I lied.
