Alive at 5 (Entangled Ignite) by Linda Bond Read Free Book Online Page A

here. No job is worth your life.”
    “Well, I am here, so let’s at least try to act like teammates.”
    She checked out the area again. Monica, a tall, blond field manager for X-Force Adventure Vacations, stood about ten feet away with a group of three other employees. Her attention appeared to be firmly anchored on Zack.
    Leaning into him, Sam pretended to adjust the small microphone attached to his wet suit. “Have you found anything?”
    “Like what?”
    “I don’t know. Information on Maxwell’s death?” He smelled so earthy, so masculine in the wet suit, and his hair glistened with moisture as if he’d just taken a shower. What the hell? She didn’t even like this man, and she certainly didn’t like how she noticed all these details about him and reacted physically to them.
    “Haven’t found a thing.” He inhaled slowly. “And you?”
    “I just got here. So far the only person I’ve interviewed is you .” She made the mistake of glancing up. His pupils expanded. The flutter of butterfly wings teased her belly. She straightened, wondering again why he affected her like this. She’d interviewed the president, for Christ’s sake. Of the United States. She slid down the bench away from him. “What’s our next move?”
    “We don’t have a next move. I’m cave diving in about fifteen minutes.”
    “George is going with you.”
    “No, he’s not.” Zack’s eyes flashed as he spoke, and he crossed his arms over his chest in a manner that left nothing open for interpretation. “I don’t dive with amateurs.”
    “He’s not an amateur.” Swallow. Take a breath. “Will you stop challenging me and play along?” She fumbled for a place to hide her agitated fingers.
    His big hands covered hers. His fingers were warm and his grip firm. “Play along with your rules, right?”
    Damn it. The butterflies were dancing in her stomach again. What was she, fifteen? She freed herself from the heated cocoon of his hold. “Don’t take this so personally. We’re partners on a mission.” This time she forced herself to stare him down.
    The air between them popped with electricity.
    “When you look at me like that, it makes this personal.” He inhaled again, this time so slowly she knew it was for effect. “Lavender. I like it. Very sexy.”
    Her shoulders dropped. Of course he’d come back with an inappropriate comment like that. Yet, she had splashed on lavender body spray earlier that morning, knowing she would see him. “Don’t flirt with me. We’ve got a serious job to do here. To find a murderer.”
    “Okay, problem solved.”
    Sam jumped. She hadn’t heard George return. Behind his camera now, her photographer reattached the battery.
    Silence hovered over the three of them, like a blanket of suffocating humidity. She shifted on the bench, rubbing her forearms, hoping heat and friction would force the baby fine hair on her skin to settle back down.
    The red light on the front of the camera blinked. “Let’s take it from the top,” George placed his right eye behind the viewfinder.
    “Mind if I listen?”
    Sam turned toward the approaching voice. Monica had strolled over and now towered over her. Great. “Of course not.” Sam gritted her teeth while plastering on a smile. “But you’ll have to stand behind George.”
    “Excuse me?” Monica drew back.
    “So you won’t be in the camera shot.” She pointed to where she wanted the vacation manager to stand. As Monica walked by, a wave of jasmine assaulted Sam. Apparently, she hadn’t been the only one who’d splashed on body spray this morning. She made a disgusted sound under her breath.
    “Let’s do it.” Now they had to make this look real. Turning to face Zack, Sam suddenly realized the chemistry of the moment had stopped her anxiety from building. She was nervous, but it felt different today. “So, cave diving is inherently dangerous. Why do it?”
    He cocked his head and grinned like Tom Cruise in Top Gun . “I’m an