“Good.”She snapped closed the lid of the small case.“Can I tell Terry why I’m suddenly descending on her doorstep?”At Cole’s hesitation, Lesley added, “Give my sister some credit—she’s bound to be suspicious if I show up with a bag in my hand.”
“All right,” Cole agreed, “fill her in, but only briefly.I don’t want this out, you can understand that.”
“Yes.”She nodded, her head adding emphasis to her words.“Yes, I do.”
They walked into the living room, and Cole helped her on with her coat, his hand lingering longer than necessary on her shoulders, bringing her close to him for a timeless moment.When he broke the contact, it was Lesley who opened her eyes and expelled a long, quivering sigh.
“I want you to have something,” she said.
Cole watched her with a blank look as she moved intothe kitchen and took the broom out of the narrow closet.“It worked great on Dale and Larry.”
Cole laughed as he accepted the weapon, gripping the handle tightly.“Here.”He handed her a slip of paper with a number written boldly across it.“Call me if anything suspicious happens, even if you’re not sure.”
Mesmerized, Lesley stared at the figures.She had lived next door to Cole all these months and not known his phone number.“Okay.”
“Let’s go.”
“Us?”
“Yes, I want to follow you into town.Jennings’ men could still be out there.”
A cold shiver of apprehension ran up her spine, and some of the anxiety must have shown in her face.
“Don’t worry, it’s only a precaution.I don’t think they’re still around, but I want to be certain.I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
After locking the front door, Cole placed the suitcase in the backseat of her car.Their eyes met when he straightened.His look: intense, worried.Hers: fearful and unsure.
“Honey”—his voice was a husky murmur—“Don’t look at me like that.It’s difficult enough to let you go.”
She nodded, tears filling her eyes until Cole swam in and out of her vision.
He kissed her gently and held her close as if sending her away was the hardest thing he had ever done.“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.”
“But I will every second.”
“I know.”
“I’ll be praying, too.”
“I could use a few prayers.If there’s a God in heaven, I’ll be awarded the patent.”
If!Lesley’s mind shouted back.If!She wanted to talk to him, explain.But now wasn’t the time.
“I’ll follow you as far as your sister’s.”
Lesley agreed with a feeble smile.She climbed into her car and started the engine.Cole followed her into town, waving a brief farewell as she turned into Terry’s driveway.
“I can’t believe it,” Terry muttered, slowly shaking her head back and forth.They sat at the kitchen table, while Lisa was on the floor banging on a set of old pans with a wooden spoon.
“Why do I get the impression that this is a repeat of a previous conversation?”
“I can’t help it.”Terry shot back a half-angry glare.“It isn’t every day I hear this kind of stuff.What did Jennings’ men do to your apartment?”
“Dumped things, mostly.They were looking for Cole’s report, and since they couldn’t find it at his house, they must have assumed he’d given it to me.Most of the mess is cleaned up,” she answered absently.
“Are you thinking of going to the police?”
“I don’t know.I’m not sure what to do.Cole could be in terrible danger, but he definitely wants the police out of it.”
