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trembling hand. “Please, no.”
    “What?” I turned halfway.
    Pain. Blood. Cold.
    I jerked awake. I was lying on the conference room floor. I sat up and spotted the chair tipped on its side. Why had I fallen?
    “Carling!” Jared’s voice echoed in my mind.
    I twisted and saw a blurred image of Jared standing in the door. Was I still in the past or present?
    He hurried forward and knelt beside me. “Are you all right?” When he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, a sensation like an electrical shock streaked through me. I could smell the warm, musky scent of his skin that was pure male, pure Jared.
    Yep, I was definitely in the present. At least I hoped I was. Reliving the past was wearing thin.
    “I’m fine.” I shrugged but couldn’t shake his arm loose. “I can stand.”
    “I’m sure you can but I’m admiring the view.”
    I followed the direction of his interested gaze and saw that my skirt rode up around my waist, exposing lots of bare skin. Like any sane woman in Florida, I shunned pantyhose during the summer.
    “When did you start wearing thong panties?” Jared asked in a neutral tone, but his hand tightened on my shoulder.
    “Pervert.” I jabbed my elbow into his midriff but couldn’t appreciate his grunt as I scrambled to my feet. When one’s wearing a short skirt, there’s no graceful way to rise from a sitting position on the floor.
    From his bemused expression, Jared was enjoying the extended peep show. My legs weren’t too shabby, and daily morning runs ensured that I maintained a tight butt.
    A flustered guard appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on here?”
    Jared stood and smiled. “Ms. Dent and I were discussing a case when she tripped and fell. She’s fine.”
    “Okay, Mr. Manning.” The guard nodded and withdrew.
    I frowned at Jared. “What are you doing here?”
    He reached out and brushed back my damp matted bangs. My skin tingled even at that abbreviated contact.
    “You never did answer my question. Did you have another spell?”
    Another perfect example of why he was a top-notch prosecutor. Jared never lost track during questioning. Like a hunter he kept circling back until he caught his prey in a lie.
    Only one way to counter his inquisition. Attack.
    “What was Borys to the Hedeon gang?”
    All play and any hint of lust disappeared from Jared’s eyes. In their place slid the cold glitter of a predator. He gripped my upper arms. “What did you remember from that night?”
    “Uh-uh. You answer my question first.”
    He swore better than any sailor but released me. “He was the Russians’ primary accountant for their money laundry operations. He was a genius at setting up shell companies.”
    “What kind of money are we talking about?”
    “Millions.” Jared shrugged. “Maybe higher. It’s a very sophisticated operation.”
    “It is a sophisticated operation? Present tense?” I zeroed in on his slip-up. “You haven’t filed charges against the Hedeon leadership yet?”
    Jared’s lips thinned. “It’s complicated.”
    Pressure clamped around my head like a vise. I should know whether or not Jared had tried the case after Borys’s death. Hadn’t Jared been in secret meetings with other law enforcement agencies?
    Yes. Jared had introduced me to a very intense, straight-laced FBI agent before I’d taken on representing Borys. After that, I’d been practically sanitized from Jared’s life.
    “I just bet it’s complicated. You’ve been too busy with hot-shot FBI agents to pursue justice for poor old Borys.”
    “Dammit. You had another flashback, didn’t you?” He approached me. “The truth, honey.”
    I tilted my chin in defiance. “So what if I did?”
    “What did you remember? Anything your client said?” He pressed closer.
    “If I did, I couldn’t tell you. Attorney-client privilege.”
    “Your client’s dead. Killed right there.”
    I winced. That image I didn’t want to revisit. “Death doesn’t terminate