a powerful antidote. “Your marital status is irrelevant to me. All I care about is why I’m here. From your story, I assume it’s so you can tell me to be careful. Are you planning on having me tailed, too?”
“We tried that after the shooting. Someone still blew up your car and—”
She threw up her hands. “You knew I was in danger then? Why didn’t you tell me? Kristen might still be alive!”
“We didn’t think a threat to you was likely.” He leaned toward her, so close his warm breath puffed on her forehead. “And would you have been able to do more to protect yourself than the professional we had watching you? Would telling you have done anything besides scaring you out of your skull?”
“You certainly accomplished that today.”
He straightened. “I said I was sorry about that.”
“Fine.” Jillian got to her feet. “I promise to be careful. I’d like to leave now.”
He stood beside her. “You’re staying here until further notice. Your clothes are in one of the bedrooms.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “Someone broke into my apartment and stole my clothes?”
“No, someone entered your apartment to pack your clothes for you.”
“I’m sorry someone went to all that trouble since I’m not staying. I have to work.” She picked up her purse.
“You’re on indefinite leave from your job. It’s not a problem.”
“It’s not a problem because I’m leaving.” She adopted the tone that worked on both cops and thugs in the ER. “I want myself and my clothes driven back to Denver. Now.”
Mark pushed her back onto the sofa then sat beside her, holding her arms. “The snow’s too heavy to leave now, even if we wanted to. Which we don’t, since unless you’re here, we can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I don’t want you to guarantee my safety. I decline protection.”
“You can’t. Your leaving would also jeopardize a federal investigation.”
“That’s a bunch of crap. I’m calling Andy.” She opened the front flap of her purse. It was empty. “Where’s my phone?”
“You’ll get it back when this is over,” Mark said. “I assume this Andy you keep mentioning is Andrew Dawson. Do you frequently spend the night with ex-boyfriends?”
So they had been following her. “At least they don’t disappear without an explanation.”
He had the grace to look away. “That couldn’t be helped.”
“You couldn’t take two minutes to call me and say ‘Hey, it’s been fun, but I have to leave earlier than expected’?”
He met her gaze. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
God, she’d become immune to those eyes of his. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was worried you’d left because you’re married, and I never, ever sleep with married men. But hurt me?” She gave him a disparaging look. “You weren’t that good.” She sipped her remaining water and pretended to study a brass Kokopelli statue on the end table.
He didn’t say a word.
After a moment, Jillian turned back to him. He was staring at the empty fireplace grate, his expression placid, his posture relaxed, and his splayed hands resting on his thighs. Clearly not a bit concerned about a damn thing she’d said.
She’d been right. Total pond scum. “So is Devlin going to give me an entirely different story since I didn’t fall for yours?”
He didn’t answer.
“The man who’s in charge of this.” This silent treatment was really annoying. “The Devil, I guess he’s also called?”
“I’m Devlin.”
She must have heard him wrong. “What?”
“My name’s Paul Devlin.”
She slammed her empty glass on the coffee table. “You didn’t even tell me your real name? Not even your first name?”
He shrugged. “I was using an alias. It wasn’t personal.”
Obviously to him, nothing about their time together had been. “So let me make sure I’ve got this straight. You come on to me under a fake name, tell me all sorts of lies to get me to sleep with you even though you’re
“We tried that after the shooting. Someone still blew up your car and—”
She threw up her hands. “You knew I was in danger then? Why didn’t you tell me? Kristen might still be alive!”
“We didn’t think a threat to you was likely.” He leaned toward her, so close his warm breath puffed on her forehead. “And would you have been able to do more to protect yourself than the professional we had watching you? Would telling you have done anything besides scaring you out of your skull?”
“You certainly accomplished that today.”
He straightened. “I said I was sorry about that.”
“Fine.” Jillian got to her feet. “I promise to be careful. I’d like to leave now.”
He stood beside her. “You’re staying here until further notice. Your clothes are in one of the bedrooms.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “Someone broke into my apartment and stole my clothes?”
“No, someone entered your apartment to pack your clothes for you.”
“I’m sorry someone went to all that trouble since I’m not staying. I have to work.” She picked up her purse.
“You’re on indefinite leave from your job. It’s not a problem.”
“It’s not a problem because I’m leaving.” She adopted the tone that worked on both cops and thugs in the ER. “I want myself and my clothes driven back to Denver. Now.”
Mark pushed her back onto the sofa then sat beside her, holding her arms. “The snow’s too heavy to leave now, even if we wanted to. Which we don’t, since unless you’re here, we can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I don’t want you to guarantee my safety. I decline protection.”
“You can’t. Your leaving would also jeopardize a federal investigation.”
“That’s a bunch of crap. I’m calling Andy.” She opened the front flap of her purse. It was empty. “Where’s my phone?”
“You’ll get it back when this is over,” Mark said. “I assume this Andy you keep mentioning is Andrew Dawson. Do you frequently spend the night with ex-boyfriends?”
So they had been following her. “At least they don’t disappear without an explanation.”
He had the grace to look away. “That couldn’t be helped.”
“You couldn’t take two minutes to call me and say ‘Hey, it’s been fun, but I have to leave earlier than expected’?”
He met her gaze. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
God, she’d become immune to those eyes of his. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was worried you’d left because you’re married, and I never, ever sleep with married men. But hurt me?” She gave him a disparaging look. “You weren’t that good.” She sipped her remaining water and pretended to study a brass Kokopelli statue on the end table.
He didn’t say a word.
After a moment, Jillian turned back to him. He was staring at the empty fireplace grate, his expression placid, his posture relaxed, and his splayed hands resting on his thighs. Clearly not a bit concerned about a damn thing she’d said.
She’d been right. Total pond scum. “So is Devlin going to give me an entirely different story since I didn’t fall for yours?”
He didn’t answer.
“The man who’s in charge of this.” This silent treatment was really annoying. “The Devil, I guess he’s also called?”
“I’m Devlin.”
She must have heard him wrong. “What?”
“My name’s Paul Devlin.”
She slammed her empty glass on the coffee table. “You didn’t even tell me your real name? Not even your first name?”
He shrugged. “I was using an alias. It wasn’t personal.”
Obviously to him, nothing about their time together had been. “So let me make sure I’ve got this straight. You come on to me under a fake name, tell me all sorts of lies to get me to sleep with you even though you’re
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