Page 57 of Montana Manhunt

“Good. I have the feeling Hanson and company don’t expect you to have high end accommodations.”

“Probably not, since Camilla and I barely scraped by when we lived here.”

“Hey.” Noah cupped her nape. “I’m sorry about the confrontation with your aunt.”

She shrugged. “She behaved exactly as I expected, Noah.”

“My interrogation technique has always been heavy-handed. Seth was the diplomat, not me.”

“Wouldn’t have mattered if Seth was here or not. My aunt didn’t want us there.” Violet wrapped her arms around his neck. “You did nothing wrong.”

Noah couldn’t resist the temptation to take her mouth with his. The contrast between pillow-soft lips and a spine of steel was a huge attraction for him. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he was addicted to Violet’s taste of honey and spice. For him, there was no one else and would never be again. Too soon to tell the woman in his arms, though. The last thing he wanted was to scare her off.

A long minute later, Noah broke the kiss and stared down into her beloved face. “We should go. I don’t want to trail too far behind Grant and Rayne.”

“You’re right.” Violet brushed a light kiss over Noah’s mouth and stepped out of his embrace. “There’s no telling what might happen.” Violet slung her mike bag over her shoulder.

Noah grabbed the rest of their gear, and they rode the elevator to the first floor to check out. From there, they walked to the garage to retrieve their SUV. Once Noah was positive no one had tampered with the vehicle, they loaded their gear and drove from the parking garage.

In less than a block, he noticed the tail.

“We have company,” Violet said.

“I see him.” He shook his head. “He’s not even trying to hide his presence. Call Grant. Let’s see if we’re the only ones with a tail.”

She grabbed her phone and made the call.

“We’re a little busy here,” Grant said.

The sound of squealing tires filled the SUV’s cab. “You have a tail, too?” Noah asked.

“Yep.”

“Where are you?”

“Highway 35, west of Dover Glen. I’m leaving the highway now. I can’t shake him on this straight shot.”

“Copy that.”

“What about you?”

“We’ll lose our tail in town unless you need backup.”

A snort. “I’ve got this. Give me ten minutes, and we’ll be home free.”

“Call when you’re clear.”

“You got it.” Grant ended the call.

Noah glanced at Violet, checking that her seatbelt was locked in place. “Let’s do this. Hold on.”

Instead of heading for the highway, Noah turned back toward the center of town and wove in and out of traffic, slowly putting more and more distance between them and the tail. When the prowl car was half a block behind them and blocked in by traffic, Noah took a quick right and sped down three blocks before taking another right turn. He continued the process for another fifteen minutes, finally escaping Morrison without their pursuer.

“We’re clear,” Violet said and turned in her seat to face forward again.

Noah’s phone signaled an incoming call. He glanced at the screen and handed the phone to Violet. “Put it on speaker.”

Violet brushed her thumb across the glass.

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