nobody recognizes it.”
“Hey, Mom, quit worrying.” Luc revved the engine.
“Would you be careful?” Katie didn’t think he was treating Kato with the proper respect.
“Relax. I’m a professional.” Luc leaned back and squinted down at the floorboard. “Where’s the clutch on this thing?”
Katie stared at him. “It’s an automatic.”
Luc grinned. “Ohhhhh.”
She closed her eyes briefly.
David laughed. “Try not to kill each other. I’ll be in touch soon.”
“Adios.” With a little nod to the other man, Luc reversed out of the parking space and put the car into gear.
“You’re going to have to lay down on the seat,” he told Katie.
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“There might be somebody waiting for us outside the gate. They’ll either be expecting a woman alone or both of us. Maybe it will confuse them if they only see me.”
Katie hesitated. “If this is a joke—”
“Just do it, okay?” He sounded tired and irritated.
Ironically, that reassured her and she curled up on the bench seat next to him. She was short, but the space was small so her head was almost in his lap, her cheek resting very close to his jean-clad leg. Close enough that she could feel the heat of his body through his clothes. She would have edged away, but there wasn’t anywhere to go, so she made herself lie still and tried not to notice how his muscles shifted when he drove.
It seemed to Katie that it took forever to leave the police station parking lot, but she finally heard the gates close behind them. Then they were out on the road and moving along at a pretty good clip. She started to sit up, but Luc gently put his hand on her head and held her down.
“Not yet.”
“Is somebody following us?” She tried to ignore how his fingers sank into her hair, almost as if they were burrowing into it of their own accord. They were strong and warm and soothing as they tunneled through the curls.
“I just want to make sure no one’s back there. I’m going to take a few side roads.”
“You’ll get lost.”
“I can find my way back to the highway.” He sounded amused.
“Really?” she asked, unwillingly distracted. People who had a sense of direction always impressed her.
“Really.” He was silent for a few more minutes, then moved his hand back to the steering wheel. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“You can sit up now.”
Katie pulled herself upright, realized she was practically on top of him and shifted quickly to the other side of the car.
“I’d better tell you how to get to my apartment,” she said to cover her embarrassment.
“Why?”
“So I can get some of my things.” That should have been pretty obvious.
“No.”
“No?” She stared at him and, although she couldn’t make out his features in the dim light from the dashboard, thought she saw his jaw clench. “But…but I at least need a toothbrush and some clothes.”
“You’ll have to make do with what we can find at my house.” The silhouette of his head turned to her and then away again. “It’s too dangerous, Katie.”
“David said the guy didn’t have a chance to talk to anybody.”
“No offense, but I don’t put anything past Frankie Silvano.”
Frustration, anger and the fear that had been building since he’d jumped into her car, boiled together in a caustic mix that tasted bitter in her mouth. She tried to remain calm.
“Come on, Luc,” she said. “You’re already making me go with you. I want some of my own stuff.”
“I said no.” His voice was rough and what little control Katie had left snapped.
“Don’t I get a say in this at all?”
“No. Sorry.”
“Okay, then, tell me this, Mr. FBI agent—why didn’t you just leave me in jail if I’m under arrest?”
“You’re in protective custody, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh, so sorry. I guess it’s the lack of freedom or control over anything that confused me.”
Luc glanced at her. “What’s wrong with
“Hey, Mom, quit worrying.” Luc revved the engine.
“Would you be careful?” Katie didn’t think he was treating Kato with the proper respect.
“Relax. I’m a professional.” Luc leaned back and squinted down at the floorboard. “Where’s the clutch on this thing?”
Katie stared at him. “It’s an automatic.”
Luc grinned. “Ohhhhh.”
She closed her eyes briefly.
David laughed. “Try not to kill each other. I’ll be in touch soon.”
“Adios.” With a little nod to the other man, Luc reversed out of the parking space and put the car into gear.
“You’re going to have to lay down on the seat,” he told Katie.
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“There might be somebody waiting for us outside the gate. They’ll either be expecting a woman alone or both of us. Maybe it will confuse them if they only see me.”
Katie hesitated. “If this is a joke—”
“Just do it, okay?” He sounded tired and irritated.
Ironically, that reassured her and she curled up on the bench seat next to him. She was short, but the space was small so her head was almost in his lap, her cheek resting very close to his jean-clad leg. Close enough that she could feel the heat of his body through his clothes. She would have edged away, but there wasn’t anywhere to go, so she made herself lie still and tried not to notice how his muscles shifted when he drove.
It seemed to Katie that it took forever to leave the police station parking lot, but she finally heard the gates close behind them. Then they were out on the road and moving along at a pretty good clip. She started to sit up, but Luc gently put his hand on her head and held her down.
“Not yet.”
“Is somebody following us?” She tried to ignore how his fingers sank into her hair, almost as if they were burrowing into it of their own accord. They were strong and warm and soothing as they tunneled through the curls.
“I just want to make sure no one’s back there. I’m going to take a few side roads.”
“You’ll get lost.”
“I can find my way back to the highway.” He sounded amused.
“Really?” she asked, unwillingly distracted. People who had a sense of direction always impressed her.
“Really.” He was silent for a few more minutes, then moved his hand back to the steering wheel. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“You can sit up now.”
Katie pulled herself upright, realized she was practically on top of him and shifted quickly to the other side of the car.
“I’d better tell you how to get to my apartment,” she said to cover her embarrassment.
“Why?”
“So I can get some of my things.” That should have been pretty obvious.
“No.”
“No?” She stared at him and, although she couldn’t make out his features in the dim light from the dashboard, thought she saw his jaw clench. “But…but I at least need a toothbrush and some clothes.”
“You’ll have to make do with what we can find at my house.” The silhouette of his head turned to her and then away again. “It’s too dangerous, Katie.”
“David said the guy didn’t have a chance to talk to anybody.”
“No offense, but I don’t put anything past Frankie Silvano.”
Frustration, anger and the fear that had been building since he’d jumped into her car, boiled together in a caustic mix that tasted bitter in her mouth. She tried to remain calm.
“Come on, Luc,” she said. “You’re already making me go with you. I want some of my own stuff.”
“I said no.” His voice was rough and what little control Katie had left snapped.
“Don’t I get a say in this at all?”
“No. Sorry.”
“Okay, then, tell me this, Mr. FBI agent—why didn’t you just leave me in jail if I’m under arrest?”
“You’re in protective custody, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh, so sorry. I guess it’s the lack of freedom or control over anything that confused me.”
Luc glanced at her. “What’s wrong with
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