Chapter 1

The last pink and purple hues of the setting sun disappeared behind the row houses of the Georgetown skyline, cloaking the city in the gloom of the growing darkness. One by one, car headlights flashed on, and soon a line of street lights twinkled like a muted chorus, proclaiming the advent of night.

Ever vigilant, Lee Stetson kept a cautious eye on the eerie shadows that encroached from the hidden alleys and darkened doorways of the brick and mortar buildings. In his business, it never paid to let his guard down. Picking up his pace, he tucked his chilled fingers into the deep, flannel pockets of his leather jacket and continued to stride purposely along the narrow sidewalk.

It had been a hectic day for him, coming on the heels of a tumultuous week as he wrapped up the loose ends of the Estoccian case. One quick stop at the popular university bar, and he could head home to a solitary dinner of cold pizza and beer. Humph, not very appealing. Maybe he'd order-in Chinese again and catch a game on television.

A mask of indifference settled on Lee's weary face as he followed the throng of students through the oak door of the noisy coed hangout. Ignoring the laughter and camaraderie of the crowd, he threaded his way through the press of bodies that poured into Dooley's for an evening of conversation, drinking and dancing.

Amidst the exuberance of the loyal clientele, Lee felt strangely out of his element. He only wished to complete his mission and beat a hasty retreat to the sanctuary of his Corvette, parked two blocks away.

Reaching in his pocket, he retrieved a wad of cash from the soft leather folds of his wallet. The bartender was expecting him. As promised over the phone, he was making good on the outlandish bill he'd dumped on the Estoccia Prime Minister.

At the time, it had seemed like a brilliant idea to order drinks "on the house" for the entire crowd at the packed bar. The distraction had enabled him to ditch the Estoccian visitor, and continue his search for Joe King - then suspected of murder. Unfortunately, the Agency's Internal Affairs hadn't looked kindly on his unorthodox method of getting the job done, even if he did succeed in clearing Mr. King's good name.

An old tune from the juke box kept him company while he waited to complete his business. Listening to the lyrics, he was fairly certain it was Judy Garland's voice, soulfully crooning the blues ballad, "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe."

Lee felt an involuntary shudder pass through his body at the reminder of Amanda's Joe. The last thing he needed was to drudge up the painful moments that plagued him during the investigation of his partner's ex-husband. The sooner he could escape from Dooley's, the better he'd feel.

The place did hold a perverse fascination for him, but he had no desire to reflect on his burning curiosity of Amanda's past. No, he'd attempted some probing questions and practically had his fingers slapped. She'd begrudgingly told him precious little about her life with a man called Joe.

The press of young female flesh jostled him against the counter. The crowd around the bar must be getting impatient for service. Turning to see who assaulted him, Lee scanned the faces of the animated females who flirted with their male entourage, totally heedless of his presence.

"Sorry, sir," a perky blonde apologized as she poked him yet again with one of her sweeping hand gestures.

"No problem." Lee shuffled to the left to get out of her range. God, he was feeling old. When did college beauties lose their appeal in his eyes? Hell, they were just immature and self-absorbed kids. And happy, too! The girls definitely radiated a buoyant confidence, and their cocky male companions swaggered with arrogant bravado. Had he ever felt that sure of himself?

The young Lee Stetson had put on a good show. He'd partied with the best, won the girls, and led a no-fear fraternity life. But happy? Even at 18, 20 and 22 years of age, there'd been an undercurrent of quiet desperation that nagged the periphery of his thoughts. Perpetual activity had been the cure or at least the treatment. When he'd put on a smile, conjured up his natural charm and role-played the wild party guy, no one was the wiser. It had been hard work keeping the phantom loneliness at bay. Always lurking just below the surface, it had threatened to expose the God-awful truth. He was a phony.

Nonetheless, he'd managed to perfect the façade, even coming to believe it himself. Over time, he'd learn to be comfortable as the fun-loving glamour boy. Everyone knew they could count on Lee to be the life of the party and always get the girl.

Well, he could get the girl, but he couldn't keep her. One by one, his college friends had paired off, made commitments and planned their futures with marriage and children. He'd been good at rationalizing away his envy. Again and again, he'd told himself that family life wasn't for him.

By every standard, his personal path had been paved with rewards. For well over a decade, he'd led an exciting, on-the-edge, challenging life. He'd traveled to exotic places, rubbed shoulders with royalty, and wined, dined and bedded some of the world's most glamorous women. He was successful and revered in the intelligence community and at the top of his game - a legend in his own time. It was a life to die for.

"Here you go, sir." The auburn curls of the cute barmaid bounced up and down in sync with her generously endowed body, as she counted out his change with a flurry of motion. "Come again, sir."

God! If one more young person called him, "sir," he'd be forced to contemplate a major life overhaul. What was wrong with him lately? Was he getting lazy? Was he too distracted by work? Could he be depressed? When did the hot-spots lose their excitement? A change of pace was definitely in order. Maybe he should spruce himself up later and head out for a night on the town. It had been far too long since he'd made the rounds of his favorite clubs. Convinced that he should put himself back on the social circuit, he headed for the door.

And then, he spotted them. Lee held his breath, lest his harsh breathing announce his presence to the familiar couple. Dancing cheek to cheek, Joe and Amanda practically floated passed him.

Feeling like a morose wallflower at a high school prom, he hunched his shoulders forward, cursing every inch of his six foot plus frame. Certainly he couldn't be more conspicuous if he was a New England coastal lighthouse on a crowded beach of sun worshipers.

Taking in the scene, he gradually relaxed his stance and moved a few steps closer. Obviously, the pair was unaware of anyone but each other. Swaying slowly to the music and some unseen internal rhythm of their own, Amanda and Joe were bound by an intimacy that Lee could only begin to imagine. The two moved as one - probably lost in a world of nostalgia and shared history. They looked possessed by a powerful force from the past.

He knew he should honor their privacy and slip silently into the crowd. Even so, he stood mesmerized by the sight of his colleague and her ex-husband. The Kings may have signed the divorce papers years ago, but in Lee's eyes they were irrevocably joined in a union that had no ending.

A painful sigh of regret struggled for release. Swallowing hard, he berated himself for getting involved in Amanda's personal business. Billy Melrose should have flatly turned him down when he requested the King case. It was difficult to set a professional tone and remain objective when his colleague insisted on her ex-husband's innocence. In the face of the initial damning evidence, she held fast to her conviction that Joe was a good guy and incapable of committing a crime, much less murder.

For two days, Lee had shadowed the pair, always staying one discrete step behind. Practically ignored, he'd walked with them down memory lane and watched them relive their college romance. It had been abundantly clear that Amanda had no inhibitions about displaying her affection for Joe, even in the presence of a close associate. My God, she'd repeatedly referred to Joe as sweetheart. Were there no limits to their amicable divorce?

"Humph, get a grip," Lee mumbled to himself. Joe King's sudden intrusion shouldn't matter at all, even if he'd descended like a guided missile into their undercover relationship. Amanda was his friend - best friend, in fact. But he had no claim on her, and she had no claim on him.

Just the same, they'd been spending so much free time together, he was starting to confuse her place in his life. Despite a fierce resolve to maintain the status quo, he was powerless to control the intimate thoughts that invaded his dreams and the desire that warmed his body when she touched him, however innocently and briefly. Sometimes Lee imagined their friendship teetering on the precipice of something beyond the safe platonic boundaries they had enforced for two and half years.

Well, that theory was totally shot to hell. Seeing the King family cling to each other in the school gym had made it crystal clear where Lee Stetson stood in the grand scheme of things. He would forever remain outside the tight circle of Amanda's private life. It was for the best. He didn't need emotional entanglements messing up his foot-loose style of existence.

Shaking off the disconcerting mantle of the jilted suitor, Lee was about to head for the door when he saw Amanda lift her head from Joe's shoulder and focus her gaze in his direction. Right on cue, their eyes caught and locked, creating the instant spark of their unique connection. In spite of the lingering twinges of envy, his face relaxed into a tender smile.

He watched, enchanted, as she silently acknowledged his presence, before shyly lowering her eyes, only to raise them again for another peek at him.

Just witnessing her gentle smile was enough to send the familiar warmth pulsating through his body. Her penetrating gaze spread like a soothing balm over his smarting emotions, momentarily easing the raw pain of his perceived rejection. Giving her a slight nod, he turned to go, obeying the command of his inner voice that sounded retreat.

SMK-SMK-SMK

"Amanda, look. Is that Lee Stetson?" Joe grabbed the hand of his ex-wife and guided her toward the familiar figure that inched his way in the direction of the exit.

"Yes, but I don't think Mr. Stetson would want to intrude." Resisting his tug, she tried to discourage him from pulling Lee into their private party. She was sure her colleague had more than enough of the former Mr. and Mrs. Joseph King. Just the same, Joe was not going tobe deterred. There was no holding him back in mid-stride.

"Amanda, he might be looking for us. Hey, Stetson, wait a second." Coming up behind the retreating agent, Joe King gently seized his arm, effectively halting Lee's departure.

There was a slight hesitation, before Lee spun around to greet the couple. "Ah, hi, you two." His eyes made a quick sweep of Amanda's face before scanning the floor and finally settling on the more talkative of the twosome.

Joe affably extended his hand. "So, do you frequent Dooley's watering hole, or were you looking for us?"

"Well, not really. I just came here to settle the bar tab I stuck the Prime Minister with the other day." Lee pointed his thumb toward the cashier and stole another glimpse of Amanda. "I certainly didn't expect to see you here, but I suppose the college hang-out holds a lot of happy memories for alumni regulars."

"We certainly aren't regulars, anymore." Amanda could feel two pairs of eyes on her as she busied herself buttoning and unbuttoning her sweater, deliberately avoiding Joe's hand that tried to claim her fingers.

Lee hastened to apologize. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break-up your personal time together." Motioning his hand toward the door, he started to take his leave. "I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do. I was just on my way out."

"Don't go." Amanda's raspy voice caught as she reached to touch his arm. "Ah, won't you join us for a drink, Mr. Stetson . . . Lee? Joe and I haven't properly thanked you for saving our family." She glanced at her ex-husband for support.

Joe graciously affirmed the invitation. "Well, of course, please join us. Why don't you save a table while I pick up a pitcher of beer."

"Okay, thanks." Lee locked his fingers behind his back and fell in step beside his partner.

Watching him out of the corner of her eye, Amanda resisted the urge to close the distance between them. She ached for his touch, mindful that his hand didn't seek its familiar home at the small of her back. Instead of basking in his usual warm aura, she shivered at the chilling pall that pervaded the powerful Stetson presence.

"Will this do?" Lee pointed to a corner table that had just been vacated.

Sliding into the small, circular booth, she noted he avoided crowding her in the limited space. Awkward silence passed between them. What, in heaven's name, had happened to her gregarious nature and her effortless flow of words? Hearing him clear this throat, she finally raised her gaze to meet the confusion in his hazel eyes. "I'm sorry, Lee. It appears I made things uncomfortable for all of us."

"Well, you know the old saying. Three's a crowd." Drumming the table with his long fingers, he studiously scrutinized the menu.

Leaning toward him, she tentatively placed her hand on his arm. "Lee, it wasn't my idea for Joe to grab you at the door as you were on your way out."

"Oh, that makes me feel better." The flippant words immediately stung their target.

She lowered her head at her faux pas. "Oh my gosh, I didn't mean it that way. I only wanted to spare you any awkwardness. However, when Joe did stop you, well, I didn't want you to think I wasn't glad to see you."

Lee sighed and relented. "Hey, I knew what you meant. It's okay, Amanda. I won't stay long."

"No, that's not it at all." Amanda reached sideways to clasp Lee's fidgety hand. "I know the past few days have put a strain on our relationship. I want you to know, I'm sorry for making things difficult."

"Yeah, well, it's been hard pretending to be strangers and, you know, seeing you with your ex-husband." He punctuated his statement with a defeated shrug and averted his eyes from her gaze.

"Oh, Lee, I feel awful about that, too. I don't want you relegated to the background."

"Humph."

Scooting a little closer in the booth, Amanda entwined their fingers and refused to let go when he resisted the additional contact. "Lee, are you all right? I'm worried about you."

"Well, don't be. I'm fine. Just fine. What's to worry about?" He offered her a faint smile and sat up straighter in the vinyl seat.

Not fooled by his charade, she edged slightly nearer, testing the waters with a slight brush of her shoulder against the smooth leather of his jacket. When he didn't flinch, she relaxed her whole frame, letting her side gently rest against him. To her great relief, he didn't pull away.

Breathing in the familiar masculine scent, so uniquely Lee, she tried to feign interest in the Dooley clientele, swaying gracefully on the dance floor. Her thoughts wandered hither and yon while she grew giddy from the enticing aroma of his cologne that swirled around the tight confines of their shared space.

Intoxicated by his presence, Amanda abandoned conversation in favor of quiet surveillance. After much practice in the Q-Bureau, she'd perfected the art of sizing up the real Lee. Depending only on her peripheral vision, she waited patiently for him to let down his guard. Then she caught the stoic Stetson mask as it morphed into a look of intense longing, directed right at her profile. All she needed to do was blink and his schooled expression of indifference snapped firmly back into place.

Wary of Joe's imminent return, Amanda sighed softly, before cautiously pulling away from him. With a delicate cough, she discretely distanced herself from the magnetic pull of his body. She felt him sag in the seat when the warmth of their contact was broken. Hoping to reassure him, she let her thumb caress his palm that was still moist from her touch. "You know, Lee, if it was up to me, I'd take you home to be with my family. I wish the boys could get to know the real hero who came to their rescue in the school gym."

"Damn it, Amanda. We both know that isn't going to happen." Reclaiming his hand, Lee slowly combed his fingers through the thick strands of hair at the back of his neck. "I'm an outsider. Remember? Our professional lives have to stay separate from our personal lives. We both know we have to keep our emotions out of this business."

Wounded by his words, she tried to keep the hurt and anger out of her rebuttal. "Lee, you may be able to seal off your emotions, but I certainly passed the point of emotional involvement a long time ago. We're close friends, aren't we? Friends care about each other regardless of whether or not they're at work."

"Yeah, right. Friends!" Lee's quick, laconic words cut with sarcasm. "We're already pushing the boundaries with friendship. Amanda, you know how dangerous it is to have friends in our line of work. We get so use to being together all day that we sometimes lose sight of the risks of getting too involved. His eyes quickly left her face and shifted nervously around the room, as if searching for the nearest exit.

Feeling the chasm between them widen, Amanda's frustration bubbled to the surface. "What are you talking about? You make it sound like we can't be friends anymore." Pinning him with her gaze, she continued to challenge his assumptions. "Is this conversation about us, or is it about Joe being in my life again? Lee, please don't be jealous."

"Jealous? Don't be ridiculous!" He reeled from the accusation. "Forget it, just forget it." Starting to rise, he abandoned his escape route when Amanda's ex-husband approached the table. With a heavy sigh, Lee slid back into the booth.

Amanda immediately relaxed her demeanor and greeted the questioning eyes of Joe. Reaching out her hands, she took the pitcher of beer. "Thanks, sweetheart. Here, let me pour."

"Well, isn't this cozy?" Joe eased himself into the crowded booth, effectively sandwiching Amanda between the two men.

She gave him an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It was the only table available."

Lee cringed and took control of the conversation. "So, Joe, when are you returning to Estoccia?"

Amanda's eyes widened and she nudged a perfectly placed elbow into Lee's ribcage. "Well, hopefully not too soon, Mr. Stetson."

Lee winced and slid sideways, until one hip hovered precariously over the outer edge of the seat. Glaring at Amanda, he continued on in the same vein. "Estoccia - that's where your life is, right, Joe?"

The befuddled lawyer focused on first one and then the other. "Ah, yes, that's correct. I'm anxious to return to Estoccia, but, before I go, I'm hoping to spend some catch-up time with my family." He placed his arm around the shoulders of his ex-wife and smiled warmly. "I'd very much like to talk Amanda into taking some time off from work, so we can get a little quality time together."

Lee looked like he'd been on the receiving end of a sucker punch. With obvious effort, he steeled his features into a façade of compassion. Then he expertly played along with the farce. "Yes, well, under the circumstances, I'm sure any boss, worth his salt, would understand the family needs to come first. I'll have my superior put in a call to Mrs. King's office. Ah, where is it you work?"

Amanda rolled her eyes, before responding with dripping sarcasm. "IFF. You might know it as International Federal Film. The company produces government documentaries."

"Yes, IFF. I'm sure we can get you some time off without giving away any national secrets." Lee took a long draught on his beer and nearly choked when she gave him a swift kick in the shin.

Joe's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Great! Thanks, Stetson."

"Sure thing." Reaching under the table, Lee rubbed his injured limb and quickly shot his partner a poisonous look.

Amanda pushed her untouched beer aside. With an exasperating glare, she addressed the men in her life. "In case you two didn't notice, I'm here. I'm right here." She watched them squirm in their seats, before continuing. "However, now that you've agreed on a plan for my week, I guess there's nothing left to discuss." Ignoring Lee's nervous cough, she abruptly turned to the surprised Joe. "What do you say, sweetheart? Shall we go home and spend some time with Mother and the boys?"

"Sounds great to me," Joe responded, giving her hand a squeeze. Turning to Lee, he looked relieved, but apologetic. "I hope you don't mind, Stetson. We do appreciate all you've done for us."

Lee forced a lopsided grin and shrugged. "Yeah, well, I have to get going, too."

All three rose together. Lee quickly threw some bills on the table. "Drinks are on me. Take care, you two." He stuck his hand out to Joe, as he shoved his wallet in his jacket. Without a further glance at his colleague, he hastened toward the his exit.

Ignoring his departure, Amanda toed the rough wooden flooring with her sneaker, trying to dislodge a pretzel caught in a knothole. If she dared to look up, she was bound to be interrogated by Joe. Certainly by now his lawyer mode had kicked-in, and he was mentally preparing a list of questions about all that had just transpired.

Sure enough, her ex-husband cleared his throat. "Well, that was a strange encounter. I don't suppose you want to explain the behavior that I just witnessed between you and Stetson?"

Amanda looked up with feigned innocence. "What behavior would that be, sweetheart?"

"Don't pretend with me, Amanda King." Joe crossed his arms over his chest. "When I approached the table it appeared as if you and Stetson were bickering like an old married couple. Was it just my imagination or was that anger I detected radiating off the two of you?"

Sighing softly, she refused to look at him. "Not now, Joe. It's been a long day. May we please go home? There really isn't much to tell, anyway."

"Suit yourself, Amanda. But promise me you'll stay away from that guy. Men like Stetson shouldn't be preying on housewives from Arlington."

To be continued