“No.” Why did his chest hurt suddenly? “We’re working this case together, and then I’ll be moving on once we track down the killer. It isn’t safe to come with me.” Especially since his plan was to run right into danger and toward people who’d kill him if he didn’t give them what they wanted. Somebody had to die, and he hoped it wouldn’t be him. But it was entirely possible it would be.
Her green eyes studied him. “I’m not saying I want to come with you, so don’t think that, but what about Zara? She’s on the run with you.”
“She isn’t mine,” Heath said simply. “That’s Ryker’s decision, and I follow his lead with his woman.” Heath’s emotions were so damn jumbled that he wondered if he could make Anya his when he couldn’t guarantee even his own safety. He felt more for her than he should after knowing her such a short time. “I want to be honest with you.”
She leaned in. “That’s fine, but you should be honest with yourself, too.”
He drew back. Her words pricked and impressed him at the same time. Maybe it wasn’t just threats against him he worried about. Maybe it was just him. Was he afraid of the risk? Afraid of having her and losing her? Life was full of losses, and he knew that firsthand.
“Fair enough,” he said. “For now, are you ready to go hear the plans?”
She paled. “Yes. For a minute—a nice one—I’d forgotten all about the killer. So much for a relaxing day.”
“Exactly. Are you sure you still want to do this?”
Her chin snapped up. “You bet your ass.”
Courage impressed him. He’d keep her safe, no matter what. With one last, longing look at the bed, Heath reached for her hand. “Then let’s go make a plan.” What was he thinking, letting her be part of this? As he moved through the living room, the faces of the victims taped to the wall taunted him.
He’d failed at saving any of them so far. He led Anya from the apartment, fighting every basic urge he’d ever had. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable putting you in danger,” he murmured, pushing open the war room door.
“I put myself there,” Anya said. Her hand felt small and way too delicate in his, even as her voice was strong. Determination darkened her emerald eyes. “And I’m not yours to worry about, remember?”
His head jerked back, and his gut felt like she’d kicked him. “Yeah. I remember.”
On the room’s walls behind its bank of computer monitors, Denver had set up whiteboards that held the pictures and timeline of the entire Copper Killer case.
Heath whistled. The setup looked similar to the one Anya had created in their apartment. “Nice command room.”
“Thanks,” Denver said, moving in from the room’s small kitchen. He looked at Anya. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she said, releasing Heath’s hand.
He clenched his fist, feeling empty. “Where are Ryker and Zara?”
“Checkin’ out the decoy offices and installing the security measures. More of them, anyway,” Denver said, moving to another whiteboard with the words CURRENTOPat the top. “We did research.”
Heath quickly read the notes. “All right. So we’re in play.”
Denver nodded. “Yep.”
“Play?” Anya asked, looking around.
In the sterile room, she was all light and color. Heath fought the need to reach out and take her hand again. “That means we’ve started the op. Denver is hacking or has hacked into the state database as well as the county’s one, and we’re now a legitimate business with public records and an address. In other words, we’ve gone public.”
“The decoy address,” Anya murmured, squinting to read the board. “We’re going to a cocktail party for new businesses hosted by the mayor tonight?” Her voice trembled on the last words.
“Yeah, and Denver has probably already petitioned the state bar for my law license to be valid here?” Heath asked.
Denver nodded. “Yep. Reciprocity is easy with Washington, so you’ll get it.”
Anya started. “You’re a lawyer?”
Heath grinned. “Sometimes. I went to law school and did pass a bar exam, but it was just for the background information for the detective agency. I don’t want to really practice law.”
He sobered. By the time he was granted reciprocity, they’d be out of Washington State. Who would protect Anya then? Although the woman was resourceful and spunky. “We need to brush up on your self-defense skills. Keeping training fresh is important,” he mused. Yeah, that might be a weak excuse to get his hands back on her body, but he would feel better leaving her if she could kick ass if necessary.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing.” Her phone buzzed, and she drew it from her pocket to read the screen. Her breath whooshed out. “It’s the FBI. Reese is back in town, and he said if we don’t meet with him, he’s going to put a BOLO out on both of us.”
