Hot Pursuit by Jo Davis Page B

to hold hands.
He managed not to cringe, just barely. Nearby, Chris was grinning like a jackass, and he shot the man a death glare. Which had no effect at all, except to restore the man’s previously missing good humor. At least his friend kept his mouth shut. A minor miracle.
    The traffic cop—Schwartz, his tag read—cleared his throat, impatience etched in his posture and expression. “If we’re finished with the love fest, I have some questions for Miss Evans and Mr. Roberts.”
    Blake made a face at the cop, mimicking the words
Mr. Roberts
behind the man’s back while he was paying attention to Cara, and Taylor had to stifle a smile. Schwartz, whom Taylor now recalled seeing around the station but didn’t know personally, got down to the important stuff and finally earned everyone’s cooperation.
    â€œI heard you telling the paramedics you were run off the road,” the officer began. “Can you tell me exactly what happened?”
    Cara took a deep breath. “It was so fast. All I know is this car passed me on my side and switched lanes right in front of me. Cut me off.”
    â€œWhat kind of car?”
    â€œIt was an SUV,” Blake corrected.
    The officer turned to look at him. “Did you see what kind?”
    â€œA
big
one.”
    Schwartz wasn’t amused. “Make or model?”
    â€œDidn’t catch it.”
    Cara shook her head. “Neither did I. The other driver cut it too close when he switched lanes, hit my front end, and made me lose control. I was too busy trying not to hit someone else to notice.”
    The officer took some notes on an electronic pad, making a thoughtful sound. “The driver of the SUV didn’t stop at all after hitting you?”
    â€œNo,” Blake said. “The asshole kept right on going without even slowing down. Cara didn’t see because she was knocked out for a minute.”
    The image of her in the truck, helpless and out cold, made Taylor’s blood boil. He’d like to get his hands on the bastard who did this to her and Blake. He listened as Schwartz asked them a few more questions, but there really wasn’t much else either of them could relate. Being a detective, Taylor liked details. The lack of them bugged him, but even more so in this case.
    Other strange facts teased at the edges of his mind. A few days ago, Taylor had almost been flattened by a truck he could have sworn belonged to Cara. Now that truck was kissing a pole, erasing any evidence that might have supported that claim. Coincidence? He didn’t much believe in them. But there was no reason he could fathom why the two incidents should be connected.
    â€œYou can take her now,” Zack said, breaking in to his thoughts.
    Glancing up, he saw Cara and Blake waiting, the two of them regarding him with very different expressions—Blake’s open and trusting, Cara’s carefully closed. It was almost as if she was trying hard not to show any reaction to his presence, and he couldn’t understand why. When she let her guard down they had great chemistry. Then the walls went up again. Maybe she’d been hurt in the past by an old boyfriend or husband. If so, he’d done a real number on her.
    â€œReady?” he asked them.
    â€œWhat about my truck?” Cara gestured to the vehicle.
    â€œYou’ll need to have the towing company take it to a repair shop,” he told her. “I recommend Turner Collision, but they charge a bit more than other places. And then there’s insurance, and they’ll probably want at least two estimates—”
    â€œScrew the insurance company, and I don’t care about the money. I just want it fixed.”
    He couldn’t help the short, surprised laugh that escaped. “Really, now? I know a bit about cars, and I’m guessing you’re looking at several thousand dollars in repairs. Especially on a nice truck like that one.” His detective