“Ineedyou too,” she said in return.
She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his as their ragged breathing whispered between them.
Finally he eased her down his body until her feet hit the floor again. She winced as the pressure against her chest released, and Hutch swore.
She shook her head before he could say anything. “Stop treating me like I’m breakable, Hutch.”
He hooked a finger under her chin and nudged it upward. “Not breakable, baby. Just very precious.”
What could she possibly say to that?
Sawyer cleared his throat. “I hate to break this up, but if we’re going to go, we need to head out pretty quick.”
“I need to call in and let my department know where I’ll be,” she said as she moved away from Hutch.
There was a lot more she needed to call and arrange before she left, and she needed privacy in order to do it.
“Then let’s get our shit together and get on the road,” Cam said as he got up from the bar.
One by one, they got up and headed for the stairs. Regina lagged behind and headed for Cam’s office. She needed quiet. And she didn’t need to be overheard.
She closed the door behind her and walked over to sit behind his desk, reaching for the phone as she did so. She dialed Michael Harvey’s number and prayed he’d be in.
A few moments later, he answered, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Michael, it’s Regina Fallon.”
“Regina. Glad to hear from you. I heard you’ve got a lot of excitement going on up there in Cypress.”
“Yeah, no doubt. Look, I need a favor, and I don’t have a lot of time to get into the whys and wherefores.”
“I’m listening.”
“I need a full on surveillance system set up at a residence outside Cypress. There’s a grove of trees set off from the house a bit that I’d like some trail cameras put in. And the house, I need all angles covered. If someone so much as sets foot on this property, I want to know about it.”
“I see. And when do you need this done?”
She winced. “Today. Tomorrow. No later than tomorrow.”
She heard him blow out his breath.
“Man, you know I’d help you out any way I could, Regina, but that’s a mighty tall order.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “But it’s important, Michael. These people are important to me. I’ve got some crazed lunatic trying to kill me and threatening people close to me. I can’t let him get close again. I want to shut him down.”
“Okay, tell me where. I’ll get a couple of men on it. We’ll get you squared away.”
She sighed in relief. “Thanks, Michael. Be sure and send me the bill.”
“Oh, I will, and trust me, sweetheart, it won’t be a cheap one.”
She tried not to cringe. But whatever amount it cost her, it would be worth it if she could nail this bastard before he harmed Birdie or one of the guys.
As she hung up, another thought occurred to her. One she hadn’t considered. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. If the lunatic wasn’t targeting her because of her father, and if he wasn’t targeting her because of Hutch (that was still her number one scenario), and he was in fact going after her because he was some pissed-off moron she’d arrested in the past, then not only were Birdie and the guys potential targets, but her parents could be as well.
A groan escaped before she could stop it.
Trying not to let the possibilities send her into meltdown, she punched in the number to the station and waited for Greta to answer.
