Two more beats. “Where are you?” His voice changed from warm to direct and commanding. Her body heated and then chilled. When she didn’t answer, he continued. “Pippa? Enough with this. Let me come and get you. Trust me. Where are you?”
Trust him? Yeah right. It was shocking how much she still wanted to. She gripped the phone so tightly her knuckles hurt. “I’m at home, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“What’s going on?” His tone softened just enough to make her want to cry.
“You know what I learned today, Malcolm?” she asked softly.
“No. What?” His voice sounded a little ... wary? Yeah. Wary.
She dropped her chin. “I learned that an ignition fuse can be taken out of a car. I also learned that it’s easy to replace. Great facts, right?”
The swish of the wipers came over loud and clear. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Enough was enough. “Stop. Just stop.” Her eyes were gritty, and her head was going to explode. “Can you tell me one honest thing? Just one? Please.” Her voice thickened, but she couldn’t stop it.
“Pippa, I really don’t—”
“I have a key that still works in your sliding glass door. I saw the manila file about me as a child in the table by your bed.” The anger slowly just flowed out of her, leaving her empty. Completely.
His silence was heavy. “Ah, baby. I’m sorry.”
God. He was going to just shatter her heart, wasn’t he? The asshole. “I don’t care. Just give me one thing. Please.” She was almost begging.
“Let me come and get you. We can talk about this,” he said. “Please, Pippa. Let me explain in person.”
Did he think she was crazy? Well, probably. She’d fallen right in bed with him, heart first. That was nuts. “I don’t know what you wanted from me, but I’m sure you didn’t get it. You could’ve just asked instead of sleeping with me.” Tears slid down her face, but she didn’t care. “Good-bye, Malcolm.”
“No.”
The sharp command in his voice had her instinctively pausing. She blinked, her body on full alert.
“Pippa? Right now, you tell me where you are.”
She shivered. For the first time, he truly sounded just as dangerous as she knew him to be. “No,” she said softly.
“Pippa.” The low command sent her senses reeling.
Her body reacted to his voice, to that tone. It betrayed her by softening. Even her breath quickened. “You were great in bed, Malcolm,” she admitted, her heart hurting as much as her body.
“I’m not messing around.” The dominance in the words was punctuated by his deep voice. “Tell me where you are. Right fucking now.”
“No,” she snapped, her back straightening.
“You do not want me to have to hunt you down,” he warned.
Tingles beat through her abdomen. She shivered. “You’ll never find me. I’m a master at running.”
He sputtered something, but she ended the call.
She ripped her phone apart and then threw all the pieces in the dirt outside the car. Trying to stop the tears, she started her engine and drove away from Trixie’s neighborhood.
The problem was, she didn’t have anywhere to go.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Damn it.” Mal pounded his hand against the steering wheel. He dialed Force, who picked up immediately. “I need a trace on Pippa’s cell phone. Now. She knows.”
“Give me five minutes. Stay on Op.” Force clicked off.
