“What’s our other option? Sneak in like thieves after dark?”
“We can’t wait that long,” he said with a frown. “JJ can’t afford for us to talk, so I foresee an outsized response from the sheriff’s department.”
Fear buffeted her in a relentless tide. “Then, it’s better to act now before word really spreads.” While there was a chance Megan was still at the compound. And alive. But if they moved without taking precautions, Lindsey might never get to her friend at all.
She fought the urge to stomp her foot or kick something.
Todd scratched his forehead beneath the black knit cap. “I could probably use a knife to shave my beard, and keep wearing the beanie to cover my hair.”
Ouch. No way would a knife blade be sharp enough. “I have a better idea.”
Lindsey’s eyes sparkled with intelligence, her face coming alive with whatever idea she had for Todd’s hair. How had every man she’d ever met not fallen all over himself to spend time with her?
“Should I be worried?” he asked. What if she wanted to shave his head too? It had worked as a disguise for his boss’s friend, Mick, a few years back, but Todd’s head was weirdly shaped. Something he’d learned the hard way in fifth grade.
“Coffee,” she said.
“I don’t follow.”
“We’re going to dye everything brown. That way you won’t have to hack off your hairoryour beard.”
“That works?”Coffee?
“It should. I had a friend in high school who was into DIY, all-natural cosmetics. Made her own eyeliner and everything. Dark roast coffee worked onherhair, though she was more blond.” A smile ghosted across Lindsey’s sweet lips. “Maybe save the knife as a last resort.”
“And you thought you had nothing to offer.”
She shrugged. “Unfortunately, I can’t make myself shorter.”
“Too bad we don’t have a prayer in hell of making you look like a guy. That’d really throw people off the trail once my red hair’s gone.”
Her lips rolled in. “You don’t think with enough padding and some baggie clothes, maybe a hat—”
“Not a chance.” Despite her stature, given her delicate facial features and womanly curves, the way she walked, no one in their right mind would mistake her for a man. Or even a boy.
“Okay.” She rested her hands on the shapely hips he’d spent half the night wanting to caress. “I’ll think of something else. Maybe dealing with your hair is enough.”
Doubtful. Her driver’s license photo was a pretty good match.
Setting that issue aside for the moment, they brewed several cups of coffee with boiled stream water, and then Lindsey mixed the grounds with sunscreen, her makeshift stand-in for conditioner. While the coffee cooled, they looked over the satellite map of the area Todd had brought for his trip, complete with topographical overlay to show elevation.
“Here’s about where we first met,” he said, pointing to the area on the trail where she’d nearly gone off the mountain. A shudder ran through him at the memory.
Every part of him wanted to stash her somewhere safe, but he had no idea where that would be. Unfortunately, she was probably better off with him, out looking for her friend, than sitting in an anonymous hotel somewhere, waiting for the police to knock on the door.
He couldn’t risk it.
Scary how much she mattered to him already. The last decade of his life had been dedicated to saving and protecting people, but this was different somehow. Lindsey was different.
Heclickedwith her. He’d felt it instantly. It wasn’t just her looks, though she was attractive as hell. So far, he liked the whole package. Her strength, her loyalty, her integrity, her sense of humor. The more he got to know her, the more beautiful she got.
Maybe he finally understood what had turned most of the other guys at Steele into dedicated family men.
Jesus, what was he thinking? He’d literally met Lindsey the day before and now he was ready to…what? Marry her? Have kids?Hardly. He didn’t believe in love at first sight, or insta-love, or whatever it was called. But, damn, he did want to explore the possibilities.
Comically bad timing. Assuming they didn’t end up in jail or worse, they lived and worked on opposite sides of the country. And he had a killer to track down. That was his core mission until Pete was behind bars. Or dead.
Lindsey’s shoulder brushed his as she leaned in for a look at the map. He held still, maintaining contact, hardly daring to breathe.
