Person of Interest. Debra Webb

he died, anyone would think so highly of him. Not very damned likely. He was far too open to lead anyone that far off track. Well, except for his targets and that was his job.

      In his personal life he kept things on the up-and-up. He never lied to anyone, most especially a woman.

      He liked women. Before he could put the brakes on the urge, his gaze roamed down the length of her toned body, admiring those feminine curves, before sliding back up to that madder-than-hell expression on her pretty face.

      He liked women a lot. They knew what they were getting with him. If he and the doc did the deed there would be no questions or doubts between them.

      But that wasn’t going to happen.

      Mainly because it would be stupid.

      Not to mention the fact that she looked ready to take off his head and spit down his throat.

      Fine. If she wanted to play hardball, he was game. “You want to know specifics?” He leaned closer, so close he could see the tiny flecks of gold in those glittering green eyes. “You’ve completed makeovers on fourteen operatives in the past thirty months. Two of those operatives are dead.” One being the man who taught him everything he knew, but he didn’t mention that. He had no intention of giving her any personal ammunition. In addition, holding on to control was far too important for him to let his personal issues with this mission get a grip right now. He kept those feelings tightly compartmentalized for a later time. “If I don’t stop these guys the rest of those operatives will end up dead as well.”

      “That’s…that’s impossible,” she stammered, some of the fight going out of her. “How could they know who and where these people are? Who has access to that information?” Her gaze dropped to his lips but quickly jerked back up to his eyes. She looked startled that she had allowed the weakness.

      Hennessey laughed softly, allowing his warm breath to feather across those luscious lips. Damn, he was enjoying this far too much. Maybe he should just cut loose and say what was on his mind. That he would do this with or without her help, but that if she had a couple of hours he would show her what she was missing if she really wanted to know how well he lived up to his infamous reputation.

      Dumb, Hennessey. Focus. Apparently she was experiencing almost as much trouble as he was.

      In answer to her question, he tossed her a response she was not going to like. “You want to know who has access to those names and faces? Directors Calder and Allen, of course, the president, your former boyfriend, me and you.” He said the last with just as much accusation as she’d thrown at him earlier.

      She shuddered visibly, inhaled sharply, the sound doing strange things to his gut, making him even angrier or something along those lines. “Could someone else have gained access to the files?” she demanded, hysteria climbing in her voice.

      He shook his head slowly and prepared to deliver the final blow. “Not a chance. Since Maddox is dead and, well, the president is the president, I’d say that narrows down the suspect list to the two directors outside that door.” He hitched his thumb in that direction. “And you and me.”

      Fury whipped across her face, turning those green eyes to the color of smoldering jade. “If you think this tactic is going to pressure me into a yes, you’re sadly mistaken, Agent Hennessey.”

      “Suit yourself.” He straightened, a muscle in his cheek jerking as he clenched his jaw so hard his teeth should have cracked. It took a full minute for him to grab back some semblance of control. “Then consider this, Dr. Cameron.” He glared down at her, his own fury way beyond reining in now. “If you don’t do this most likely my mission will fail, then those operatives will eventually be found and murdered, one by one.”

      She held her ground, refused to look away though he knew just how lethal his glare could be. “You said two are already dead?” she asked. Her voice quavered just a little.

      “That’s right,” he ground out, ignoring the twinge of regret that pricked him for pushing the jerk routine this far. “And so are their families.” He fought the emotion that tightened his throat. He would not let her see the weakness. “You see, Doc, these people aren’t happy with just wiping out the list of agents who’ve gone against what they believe in, they play extra dirty. They kill the family first, making the agent watch, and then they kill the agent, slowly, painfully.”

      Her eyes grew wider with each word. The pulse fluttered wildly at the base of her throat. She didn’t want to hear this, didn’t want to know. Too bad. It was the only way.

      “So, it’s your choice,” he went on grimly. “You can either help me stop them or you can try to sleep at night while wondering when the next agent will be located and murdered.”

      She did turn away this time. Hennessey took a deep breath and cursed himself for being such an idiot. Saying all that hadn’t been necessary. But, on some level, he’d wanted to rattle her—to hurt her. He wanted to get to her when the truth was she’d already gotten to him. He’d lost control by steady increments from the moment the director ordered him to start watching her weeks ago.

      He had to get back on track here, had to keep those damned personal issues out of this. If the director got even a whiff of how he really felt, he would be replaced. Hennessey couldn’t let that happen. He had to do this for a couple of reasons. “I shouldn’t have told you,” he said, regret slipping into his voice. As much as he’d needed her cooperation, he’d gone too far.

      When she turned back to him once more, her face had been wiped clean of emotion, and her analytical side was back. The doctor persona was in place. The woman who could go into an operating room and reconstruct a face damaged so badly that the patient’s own family couldn’t identify her. No wonder she walked around as cold as ice most of the time. It took nerves of steel and the ability to set her emotions aside to do what she did.

      He should respect that.

      He did.

      It was his other reactions that disturbed him.

      “What do you want from me?”

      The request unnerved him at a level that startled him all over again.

      He focused on the question, denying the uncharacteristic emotions twisting inside him. “I need you to do your magic, Doc.” His gaze settled heavily onto hers. “And I need you to work with me. You knew Maddox intimately. Help me become him… just for a little while. Long enough to survive this mission. Long enough to do what has to be done.”

      For three long beats she said nothing at all. Just when he was certain she would simply walk away, she spoke. “All right.” She rubbed at her forehead as if an ache had begun there, then sighed. “On one condition.” She looked straight at him.

      The intensity…the electricity crackled between them like embers in a building fire. She had to feel it. The lure was very nearly irresistible.

      “Name it,” he shot back.

      “When this is over, I give you back your face. I don’t want you being you with David’s face.”

      He wanted to pretend the words didn’t affect him…but they did. He’d be damned if he’d let her see just how much impact her opinion carried. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he insisted.

      “Then we have a deal, Agent Hennessey. When do we start?”