willpower to pull away. This wasn’t the time, and it damn sure wasn’t the right place.
“Let’s go.” He retrieved the keys from her lap and started the car.
“Where?”
“After a long, leisurely drive to make certain we’re not being followed, I thought we’d hit the police station.” He backed down the rutted road and turned onto the highway.
“The leisurely drive is fine, but then you’re going straight home.”
“Why, did you already make a report?”
There was a long pause before Annabelle answered him. “Not yet.”
“Don’t you think this qualifies as new information? The police can help.”
“And what exactly qualifies as new information? The fact I keep noticing a man with bad taste in clothes? Charleston is a small town; it isn’t beyond the realm of coincidence to see someone twice in one day. The police barely acknowledge Vanessa as a missing person. They won’t listen to me.”
Mark was surprised to find she’d convinced him, but decided to take one more stab at a conventional response. “There has to be something they can do to help.”
“They won’t talk to me about the missing person case, since I’m not family. I had to wait to get written authorization from the magazine’s legal department to pick up Vanessa’s belongings out of custody. The release came through before we left tonight. I’m headed over there later.”
“Perfect timing.”
She huffed and laid a hand on his thigh. “You aren’t listening to me. You can’t take me to the police, Mark. You should not be involved in this. I refuse to put you at more risk. Besides, this is my job. I can handle it by myself.” There was a note of cool pride in her voice.
Mark ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. In any other situation he’d respect her decision, but this had all gone too far. He was already involved, whether she liked it or not. “Evidently you’re the one who hasn’t been listening. I’m a researcher. I chase down facts for a living. It isn’t exactly the same as what you do, but it’s close enough to help. Don’t shut me out. Lives are at stake.”
“I know that,” she snapped back.
“Then don’t let your Yankee pride get in the way. You need all the help you can get. Every little bit could make a difference; not just in finding your friends, but keeping yourself in one piece at the same time.” He thumped his hand on the steering wheel to emphasize his point.
Given the seriousness of their discussion, he was caught off guard when Annabelle snickered.
“The only person who puts me in my place like this is my brother, Jonathan. He claims deflating my ego is his full-time hobby. He’d get a kick out of meeting you.”
“I’d be delighted to knock back a few beers with him, but we should probably put the big family meet-and-greet on hold for a few days. I’m heading for the police station.”
Annabelle threw up her hands. “I give in. You can come with me to pick up Vanessa’s things, but you can’t mention anything to them about our friend from the beach.”
“Understood.” He kept his eyes glued to the road, hoping his triumph didn’t show on his face. It was a turning point. He’d won this round, and fully intended to stick to her like glue. And not just to keep her out of harm’s way. Their picnic had been interrupted far too soon. His original plan for the evening included a sunset stroll along the water to loosen her up enough for some moonlit kisses. The peck he gave her a few minutes ago merely whet his appetite. He was a patient man, and intended to have more than a quick taste of her in the very near future.
“This goes against every ounce of experience and training in me, but you hit the nail on the head. I can’t afford to turn down any help, let alone someone who might actually be an asset.”
He winced. “A backhanded compliment if ever I heard one. A little Southern must be rubbing off on you.”
Annabelle glanced at him sideways. “How
“Let’s go.” He retrieved the keys from her lap and started the car.
“Where?”
“After a long, leisurely drive to make certain we’re not being followed, I thought we’d hit the police station.” He backed down the rutted road and turned onto the highway.
“The leisurely drive is fine, but then you’re going straight home.”
“Why, did you already make a report?”
There was a long pause before Annabelle answered him. “Not yet.”
“Don’t you think this qualifies as new information? The police can help.”
“And what exactly qualifies as new information? The fact I keep noticing a man with bad taste in clothes? Charleston is a small town; it isn’t beyond the realm of coincidence to see someone twice in one day. The police barely acknowledge Vanessa as a missing person. They won’t listen to me.”
Mark was surprised to find she’d convinced him, but decided to take one more stab at a conventional response. “There has to be something they can do to help.”
“They won’t talk to me about the missing person case, since I’m not family. I had to wait to get written authorization from the magazine’s legal department to pick up Vanessa’s belongings out of custody. The release came through before we left tonight. I’m headed over there later.”
“Perfect timing.”
She huffed and laid a hand on his thigh. “You aren’t listening to me. You can’t take me to the police, Mark. You should not be involved in this. I refuse to put you at more risk. Besides, this is my job. I can handle it by myself.” There was a note of cool pride in her voice.
Mark ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. In any other situation he’d respect her decision, but this had all gone too far. He was already involved, whether she liked it or not. “Evidently you’re the one who hasn’t been listening. I’m a researcher. I chase down facts for a living. It isn’t exactly the same as what you do, but it’s close enough to help. Don’t shut me out. Lives are at stake.”
“I know that,” she snapped back.
“Then don’t let your Yankee pride get in the way. You need all the help you can get. Every little bit could make a difference; not just in finding your friends, but keeping yourself in one piece at the same time.” He thumped his hand on the steering wheel to emphasize his point.
Given the seriousness of their discussion, he was caught off guard when Annabelle snickered.
“The only person who puts me in my place like this is my brother, Jonathan. He claims deflating my ego is his full-time hobby. He’d get a kick out of meeting you.”
“I’d be delighted to knock back a few beers with him, but we should probably put the big family meet-and-greet on hold for a few days. I’m heading for the police station.”
Annabelle threw up her hands. “I give in. You can come with me to pick up Vanessa’s things, but you can’t mention anything to them about our friend from the beach.”
“Understood.” He kept his eyes glued to the road, hoping his triumph didn’t show on his face. It was a turning point. He’d won this round, and fully intended to stick to her like glue. And not just to keep her out of harm’s way. Their picnic had been interrupted far too soon. His original plan for the evening included a sunset stroll along the water to loosen her up enough for some moonlit kisses. The peck he gave her a few minutes ago merely whet his appetite. He was a patient man, and intended to have more than a quick taste of her in the very near future.
“This goes against every ounce of experience and training in me, but you hit the nail on the head. I can’t afford to turn down any help, let alone someone who might actually be an asset.”
He winced. “A backhanded compliment if ever I heard one. A little Southern must be rubbing off on you.”
Annabelle glanced at him sideways. “How
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