call.”
Christy’s shoulders stiffened as she drove back and forth along the strip lined by little shops across the street from a white expanse of beach. Several times she thought she felt eyes watching her, but upon checking in the rear view mirror, she found no sign of the black Hummer. She ran into three young men in shorts and flip-flops with matching wrap-around sunglasses that screamed military issue at the frozen yogurt stand. She also gave them one of her cards since they hinted they might know Kyle but said they weren’t sure.
They’re lying.
She checked her phone to see if she’d missed a call, but her voicemail was empty. The afternoon wafted away from her, so she decided to return home. She hoped to see a black Hummer inside the automatic gate at the underground garage, but no such luck. She stepped into the elevator after parking and made it up to the fourteenth floor.
A maid vacuuming the hallway nodded a greeting as Christy let herself in the condo.
Dropping her purse and kicking off her shoes on her way to the bathroom, she automatically massaged the back of her neck, which was still so tight. She recalled how Kyle had protected her head when he leveled her to the ground that first day. This must be some resulting swollen tissue, she thought.
She slipped off her clothes and prepared a bubble bath. She placed her cell phone to the tub’s edge and picked up a current romance novel she had yet to finish. She’d just submerged in the warm bubbles and lay back against a towel when her cell rang. A strange combination of numbers, not from an area code around San Diego, appeared in a sequence on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Christy.”
A shot of electricity traveled down her spine. She’d done a pretty good job of thinking she could maintain her composure until she heard Kyle’s voice. Her will turned to butter.
“I know you don’t want to have anything to do with me, but—”
“That’s not true, and you know it.”
Damn the man.
“I went over to Armando’s house today,” she said.
“Now why would you go and do that? Not very smart.”
“No. But then you know how smart I am, don’t you?”
“I think you’re one of the smartest girls I’ve ever met, but it was dumb to go over to that house. You must promise me you won’t do it again. Ever. It’s dangerous.”
“I think I know that now. Don’t worry.”
Kyle paused. In a soft voice, he asked, “What are you saying?”
“There were two men there.”
Christy moved around in the water.
“Where are you?”
“In the bathtub.”
“Oh.” He paused. “So, what did the men look like?”
“Dark-haired. Young. They ran out the front when I went in the back.”
“You went into the house?”
“Yes. The place is a mess. I think they were looking for something. But I scared them off.”
Kyle chuckled at that. “I could see how you would make a man go weak at the knees. Even two men. Two very bad men.”
“Not funny. Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m not. So after you scared them off, what did you do?”
“I listened to Armando’s phone message on the answering machine.”
“What the hell? Christy, you have no business getting involved. You stay out of this, understand?”
“So do you want to hear the message?”
Kyle hesitated, breathing hard into the receiver. God she wished he was breathing against the side of her face, kissing her there, looking at her and touching…
“Yes.”
“He said ‘Foothills and thirty minutes.’ Then he said ‘Got ten loaded.’ He started to say he left something and then the line went dead.”
Christy could hear her heart pounding, wondering if he heard it, too.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
More silence. She would make him talk next, if he wanted to. That’s what she needed to hear. Did he want to or not?
“I understand you went out of your way to find me. I appreciate that.”
“Because it’s the right thing to do, Kyle.” She hoped it didn’t sound too
Christy’s shoulders stiffened as she drove back and forth along the strip lined by little shops across the street from a white expanse of beach. Several times she thought she felt eyes watching her, but upon checking in the rear view mirror, she found no sign of the black Hummer. She ran into three young men in shorts and flip-flops with matching wrap-around sunglasses that screamed military issue at the frozen yogurt stand. She also gave them one of her cards since they hinted they might know Kyle but said they weren’t sure.
They’re lying.
She checked her phone to see if she’d missed a call, but her voicemail was empty. The afternoon wafted away from her, so she decided to return home. She hoped to see a black Hummer inside the automatic gate at the underground garage, but no such luck. She stepped into the elevator after parking and made it up to the fourteenth floor.
A maid vacuuming the hallway nodded a greeting as Christy let herself in the condo.
Dropping her purse and kicking off her shoes on her way to the bathroom, she automatically massaged the back of her neck, which was still so tight. She recalled how Kyle had protected her head when he leveled her to the ground that first day. This must be some resulting swollen tissue, she thought.
She slipped off her clothes and prepared a bubble bath. She placed her cell phone to the tub’s edge and picked up a current romance novel she had yet to finish. She’d just submerged in the warm bubbles and lay back against a towel when her cell rang. A strange combination of numbers, not from an area code around San Diego, appeared in a sequence on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Christy.”
A shot of electricity traveled down her spine. She’d done a pretty good job of thinking she could maintain her composure until she heard Kyle’s voice. Her will turned to butter.
“I know you don’t want to have anything to do with me, but—”
“That’s not true, and you know it.”
Damn the man.
“I went over to Armando’s house today,” she said.
“Now why would you go and do that? Not very smart.”
“No. But then you know how smart I am, don’t you?”
“I think you’re one of the smartest girls I’ve ever met, but it was dumb to go over to that house. You must promise me you won’t do it again. Ever. It’s dangerous.”
“I think I know that now. Don’t worry.”
Kyle paused. In a soft voice, he asked, “What are you saying?”
“There were two men there.”
Christy moved around in the water.
“Where are you?”
“In the bathtub.”
“Oh.” He paused. “So, what did the men look like?”
“Dark-haired. Young. They ran out the front when I went in the back.”
“You went into the house?”
“Yes. The place is a mess. I think they were looking for something. But I scared them off.”
Kyle chuckled at that. “I could see how you would make a man go weak at the knees. Even two men. Two very bad men.”
“Not funny. Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m not. So after you scared them off, what did you do?”
“I listened to Armando’s phone message on the answering machine.”
“What the hell? Christy, you have no business getting involved. You stay out of this, understand?”
“So do you want to hear the message?”
Kyle hesitated, breathing hard into the receiver. God she wished he was breathing against the side of her face, kissing her there, looking at her and touching…
“Yes.”
“He said ‘Foothills and thirty minutes.’ Then he said ‘Got ten loaded.’ He started to say he left something and then the line went dead.”
Christy could hear her heart pounding, wondering if he heard it, too.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
More silence. She would make him talk next, if he wanted to. That’s what she needed to hear. Did he want to or not?
“I understand you went out of your way to find me. I appreciate that.”
“Because it’s the right thing to do, Kyle.” She hoped it didn’t sound too
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