“Us.”
She refrained from saying,There is no us. It was her go-to phrase, the one that had gotten her through all the rotten relationships in her past, of which there’d been many. Okay, maybe not many, but enough.
“I’ll take that as a good sign,” Baz said softly.
“What’s that?”
“That you’re not in denial.”
JJ couldn’t help it, she chuckled. He knew her so well, despite the fact they hadn’t known one another for all that long. It hadn’t been until they’d encountered him while working on their first official case that Baz had become part of their world. Since then, JJ had relied on him so many times. Not only at work but also … also to make her smile, because that was what Baz did. He made her smile even when she didn’t want to.
He held her gaze, those ridiculously blue eyes scorching her down to her soul.
“Baz…”
She could see the question in his eyes. He wanted her to speak her mind.
Like that could ever happen. JJ wasn’t one to open up about her feelings, never had been, and she had no desire to start now. It was easier to pretend she didn’t give a damn about anything, to take on that carefree air that got her through each and every day.
Before she could shift topics to something more comfortable, her cell phone rang. Since the only person who ever called her was Brantley, and only when a text wasn’t suitable for the situation, she snatched it from the table, hit the talk button without bothering to look at the screen.
Holding Baz’s gaze, she answered with, “Hey, why are—”
“JJ, I need to talk to you.” The words were rushed, dripping with what sounded like panic.
Frowning, she tried to place the voice. Definitely not Brantley.
“JJ? Are you there?”
Pulling the phone away from her ear, she peered at the screen. The number wasn’t familiar, nor was it in her contact list, because there was no name.
“I wouldn’t call you if it wasn’t urgent.”
She was about to ask the caller to identify himself when it clicked, the metaphorical lightbulb shining brightly in her head.
“Dante?” She listened for a response, heard only breathing, so she added, “Where are you?”
JJ saw Baz’s expression shutter, his eyes darkening, clearly with disapproval.
Dante’s tone bordered on hysterical when he answered with, “I didn’t know who else to call. I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”
“About what?”
“I can’t say over the phone,” he said in a rush. “It’s … life-or-death.”
It wasn’t the theatrics that got her, because JJ was used to Dante’s dramatic flair. It was that he sounded so unlike himself that she agreed. “Fine. Where?”
He was huffing, his words high-pitched. Definitely panicked. “Your house. Ten minutes. Alone. Please, JJ.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded as though Dante could see her. “Okay.”
The call disconnected abruptly, and she looked up to see Baz was watching her closely.
“Dante’s callin’ you?” he asked, sounding not at all pleased but at the same time curious.
JJ glanced at her phone. “Evidently.” She met his gaze again. “I have to go meet him.”
Admittedly, she was using Dante as an excuse to get a pass on this conversation. Despite her feelings for Baz, or maybe because of them, she wasn’t ready for them to put the brakes on completely. And if she stayed, she knew that would be the outcome, because aside from being a world-class hacker, JJ’s other talent was pushing people away.
