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for an extended stay.
    Before she got too excited and daunted at the prospect, or he did, she cleared her throat and hoped her voice wouldn’t shake too much. “Dinner. So you wouldn’t have to bother. You didn’t, did you?” She sniffed and smelled him. Dizzy, she fought for control.
    “No, I didn’t make anything. Thought we’d order delivery.”
    “This is better.” She lifted the bag. “I brought pastelillos, that’s meat or cheese stuffed pastries, and albóndigas con papas, meatballs and potatoes. My mom’s recipes. Best stuff in the world.”
    “You cooked after work?”
    Kept her busy and distracted so she wouldn’t worry about them being together tonight. “Yeah. Do it all the time. Can I come in?”
    “I thought you’d never ask.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
    His teasing thrilled her nearly as much as his previous caresses had. Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Unsteadily, she followed him into the kitchen. “The stuff’s barely warm. It’s better eaten hot. We could heat it in your oven while you show me your toys.”
    “Sounds good.” He turned the preparations over to her and opened two beers.
    “Thanks.” She pressed the cold bottle against her throat.
    “Want me to lower the thermostat?”
    She wanted him nude and on top of her, behind her, beneath her, the whole enchilada. “Nope. I’m good.”
    He regarded her curiously but nodded. “This way.”
    They passed his bedroom. Hallie didn’t dare glance inside. Too much temptation. Chase stopped at a room down the hall and flicked on the lights.
    She’d expected a half-dozen or so surveillance tools, not several tables filled with equipment she couldn’t possibly identify. “You’re using this stuff at Zephron?”
    “Just a few devices. You will, too.”
    “What? Why? Better still, how?” There were things that resembled walkie-talkies but probably weren’t. Boxes with blinking lights. And oddly enough, several eyeglasses. “I don’t know how to operate this equipment.”
    “Nothing for you to do. Stuff basically runs itself. Before we get too far into this, I spoke to Grey and Athena about your fee.”
    “Why? Do they want more?” Hallie’s stomach clenched. “I can’t come up with extra funds right now. Will they accept a payment plan?”
    “Hey, relax.” He rested his hands on her biceps. “I meant the fee you’re going to earn for this.”
    “What?”
    “You’re going undercover, so to speak, same as me. No way should you do that gratis. You deserve a fee and to have the money you’ve already paid returned. The agency made the transfer to your bank account an hour ago.”
    “No. I can’t accept that.”
    “Sure you can. Use the bucks to help out your mom. Besides, another client’s paying for this. Remember Athena telling you I’m at Zephron for that person? Everything’s settled. Let me show you something.” He slipped his arm around her waist and led her to the eyeglasses. “Which pair do you like?”
    “For me?”
    “Yep.”
    Then that would be none. They were blah, the lenses square, frames thin. They were also unnecessary. “I have twenty-ten vision in each eye.”
    “Not any longer.” He picked up a pair with maroon frames and tapped the left hinge in front. “See this? Inside, there’s a DV camcorder with audio function.”
    She held the specs to the light and examined the front and back. “That can’t be possible. This part is smaller than the nail on my little finger.”
    “Exactly. No one at Zephron will see it. Put them on. They have clear glass. Your vision won’t be affected.” He crossed to a computer and keyed.
    This room popped up on the screen and showed him typing.
    Hallie joined him. With each step she’d taken, his image got larger on the computer. “Wow. I’ve seen stuff like this on Shades of Blue and other cop programs, but I thought they were a Hollywood invention.”
    “Nope. They’re the real deal. Look around and talk. Everything you see and say is