She’d put her entire family in danger. Her stomach revolted, and she had to swallow several times to keep from throwing up. “Well, okay then.”
“Even if I stop, he’ll still come after you,” Wolfe said, feeling so strong and solid beneath her. “He can’t help himself. He’ll wait and watch and then strike. You’re being locked down while I go after him. It’s nonnegotiable.”
She coughed out a laugh. “So your plan is to tick me off, drive me back to town, drop me in a safe house, and then go take him out?”
Wolfe lifted one shoulder in a shrug, nearly dislodging her. “Kind of. I wasn’t trying to tick you off, but I was so angry,amso angry, that it’s hard to talk. I’m trying. You kind of have the plan right. Except we’re going to stop at the next grocery store without cameras, ditch the truck, steal another vehicle, and then drive back home. I can’t be sure that Rock, I mean Gary, didn’t leave a tracker somewhere on this truck.”
“Oh.” It seemed he had it all planned out. “I’m for the idea of stealing a car, but I hope we get this truck back sometime, if possible. I like it.” Her stomach felt hollow, and she tried to hide the terror clawing through her. “I’m not hiding in a safe house when I can help track him. I’m a good journalist, Wolfe.”
“We’re dating, right?”
The world brightened. “Right. We are dating.” It was nice to have him back.
“Then one of my jobs is to protect you, wouldn’t you agree?” His thumb rubbed beneath her jaw.
The trap he’d set was a neat one, but she wasn’t born yesterday. “I think it’s my job to protect you, too.”
“You can do that by staying safe.” He leaned in, his nose touching hers. “I want to make you happy, and I don’t want to be a jackass, but I am locking you down. Period.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The Ramcharger Wolfe had hot-wired hadn’t been kept in very good shape. Roscoe glared at him from the hollowed-out back seat. “You shouldn’t have combined different alcohols last night,” Wolfe muttered. “It’s your fault you’re feeling poorly.”
Roscoe tossed his head and lay down on the exposed floor.
Dana stared out the window, her body appearing more relaxed than earlier even though she was still giving him the silent treatment. Although he could understand why she didn’t want to go into protective custody, he wasn’t going to budge on the matter. He didn’t like making her unhappy, but he’d like it a whole lot less if she ended up dead.
She might also be a little peeved that he’d been so grumpy this morning; he couldn’t blame her. As soon as they got a little closer to the office building, he’d buy her one of the sweet lattes she loved. It was the least he could do.
They’d had fast food for lunch and dinner, but neither he nor Dana had eaten much. Roscoe had gone to town with the burgers, though.
They drew closer to the office, and he went through his favorite drive-through, buying drinks for the entire group, even though it was after supper time. He even bought a couple for the new puzzle lady and the British chap, just in case they were in the office. If not, he’d save the drinks for later tonight.
He pulled up to the office, noting the number of cars. “Looks like everyone is here.”
“Uh-huh,” Dana said, turning pink.
He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, so he enfolded her hand with his. “Listen. I’d like to get this settled here and now, before we go inside.” Arguing in front of everyone else just wasn’t his style.
“I’m not arguing with you, Wolfe.” She curled her fingers through his.
His trapezoids relaxed marginally. “Okay. Good.” It was nice when she decided to be agreeable and make things easy for him. “I appreciate it.”
“Well, don’t. I’m not arguing because I’m not going into hiding. That would make me not only a crappy journalist but a rotten friend to Candy. She deserves better.” Dana tilted her head in a purely challenging way.
He didn’t want to tick her off again, but he wasn’t going to relent. “Let’s go inside.”
“Sure.” She removed her hand and opened her door.
He did the same, helping Roscoe over the seat. The dog landed on the pavement and immediately ran over to the trees to take care of business. He might have puked a bit, too. “I told you a burger on a hungover stomach wasn’t a great idea,” Wolfe called. At least for a dog.
Roscoe barked back and quickly returned, looking spritelier.
Wolfe surveyed the parked vehicles. “Why is everyone working on a Sunday?”
“How should I know?” She pressed her hands to her hips. “I’m going to say, once again, that you should have your entire team after Gary.”
“Not a chance.” He turned and strode to the front door, opening it for her. Sometimes things were so clear he truly didn’t understand how everybody else got it wrong. The elevator was a little tight with Roscoe in it, or maybe it was the anger coming off Dana that made the harrowing ride uncomfortable. He tried to think of a way to gain her cooperation without being too bossy.
