All the Way by Kimberley White

for her?”
    â€œI’ve only known her a few days,” he answered cryptically.
    â€œHow many days does it take?”
    â€œWe would help anyone in this much trouble.” Not to this extent, his conscience nagged him.
    â€œNot trying to be your mother, A. Trying to watch out for my partner—my best friend.”
    â€œI know. It’s okay, really. I still have my head on straight.”
    Jake nodded.
    Seeing the skepticism on Jake’s face and being forced to deal with his guilt over the kiss, Adriano tried to explain. “If you were there . . . if you could see her face—I know you wouldn’t have been able to walk away.”
    â€œIs this about a pretty face?”
    He swiped his hand over his chin. “This woman is in trouble, and I won’t abandon her.”
    â€œWhy do you think taking her to the authorities is abandoning her? They can protect her better than you can, running around unfamiliar territory in an SUV. A, c’mon. Think about what’s best for her. Taking her to the FBI is helping her.”
    â€œGrazicky sent that rogue FBI agent to her apartment. I feel it in my gut. If I take her to the police, she’ll run, or they won’t be able to protect her. No, it’s the FBI headquarters only, and we’ll only talk to the Special Agent in Charge. I have to do this. Will you help me?”
    Jake hesitated before giving in. “Let’s meet the woman who has your boxers bunched. Only you, A. Only you.”
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    It was impossible to hear what they were talking about from her place in the ditch, but Payton saw Jake gesture several times in her direction. She crawled on her belly, moving closer to the car. She ducked, pressing her face into the grass when another engine sounded, growing louder as it got closer. An old-model truck passed without incident. When she peeked at the car across the street, Adriano had left the vehicle and was jogging in her direction. He’d been concerned about the passing car too. He jumped down in the bunker with her.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” she asked. “What took so long?”
    â€œJake had questions.”
    â€œAbout me? He doesn’t want to get involved, does he?” Her heart lurched, because if Jake didn’t want to help, there was a good chance Adriano would follow his partner’s lead.
    â€œAngel.” His hand warmed her shoulder. “He’s a reporter. He’s supposed to ask questions before jumping into a dangerous situation.”
    His touch calmed her and set her on fire at the same time. She began to tingle, radiating from her shoulders, across her belly, down her legs to her ankles. The sensation was biting, intensifying the longer his fingers lingered on her skin. The tingles prickled and stung, moving from warmth to fire.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Adriano asked. “You have the craziest look on your face.”
    She scratched at the burning trail of fire moving up her legs. “My legs are on fire. And my belly. And my—”
    â€œLet me see.” He pulled up the leg of her pants. “You’re lying on a mound of fire ants.”
    She jumped up, scrambling to put distance between herself and the biting ants. She plucked and swatted her clothing, fighting the ants off.
    â€œThat’s the most girly scream I’ve ever heard,” Adriano said, fighting hard not to laugh as he chased after her.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Jake was out of the car in a shot, yelling across the road. “What the hell, A?”
    Adriano scooped her into his arms. “Calm down, angel. You’ve gotten them all off. It only stings for a minute.”
    â€œCheck! Check, Adriano.” She danced in place, fighting the urge to run down the road in search of the nearest creek. The hardest adjustment with relocating, secondary to missing her family, was getting used to the bug situation in the Carolinas.
    Adriano shook out her