Page 27 of Island Holiday

“Care to share?”

Not even a little bit. She chuckled, buying time to think of something pertaining to the case. “I’ve been wondering how in the world Zimmer figured out I caught on to his scheme.There’s nothing in his background to indicate he has the skills to recognize my electronic snooping.”

“And yet, he sent someone after you.”

She couldn’t deny it. “Obviously, I need more field training.”

“Or just someone watching your back.”

The grin he shot her implied he’d gladly accept the role. The awareness made her stomach flutter and she resisted the urge to get flirty. “Despite my clunky in-person efforts, I don’t think he would’ve done anything about that. I think someone hiding in the shell companies feeding that project account noticed me snooping around.”

“How would that work?” His gaze cycled through his mirrors once more and his brow furrowed.

“I’m careful about not leaving a trail when I dig into financial backgrounds, but I clearly made a mistake or didn’t see a tripwire.”

“Which you weren’t expecting Zimmer to have in place.”

She appreciated him siding with her, but her assumptions and overconfidence might well become a bigger problem. “That’s no excuse for being lazy about it.”

“You’re the opposite of lazy.”

“It’s okay. I’m not thrilled to discover my mistakes, but I’ll learn. I’ll get better.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel and he changed lanes. His jaw was set in a hard line, not the least bit softened by the beard.

“You’re damn close to perfect right now.”

“Connor?”

He shifted in the seat, changing lanes once more and punching the gas. “I’ve seen people screw up, Sonya. Hell, I’ve been the screw up.”

She’d have to take his word on that, having only seen him work hard and solve problems. “Are we late?” she asked quietly. “Won’t the charter plane wait for us?”

“We’re being tailed,” he muttered. “But that’s not the point.”

She swiveled in her seat, looking for the vehicle he was concerned about. If being followed wasn’t the point, what was? She reached for her phone. “Which car is it? I’ll call someone.”

“We’re on our own.” He checked the rearview mirror again. “Trust me?”

“You really need to ask?”

“Yes,” he grumbled.

Another lane change. Was he trying to draw police attention? “Yes! I trust you.”

“Thanks.”

He handled the car like a pro, raising more questions in her mind about his past and his training. Traffic was always thick around the city, but it was comparatively light at the moment. She wasn’t sure if that worked to their advantage.

She jerked around at the sound of a car horn and watched a small pickup race right up on their bumper, cutting off the car between them. The pickup swerved into the adjacent lane and back when the driver misjudged the space.

“He’s too focused on us,” she said to Connor. “He’ll cause a wreck out here.”

“Get down!” Connor grabbed her shoulder, trying to force her forward. “He’s got a gun.”

“What?”

She believed him and ducked as low as she could go. The seatbelt grabbed her, making it hard to talk while Connor continued to evade their pursuers. “I’m calling 911.”

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