Tactical Advantage by Julie Miller Page B

you? The man from the alley? Did he and his partner follow us?”
    Nick eased the death grip on his sleeve and pulled her into step beside him to cross the street. “No.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Yes, I’m sure. While you were busy thinking up ways to get rid of me, I was watching the traffic. No black SUV on our tail.”
    “Then it’s probably just a coincidence that he’s here, right?” Nick didn’t like coincidences. “Right?”
    “You need to be more aware of your surroundings,” he advised, forcing her shorter legs to hustle a little faster. “Don’t stand around analyzing things. That gives anyone watching you the same time to observe your actions and plan their strategy. Make quick impressions and keep moving.”
    “Analyzing things is what I do.”
    “In the lab, but not when it involves personal safety.” Unsure whether the men were simply waiting for their car to warm up before driving it, or if they were up to something more sinister by lurking in the shadows, Nick tried to make out a plate number he could call in. No good. He’d have to come back out and check on the SUV once Annie was secure in her apartment. “I suppose if the lot’s full, you park out here on the street and walk past all these cars?”
    “Aren’t you being a little paranoid? I was perfectly safe in the lab all day, even without your pacing the hallways, asking coworkers to identify themselves and making them nervous.”
    “Besides you and Mac Taylor, I saw three people in that whole building today. Raj Kapoor who brought in the tarps from the alley and processed them with you, the guy finishing up paperwork in his office on the fourth floor and the guard at the front desk. That’s another thing—there’s safety in numbers. I know you like that whole leave-me-alone-and-let-me-do-my-work thing, but you make less of a target if you’ve got some backup with you.”
    “Why would I be a target?”
    “Let’s see. You’ve been attacked once already—”
    “That man was stealing evidence. It wasn’t about me.”
    “You’re a successful professional. The type of woman the Rose Red Rapist targets. Maybe you should watch out for him.” To date, their unsub hadn’t discriminated in looks or ethnicity when choosing his victims. The common denominator seemed to be his penchant for brutalizing strong women—and this one’s obstinate will certainly qualified her.
    Snowplow crews had been through here at least once in the past few hours to clear the street, creating deep snowbanks around the cars that hadn’t been moved since the winter storm had begun before the New Year last night. Nick stomped a path through a drift to reach the curb, feeling the snow cling to his jeans and chill his legs. He kicked aside the tiny avalanche that spilled onto the sidewalk and turned back to reach for Annie’s hand. “Watch your step.”
    Despite the murderous glare in her eyes, Annie was practical enough to fold her fingers into his, holding on for balance while she made the precarious climb to the sidewalk. “This is the wrong place for him,” she reasoned. “He likes the uptown district where all the outsiders are pouring in their money to revitalize the historic buildings and bring back the neighborhood. Besides, he went after Rachel Dunbar last night. It’s not his pattern to strike again so soon.”
    “His pattern changed when Dunbar died. Who knows when he’ll strike again.”
    She paused in the middle of the snowbank. The defiance in her tone was replaced by something softer that matched the concern in her eyes. “Not every person you run into is a threat, Nick.”
    “Maybe not, but I don’t want to miss the one guy who is because I wasn’t paying attention.”
    Her right foot slipped on the ice compacted beneath the snow and Nick tightened his grip. He was pulling her over the slick mini-mountain when he heard a big engine revving.
    Nick’s gaze flew to the black SUV. Tires squealed against the pavement, fighting for