“I’m doing my job. Now you do yours.” He hung up on Ivy and shoved his phone in his pocket, his face burning red.

I’d never seen him angry before. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” He took a few breaths until his face was back to his beautiful olive tone. “Ivy says his phone hasn’t left the house.”

“Maybe he left without it,” I suggested.

“That’s worrisome. It means wherever he’s going, he didn’t want to be tracked.”

“Do you think he knows he’s being tracked?” I asked, worried Cash’s cover had been blown.

“He’d be foolish to think otherwise.”

“Do you think he’s on to you?”

Cash shook his head. “But it could mean he thinks someone else is.”

“Like who?” I asked, terrified to know.

“Anyone from a mob boss to the terrorist organization he screwed over when he stole the diamonds.”

“Oh,” I squeaked, thinking any moment we were going to be under attack.

Cash took my hand. “I swear I’ll keep you safe.”

“And my family?”

“Yes,” Cash promised. “I’m going to go check out your parents’ house.”

“I’m coming with you,” I said, quite courageously, if I do say so myself.

“Please, just go back to the workshop and stay with your father and grandfather. Your grandpa is carrying a gun.” He always did. Pops believed it was his God-given right. It’s also why he refused to fly anywhere. If his gun couldn’t come with him, he wasn’t going either.

“No,” I refused. “If Soren is in there, he’s going to find it odd for you to be there by yourself. Or any number of people could see you entering by yourself and innocently mention it,” I added. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to do this with him. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Cash let out a heaving breath into the cool early-afternoon air.

“You know I’m right. Doing it together covers all the bases.”

“Unfortunately, you are right,” Cash agreed. “Fine. You can come, but stay by me and do what I say.”

“Well, aren’t you bossy,” I teased. Admittedly, it was a little sexy.

“You have no idea.” He pulled me to him and brushed my lips. “Let’s go.”

What? We couldn’t just go after that. I needed a moment to let the chemicals settle into my system. It was insane how just a little kiss could send my body into a tizzy and make me feel so heated in the cool fall air.

Cash grabbed my hand and tugged on it, knowing he’d incapacitated me and I needed help.

“Do you have this effect on all women?” I couldn’t help but ask as we flew toward my parents’ place.

“I don’t know. I’ve never cared about anyone’s feelings, not even my own, until I met you.”

That was both flattering and sad.

“So will you be caring about other women’s feelings in the future?” Not sure why I wanted to know. As soon as SPI found the diamonds or my sister left on her honeymoon, I knew this fake relationship we had going was finished. Why did that thought leave me feeling so empty? Probably because as much as I’d like to deny it, there was never anything fake about how I felt about Cash. Which was ridiculous, considering Cash wasn’t even Cash.

He turned and gave me a wry grin. “There will never be another woman like you in my life.”