Page 159 of Wild Mustang Security Firm

“The bloody hell I will. Like you said, Finn hired you… not me,” she hissed, then took a deep breath. He wondered if she realized how it emphasized the size of her breasts? “I don’t know anything more than you do,” she said in a calmer tone. “I’m an investigative journalist and think this could be a big story. I mean to see it through to the end.”

“In case you missed it, your end was supposed to be this morning at your place.”

“Damn it, Taylor, let me out!” Zara said, her anger returning to the fore.

She had a foul temper. Under other circumstances, it might be interesting to find out if the fire that fueled her temper extended to her other emotions.

“No,” he said calmly, watching her take another deep breath, trying to rein in her infamously nasty disposition.

“You do realize you’re headed west, right?” she asked in an irritably civil tone.

“Your point being?”

“Europe is east of London, you clueless idiot. You told Croft we were headed to your European safehouse.”

He chuckled. “You’re a reporter. Let me give you a little inside tip. Often, when a field operative thinks there is a possibility a conversation will be overheard, said field operative gives out bad information. We call that misinformation. We aren’t headed to Europe; we’re headed to a place that we keep in the middle of nowhere.”

“Where, pray tell, is that?”

“It’s a secret,” he said, teasing her.

Noah found he was rather enjoying irritating Zara.

“God damn it, Taylor! Let me out of the damn vehicle. I have things to do.”

“No. Pay attention, Zara, I’m not going to repeat myself. You have one thing and only one thing to do—stay alive. My job is to make sure you do. That means you’re with me until we get this figured out and neutralize the threat.”

“Excuse me?” she asked incredulously. “I don’t think so. I had nothing to do with you getting involved and want even less to do with having you act like some overzealous bodyguard. I am quite capable of taking care of myself.”

Noah was glad the traffic around them was beginning to thin out. He’d be able to relax a little once they were on the open highway, and he could keep a clear field all around them. Noah remained silent as he put distance between them and the city and hopefully, those who had come gunning for her. He waited for her to respond and didn’t have long to wait.

“Well?” she snarled. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“Arguing with you is a waste of time. You’re hell-bent on doing what you want, and I’m not going to let you. No bitching and moaning on your part is going to influence me in any way, and you’re too pigheaded to listen to reason.”

“Pigheaded? I’m pigheaded? God, I despise arrogant men. Let me out of the damn vehicle.”

He shook his head and grinned. “No.”

“You can’t tell me no!”

“I just did. You’d better get used to it. I suspect you’ll be hearing it a lot from me.”

“The instant, and I mean the very instant, you stop this vehicle, I’m going to get out and scream bloody murder.”

“Good thing I have a full tank of petrol and a full auxiliary tank as well. When we get where we’re going, you can yell, shout, and curse at the top of your lungs if you want. It won’t do any good and won’t change anything.”

“You are a bastard of the first order.”

“Yes, ma’am… I most certainly am,” he said agreeably.

Zara shrieked in frustration. The man was infuriating—sexy as all get-out, but absolutely infuriating.

They drove for hours. Zara found the weight of what had happened combined with the steady monotone of the engine oddly soothing and found she was fighting sleep.

“I meant what I said, Zara. I’m not stopping until we get where we’re going. You may as well get some rest.”

“I’m hungry.”

---