“Well, sir, you see...” She took a steady breath, trying to find the courage she had somehow lost. “As I was following him today, he led me to the airport. He was headed to Hawaii, and I knew I had to stop him.”
“By making a scene and pretending you were in love?” He released a disappointed groan. “Lawson, I think you should have figured out a different way to stop him.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s a little too late, now,” she defended her poor decision. “And I was desperate. I knew he wouldn’t come with me by flashing him my FBI badge.”
He sighed. “You’re correct, Lawson, it’s too late to change it.” There was a short pause. “I hope you’re planning on fixing this.”
Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to cry. “Yes, sir.”
“Because I can guarantee you one thing,” he snapped. “If the senator’s hitman finds Zack Greyson, he won’t be the only one in danger.”
“I’m well aware of that, Captain Bott.”
“Fix this, Lawson. This is a warning. Your job is in jeopardy.”
“Yes, I know,” she whispered before her voice broke.
He ended the call without saying good-bye, which was all right with her. She would have probably started crying.
Inhaling deeply, she paced the kitchen. No longer was she hungry. Instead, she was determined. She’d show the captain – along with Mr. Dreamy-Eyes – that shewasa good agent, and she could do her job without messing up.
As she paced the floor, her mind spun with ideas, but she crossed every one of them off her list. She had to be more creative. She needed to hide Zack where nobody would find him.
Immediately, her stepfather’s face popped into her head. He’d divorced her mother when Whitney was ten-years-old, but he’d been the only father she’d ever known. Thankfully, Joe Robbins treated her like the daughter he’d always wanted. And...
Whitney grinned. Joe owned a horse ranch in Maine away from civilization. The ranch would be the perfect place for Whitney to hide Zack. Not only that, but being on a ranch would force Zack to be a regular guy instead of a dreamy billionaire.
Things were looking better and better already.
FOUR
Zack studied the woundin his arm in the mirror. Carefully, he stretched his arm, but the pain increased. The bleeding had started up again, but thankfully, it wasn’t as bad. He’d forgotten how much getting shot hurts. But this wound would heal just like the last one had. If only people would stop shooting at him.
He groaned and turned away from the mirror as he finished drying himself off. The shower was refreshing, and he’d love to lie down and take a nap, but there were too many things in his life that needed to be straightened out. The most important being the woman downstairs who had his mind whirling in confusion.
Whitney really wasn’t that pretty... well, maybe she was in a way. Her hazel eyes changed colors depending on her moods. He really liked to see her riled, though. Zack grinned. Her eyes nearly shot out flames of fire.
