Page 5 of Hiding Hollywood

“California to Florida and back is a long trip. Ever consider flying?”

“Only when I’ve completely lost my mind.” She’d breached security systems of dozens of high-profile companies. Not even the airlines were a safe bet anymore. Soft targets.

He shifted gears, glancing at her before focusing back on the road, hands at ten and two. “Trevor said your boyfriend was”—his lips pressed together for a brief second—“not right for you.”

“Discussing Brian’s shortcomings is a common theme of conversations with Trevor, lately. Brian is skiing. I’m sure he doesn’t have a signal for his phone.” Or else he better have a good excuse.

“Brian?” He spat out his name as if it tasted rotten.

“What?”

A crooked smile broke through Cameron’s stern expression, shifting his entire face into the drool-worthy man she remembered.

Addie caught herself before she fell over his direction. He smelled like…pine trees. Not like the tacky green cardboard thing that hung on rearview mirrors, but the real thing. Rugged and manly. A simple smell like that beat out Brian’s five-hundred-dollar designer cologne by a long shot. Good thing she’d be on her way in a day or two.

“I’m picturin’ what a man named Brian, who hasn’t even tried to contact his girlfriend after reporting his car stolen, looks like.” He chuckled. “He’s obviously an idiot.”

The guy actually chuckled. Like an old man.

“And, in your highly skilled, professional opinion on men, what does he look like?”

“Medium height.”

Lucky guess.

“Works out for a few hours a day but has never used his muscles for anything worthwhile in his life.”

Possibly.

“Doesn’t have a real job.”

Wrong. She smirked. “He was in a toothpaste commercial and an ad campaign for a gym. He’s waiting for his big movie break.”

Cameron’s voice shifted back into that the serious cop sound again. “And someone not worthy of you or any other woman for risking you spending even one minute in a jail cell because of his own stupidity.” The truck rolled to a stop at a red light. The hum of the old engine the only sound between them. His green eyes locked with hers. God, it was déjà vu.

Cameron was right about one thing. Those muscles she’d spied under Cameron’s shirt had seen a lot more real action than Brian’s ever would. She’d seen her Deputy in a fight once. Warmth flooded her face. He’d knocked the guy out with a single punch.

She swallowed, her mouth having run dry from the memory. “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for his lack of communication.”

He grunted and watched the road.

“He really is skiing right now.”

Cameron shrugged, the same, dismissive way Trevor did.

She crossed her arms and sat back in the seat. “I don’t need another big brother.” She snapped out the last word, before catching the annoyance in her voice. After the ordeal of being in jail, all she wanted to do was relax and be herself. But even if she could find a way to trust Cameron with her real job, she’d never get over the comments Brian had made about how she looked without her hair and makeup done. She could never be herself.

The muscles along Cameron’s strong jaw contracted. His hand squeezed the steering wheel tighter. He was doing her a favor acting that way.

Addie leaned away from him. Pine trees passed her window in a blur. She should be grateful and not take out her own frustration at her old feelings for Cameron cloud her judgment. She had a few choice words to say to her boyfriend when he called her.

How had she forgotten about her phone? She jerked forward and dug into her purse, her world becoming instantly brighter as it powered up with twenty-five percent battery left.

What if Cameron had been serious about staying for two weeks in some small town? Even if she could get Trevor to send her some money and buy a laptop, with the spotty cellular connection she had, a steady internet connection would be unlikely. The prospect of an overnight stay with an inmate named Big Linda hadn’t worried her as much as spending so much time away from her real job. Her boss would be pissed.

Her legs bounced restlessly. If Cameron wanted a repentant prisoner, he better detour through a drive-thru and let her get some coffee. If not, she might have two strikes of grand theft auto, and a kidnapping charge leveled against her when she commandeered his old truck to escape toward civilization.

2

---