Page 99 of The Bodyguard

He laughed. “Well, then, let’s get you some information, sweetheart.”

Fifteen minutes later, she was dressed, had said a loving goodbye to the green dress, and was out the door to find Mylene—and put an end to this romantic time with Sawyer.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The nondescript house looked exactly as it looked from the images that Parker had sent, though neither the satellite nor property record photos did justice to its disrepair. The gutters sagged. The fence had seen better days. Sawyer wasn’t sure that anyone had lived in the building for years. Then again, the entire neighborhood felt ignored.

He circled the block again. Their newer-model rental car would stand out if anyone was watching too closely.

“What are you looking for?” Angela asked.

Two old work vans had caught his eye. One had darkly tinted windows. The other was overwrapped in worn signage from a plumbing and home repair company. “Anyone looking for us.”

“Do you think this could be a trap?”

His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror. “It certainly got us here, didn’t it?”

“Parker wouldn’t have sent us into a trap unarmed.”

Although they weren’t entirely unarmed after their quick stop at Wal-Mart, he understood her sentiment. “I don’t need a gun to keep you safe.”

Sawyer parked behind the van with tinted windows. “Stay put a second.”

He exited the rental car and carefully moved to the van for a closer inspection. The doors weren’t locked. A quick peek inside revealed an overflowing ashtray, an old fast-food bag on the passenger floorboard, and not much else. Lookout vehicle, or was it owned by an untidy smoker? He didn’t rule out either possibility. Sawyer opened the discarded fast-food bag. The receipt was paid by credit card and dated three weeks ago.

He returned to Angela’s side of the car, and she rolled the window down. “Anything interesting?”

“I don’t think so.” He glanced at their surroundings. “Want to go for a walk?”

“Sure.”

He led them in the opposite direction from Mylene’s block. After they passed several driveways, she asked, “Where are we going?”

“I want to check out this van—”

A man in a maintenance-style uniform walked from the back of a nearby house.

Sawyer slowed their pace and kept his gaze straight ahead but watched the man proceed toward the plumber’s van, open the rear doors, and rummage through a tool chest.

Another man in a matching uniform appeared from the backyard. “Hey,” he yelled. “Never mind, I found it.”

Sawyer and Angela walked by the plumber, who cursed his lazy, good-for-nothing partner.

They made a left at the end of the block then another until they were back on the same street. She took his hand when they turned toward Mylene’s house.

Sawyer gave her hand a quick squeeze. “How are you doing?”

“Fine. Nervous. I don’t know.”

He scanned the area and stopped.

“What—”

After another quick study of their surroundings, Sawyer pulled her to his chest and gave her his full attention. “Do you want to go back to the car?”

“Absolutely not.”

He grinned through a tightness knotted in his chest. Sawyer had only so many more times he could pull her close. Now wasn’t the time or place to kiss Angela, but the rules of engagement were fuzzy when it came to her. He pressed his lips to hers. “We’ll be careful.”

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