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“When you called, he didn’t respond. So you need to get in the house and retrieve your evidence. Any chance Carlson knows that?”
“How could he? People don’t normally leave valuable items at their bitter ex’s place. ”
“A bank might have been more obvious, but it would have been more secure. ”
“Until he found some trumped-up way to subpoena the contents. ”
Sighing, Tyler reached for her hand. “Yeah. This is all kinds of fucked up, but we’re going to fix it, angel. ”
“You didn’t have to come with me. ”
Tyler gritted his teeth. “Don’t start that again. We’re in this together. ”
Del knew that tone of voice well. Conversation over. He’d used it countless times before on suspects—and a time or two on Eric. That deep conviction rumbling from his chest always gave her the shivers.
“You’re not the only one who wants to protect our son,” he said softly.
And she loved that about Tyler. When he cared, he cared big.
“I understand, but I want to be clear: What happened last night in your bedroom can’t happen again. ”
She didn’t dare let him melt her resolve to keep distance between them. That kiss had been a huge mistake. They had a clear objective to take down Carlson and make Seth’s life safer. Anything else just complicated the situation. Tyler, being a heartbreaker, made it all even more complicated. She’d never forget the breathless, sublime moments she’d touched him, had him deep inside her. They’d connected in a way she never had with any lover. But he’d taken a chunk of her heart . . . and then he’d moved on. That’s who he was, and she’d be a fool to think that she—or even Seth—was going to change him.
“You want me to back off, keep my hands to myself?”
Even the thought of his hands on her made her belly flip. “Yes. ”
Tyler turned to her as the empty road flew past and the sun crawled up the sky. His green eyes gleamed. He sent her a cocky grin. “Don’t hold your breath, angel. ”
***
THE morning passed by in a blur of tense silence and road stripes as mile after mile of back roads rolled by. They drove in a meandering path west as the sun rose. Tyler’s cell phone rang off and on, but his terse, one-sided conversations made little sense. But she understood that they were meeting someone in Houston for an exchange. If Tyler intended to pass her off to someone else for safekeeping, she’d leave him in the dust.
Del didn’t start the argument because he was strung really tight. He looked in the rearview mirror constantly. The police scanner tucked under his dash sputtered off and on, and he jumped to attention every time it did. She realized that he expected someone to be following them from New Orleans.
They hit the outskirts of Houston just before lunch. The morning rush had dissipated, but they still slogged through some heavy traffic. He stopped behind a gas station/mini-mart a few miles off the highway and told her to use the bathroom if she needed to. She did, keeping her head low around their cameras. On her way out, she longingly eyed the water bottles, but she was almost flat broke. And she’d be damned if she’d ask Tyler for anything more. He was already extending himself to help her. She refused to be a leech. When they got to L. A. , she’d access the emergency fund she’d stashed in her garden.
Emerging from the little service station as traffic lazed by in the muggy air, Del came to a complete stop when she saw Tyler talking to a beautiful Asian woman with sleek curls brushing the top of her ass and a dress that wasn’t much longer.
The woman spoke in animated hand gestures and a wink. Tyler grinned. An immediate stab of jealousy knifed her in the heart. Del took a deep breath. Tyler wasn’t her man. He’d kissed her. So what? Apparently, he had a mad crush on his boss, Alyssa. Ex-boss. Whatever. Del knew that Tyler’s heart wasn’t hers, and that was for the best. Once this was behind them, they’d figure out some custodial arrangement beneficial to all and go their mostly separate ways. Tyler had always had a healthy sex drive and liked a lot of variety. Obviously, nothing had changed.
He caught sight of her and motioned her over. Swallowing the anger she didn’t want to feel, she made her way to the duo.
“Del, this is May. Remember Tara, back in Lafayette, married to one of the Edgington brothers?”
“The redhead who isn’t pregnant, right?”
“Yet. Logan is taking a land-based assignment in a few months. He’ll fix that quickly, I’m sure. Anyway, he has a friend named Xander who sent May to help—”
“Seriously?” She grabbed his arm. “Excuse us,” she said, dragging Tyler away from the beauty with the kohl-rimmed eyes.
“The fewer people who know what’s going on the better,” she pointed out. “I don’t know Logan, much less his friend. And who is this woman? We’re trusting her because she’s a friend’s friend’s . . . girlfriend?”
He frowned, then wrapped an arm around her waist, the gesture meant to comfort. “I get it, but we don’t have more appealing options. I’d trust Logan with my life. Xander is solid. This woman hasn’t been told anything except to exchange cars with us. Carlson’s goons will have gotten the license plate number to my truck from the security cameras at the airport in New Orleans. They’ll be tracking a black truck with Louisiana plates and giving law enforcement my plate number. I guarantee you, if we’d stayed in the truck longer, we would have been pulled over on some bullshit charge and detained until Carlson could reach us. Since you bought a plane ticket, he knows your destination, angel. If you think he isn’t watching I-10 like a hawk, you’re deluding yourself. Now get in the car. ”
Del closed her mouth. Of course Carlson would have law enforcement on his side. For all she knew, he’d put out an APB on her. Did that make Tyler guilty of aiding and abetting? Was some crooked, small-town cop waiting just around the next bend for Tyler’s big truck to appear so they could pull it over? She realized now that she’d only crossed the country unaccosted because Carlson hadn’t known her destination, and he hadn’t realized she’d be driving her neighbor’s car. The kind widow had gone for a month to visit her daughter who lived overseas and wouldn’t miss the little Honda for weeks.
But with her stunt this morning, Del realized that she’d killed their element of surprise and put them both in danger.
“Sorry. I didn’t . . . think it all the way through. ”
“You’re not used to thinking like this. Don’t beat yourself up, angel. Get in the car, and let’s go. ”
She nodded, then thanked May as she walked toward the sleek, gray Lexus sedan. She pulled the doors open, marveling at the new-car smell of the leather seats. Everything was pristine. The car probably cost more than she’d made last year. It was love at first sight.
Especially when she spotted the small cooler of water bottles sitting on the floorboard of the passenger’s side. She grabbed one gratefully as Tyler climbed in and pulled away. He watched May drive off with his truck in the rearview mirror.
“You’re giving her your truck?”
“The truck isn’t important. ”
“You own it, right? It’s worth a lot of money and—”
“It’s not worth your life. ”
Del’s heart flipped. He was so damn loyal. How could she not melt a little?
“May is taking it to a nearby garage, where it will stay out of sight. If everything goes well, I’ll collect the truck later. ”
Del heard the note of finality in his voice. It was better if she stopped arguing. She didn’t cede control of anything easily, but Tyler had a plan he’d apparently thought out pretty well. She’d been running for days on caffeine and adrenaline.
As they left Houston, they grabbed a fast-food lunch and headed toward San Antonio. The gentle rolling hills and greenery turned peaceful. The traffic tapered off to damn near nothing. The purr of the engine and the motion of the car lulled her to sleep.
She woke hours later to the sun setting. Her nec
k was stiff, and the landscape had given way to pure, flat desert. “Where are we?”
“About halfway between San Antonio and El Paso. ”
“Sorry I conked out on you. ”
“When did you last sleep a whole night?”
“Last week. Thursday. ”
Tyler reached for her hand. “You risked everything to bring Seth to me. I know things went to hell between us before, but I’m glad you trusted me. ”
Tears axed the back of her eyes, stinging. “He’s the most precious thing in my life. Our parting may not have been great, but I knew you’d take care of him. ”
“I won’t let you down, Del. My friends will give him the best care possible. And I’m going to take care of you, too. ”
How easy it would be to lean against him and let him handle everything. She did trust him. He would keep her safe and do a killer job investigating. He’d been a great detective, after all. But doing that would be so damn unfair to him. She’d upended his life after dropping a major bombshell on him. She had to pull her own weight. “You don’t have to. I’m a big girl. ”
“Who’s in over her head. Just let me handle everything. ” It wasn’t a request. “Hungry?”
Del bit her lip and nodded. She’d prove useful as soon as they got to L. A.
In a little town with a population south of ten thousand, they stopped for a restroom and dinner break. They had limited food options. A rubber chicken sandwich and some fries later, they were back on the road. Del offered to drive. Tyler just shook his head.
Hours later, they pulled up into a dated motel off the highway in El Paso. Tyler unfolded himself out of the car. “Wait here and lock the doors. ”
He had to be exhausted . . . yet he continued to worry about her.
“I’m fine. Go. ”
He grabbed a ball cap from the backseat and shoved it over his head, pulling the bill low. Then he disappeared into the hot, windy night. A few minutes later, he returned and, without a word, pulled the car around to the back of the motel.
“No one driving by will see this car from any road. I gave the manager a fake name and extra cash not to care. ” He exited the car, then grabbed her duffel from the trunk.
Inside, the room was painfully clean. Aging industrial carpet and stark white walls made it clear this wasn’t the Ritz. She didn’t care. There were two beds and a shower. She could kiss Tyler for making this happen.
But she wouldn’t—for her sanity.
“Thank you. ” She shut the door and locked it behind her.
“No argument about not having separate rooms?”
Staying with him was a bit dangerous, since she was feeling so ridiculously vulnerable yet grateful, but . . . “No. Safety in numbers. I appreciate the separate beds. ”
“Damn, and I’d prepared my speech, too. ”
Despite her exhaustion, Del smiled. “Let’s hear it. ”
“Probably not a good idea. I’d just planned to say that you weren’t getting your own room. Separate beds is as much space as I’m willing to give you. ” He shrugged. “I’m not going to lie. I’d rather spend the night in your bed. In your body. I’ve missed you like hell, Del. ”
His words shocked her. God, she could even hear the longing in his voice, and it did something to her that wasn’t good for her resolve. Cuddling up to Tyler all night, feeling the demanding press of his kiss, the hard thrust of his cock, waking up in his arms—it all sounded heavenly. But not smart. She was a mom now; she couldn’t afford flings. And Tyler didn’t do permanent.
“You can’t say things like that. We can’t do things like that. There’s too much at stake. ”
“I knew you’d say that. It’s just . . . the thought of you in danger makes me want to kill the motherfucker threatening you, then rip off every stitch of your clothing and take you in every way known to man. ”
Del swallowed, trying to absorb the impact of those words. They reverberated through her, pinging wildly, before finally rousing an ache in her chest and her pussy. She’d never known another man who could give her such pleasure, make her feel so safe. He was right there in front of her. The temptation to reach out and touch him damn near drowned her good sense.
But she had Seth and tomorrow to think about. And honestly . . . by the time Eric had encouraged Tyler to have sex with her, she’d been half in love with him. He’d been so steady, patient, kind during her ex-husband’s recovery. Cutting him loose had hurt so badly. She didn’t want to suffer it twice.
“Caveman much?” she joked.
“Always. You know that. ”
“Look, I already heard that you have a thing for Alyssa. I get why. She’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen a woman that sexy. I know she’s married, but . . . I’m living proof marriage doesn’t always last. But while you wait for her, I won’t be a substitute. ”