“Okay, Dr. Boudreaux,” Zada finally said. She pushed her wispy bangs out of her eyes while her gaze darted quickly toward Lance. “But if you hear who we can thank for the bookstore credit, can you let them know how grateful we are? I—it’s going tobe a lot easier to buy books next semester.”
“I’ll keep an ear out, sugar.”
Zada went back the way she came, curiosity lingering in the long look she cast at Lance while she walked away.
He nodded to her, and she put her head down and kept walking.
But Kaci wouldn’t be running away.
She never did.
Lance was eitherin for one hell of a good time, or he’d be leaving here in handcuffs.
His squadron buddies weren’t always right, but they were damn certain they’d always win.
So here he was, in the bed of his truck in a staff parking spot, ready to play mediator since he hadn’t been able to stop his buddies’ version of vengeance.
And if he happened to enjoy himself in the process, that was the price he’d have to pay.
He was crunching on corn chips with a six-pack of diet soda and a pack of Mentos beside him, debating breaking into the soda when she finally marched up to him.
Not that he’d minded the delay. Listening in on her conversation had been interesting.
Borderline enlightening even.
And watching her process exactly what had happened to her Jeep had been entertaining.
To say the least.
“Captain Wheeler,” she said when she stopped beside his truck, arms crossed, and somewhere the hell is my car?warring with someyou’re gonna pay for thisin her murderous glare.
He suppressed a grin. “Dr. Boudreaux.”
Her nostrils quivered. “There’s a line, and I’m standing here hoping to sweet babyJolene y’all didn’t cross it.”
Did she know how funny she was, or did she think she was projecting hard-ass? Either way, he gave her credit for not pitching a hissy fit.
“Gertrude is part of our family,” he said. “I’m here to negotiate.”
“This here doesn’t call for negotiation. This here calls for war. And you’re gonna have more luck defying physics than you’ll have proving I have anything that belongs to you.”
“Sweetheart, I defy physics every day.”
Something twisted in her expression, but she straightened it out before he could read her. “There’s no sweetheartin’ in my line of work.”
“Maybe not, but we have security tapes from your apartment building. I know you have what I want.”
A blush flooded her round cheeks. Her pulse visibly fluttered at the base of herthroat. “Rather extreme escalation, Captain Wheeler. If yourGertrudeis worth a car, she must be practically priceless.”
“She’s very near and dear to our hearts.”
“If you ever want to see her again, you better be fixin’ to offer something better than just returning my Jeep. I can get another one of those.”
He had to swallow a smile again. She might not have twelve guys behind her strong enough to lift a Jeep onto a flatbed, but she carried herself as though she did.
Would’ve been disappointing if she hadn’t.
He lifted the soda and Mentos. “How about this? Got a feeling you’re the type to get a kick out of watching a bottle of pop explode. If that suits your fancy, I can probably find something more too.”
