behind us. I still don’t understand why he went after me when he must have known how to get to you.”
“Maybe he figures I’m too smart to go home until he’s caught. Slow down. We’re passing 31002 River Road. My building is 31006. Do you see an apartment house or something?”
Paige slowed way down. The place where John’s house or condo or apartment should have perched was nothing more than a warehouse much like all the others, with a high metal fence surrounding it and an empty parking area in front. The gate was secured with a rusty-looking chain and a serious-looking lock about the size of a piece of sandwich bread. There was no sign announcing what the building held and there were no windows on the ground floor.
John whistled. “I live in a warehouse?”
“Next to Brown’s Storage and Transfer and across the street from Lone Tree Moving,” Paige said. “Your building is smaller than theirs.”
“Maybe I rent a space here for my bodyguard business.”
“Do bodyguards have offices?”
“Why are you asking me?” he snapped, and then shook his head and smiled. “Sorry. I guess my nerves are getting to me. Well, I don’t see an old black truck or a police car.” He looked around again. “See that alley over there? It must wind around to the back of this place. I don’t like sitting out here in plain view.”
Paige drove down the dirt-and-rock-strewn alley, skirting receiving gates and Dumpsters. The back of John’s place was as barren as the front, but there was an indentation and a door near the right corner of the building. Sliding metal doors large enough to drive a big truck through occupied space to their right. A row of dark windows appeared on what must be a second floor.
“There’s no break in the fence,” John said, “except the gate out front and this one. The front one had that cartoon-looking lock. I don’t see any lock on this gate.” He turned to face Paige. “This was as far as you signed on to go,” he said.
“You want me to leave you three miles from town in back of a building you can’t get into? No way.”
“I’m going over, through or around that fence,” he said.
“But the building will be locked.”
“Probably. And I might trigger a silent alarm. Who knows? Anatola could be there already, waiting for me. But there’s only one direction I can go at this point, and that’s forward. So, you leave and I’ll call you when I—”
“I’ll wait here until you go reconnoiter,” she said.
Much to her relief, he nodded. “At the first sign of trouble, please, look out for yourself. It’s bad enough all these other people have suffered because of me. I couldn’t stand it if you…”
There was one good way to shut him up, and Paige took it. She closed the distance between them and kissed him. The way his body stiffened announced he was stunned by her action, which amused her for a second, and then the fireworks started and she forgot to be amused.
They drew apart after a few seconds and stared at each other. He ran two fingers along her unhurt cheek in an incredibly longing manner. She took a shuddering breath as she gazed into his eyes.
Who was he? The kind, interesting, challenging John Cinca sitting so close right this moment, or a cohort of Anatola Korenev and a man who left the police department under a cloud of doubt about his honesty? And why was it so important to her to know the answer?
At the very least, this kiss had inched them away from the weirdness of the morning. This kiss was just a kiss—and yet a hint of so much more.
What about the way your heart leaped when Brian called you darling? You threw away everything he’d ever done to you in that one moment of bliss.
She was all over the map.
“Be careful,” she finally murmured.
He kissed her one more time then let himself out of the car, leaving his bulky jacket and cowboy hat behind. He looked tall and powerful as he approached the fence. He stood there for a moment, then
“Maybe he figures I’m too smart to go home until he’s caught. Slow down. We’re passing 31002 River Road. My building is 31006. Do you see an apartment house or something?”
Paige slowed way down. The place where John’s house or condo or apartment should have perched was nothing more than a warehouse much like all the others, with a high metal fence surrounding it and an empty parking area in front. The gate was secured with a rusty-looking chain and a serious-looking lock about the size of a piece of sandwich bread. There was no sign announcing what the building held and there were no windows on the ground floor.
John whistled. “I live in a warehouse?”
“Next to Brown’s Storage and Transfer and across the street from Lone Tree Moving,” Paige said. “Your building is smaller than theirs.”
“Maybe I rent a space here for my bodyguard business.”
“Do bodyguards have offices?”
“Why are you asking me?” he snapped, and then shook his head and smiled. “Sorry. I guess my nerves are getting to me. Well, I don’t see an old black truck or a police car.” He looked around again. “See that alley over there? It must wind around to the back of this place. I don’t like sitting out here in plain view.”
Paige drove down the dirt-and-rock-strewn alley, skirting receiving gates and Dumpsters. The back of John’s place was as barren as the front, but there was an indentation and a door near the right corner of the building. Sliding metal doors large enough to drive a big truck through occupied space to their right. A row of dark windows appeared on what must be a second floor.
“There’s no break in the fence,” John said, “except the gate out front and this one. The front one had that cartoon-looking lock. I don’t see any lock on this gate.” He turned to face Paige. “This was as far as you signed on to go,” he said.
“You want me to leave you three miles from town in back of a building you can’t get into? No way.”
“I’m going over, through or around that fence,” he said.
“But the building will be locked.”
“Probably. And I might trigger a silent alarm. Who knows? Anatola could be there already, waiting for me. But there’s only one direction I can go at this point, and that’s forward. So, you leave and I’ll call you when I—”
“I’ll wait here until you go reconnoiter,” she said.
Much to her relief, he nodded. “At the first sign of trouble, please, look out for yourself. It’s bad enough all these other people have suffered because of me. I couldn’t stand it if you…”
There was one good way to shut him up, and Paige took it. She closed the distance between them and kissed him. The way his body stiffened announced he was stunned by her action, which amused her for a second, and then the fireworks started and she forgot to be amused.
They drew apart after a few seconds and stared at each other. He ran two fingers along her unhurt cheek in an incredibly longing manner. She took a shuddering breath as she gazed into his eyes.
Who was he? The kind, interesting, challenging John Cinca sitting so close right this moment, or a cohort of Anatola Korenev and a man who left the police department under a cloud of doubt about his honesty? And why was it so important to her to know the answer?
At the very least, this kiss had inched them away from the weirdness of the morning. This kiss was just a kiss—and yet a hint of so much more.
What about the way your heart leaped when Brian called you darling? You threw away everything he’d ever done to you in that one moment of bliss.
She was all over the map.
“Be careful,” she finally murmured.
He kissed her one more time then let himself out of the car, leaving his bulky jacket and cowboy hat behind. He looked tall and powerful as he approached the fence. He stood there for a moment, then
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