Page 43 of Diagnosis Attraction

Derek Lang. That’s his name,she shouted in his mind.

Yes.

The next question is, what did I do to him?

I hope we’ve got the answer.

She nodded as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the small flashlight that she’d taken from the bulletin board. The men who’d searched the house had ignored it as just part of her kitschy office decorations, but when she’d unscrewed the top, she pulled out the thumb drive hidden inside.

“They got the hard drive, but they didn’t get this,” she said. “Hopefully, it duplicates what was in the computer.”

“Clever of you.”

She grinned at him. “Yes, if I do say so myself.”

“Let’s hope it’s got what we need. I’d like to figure out what’s going on.”

“But we need a computer.” She smiled as she caught his next thought and murmured, “Your laptop is in your trunk.”

“Yeah.”

“Clever of you to bring it along.”

“I thought it might come in handy.”

She didn’t ask where they were going because he knew she saw the picture of the motel room that had formed in his mind.

She scooted back to the other side of the car. He slid his seat closer to the wheel again and drove away, carefully staying under the speed limit.

Matt slowed at the row of fast-food restaurants where they’d bought lunch.

“We just used up a lot of energy with that mental stuff. We should get something to eat,” he said.

She tipped her head toward him. “That might be what came out of your mouth, but you were thinking about something else.”

“I guess I can’t hide that X-rated image of the two of us in bed. But we’ve got to keep our priorities straight. Food, work, and then pleasure. What do you want for dinner?”

When a picture of a large pizzaloaded with cheese, vegetables, and meat leaped into her mind, he said, “Excellent choice.”

They bought the pizza along with soft drinks and brought it back to the motel.

Matt drove through the motel parking lot before he stopped, but as far as he could tell, nobody suspicious was hanging around. Still, he had Elizabeth wait in the car while he retrieved the laptop from the trunk.

After he’d ushered her inside, he set the computer and the food on the table, then locked the door and checked out the bathroom.

“There’s a window in here,” he announced.

“In case we have to make another quick getaway?”

“I’m just being cautious.”

“It was lucky you were being cautious at my house.”

They looked at each other for a long moment.We have to practice restraint and discipline,he forced himself to say.

Opening the box, he scooped up a slice of pizza and put it on a paper plate while he booted up his computer.

He looked up and saw Elizabeth watching him.

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