Page 61 of Hunted

“Just until we manage to let White know it’s too late. We’ll try to pick him up before he skips the country again, but this way, even if he gets past us, he’ll still have no reason to bother you or the Stoltz woman again. She’ll be safe.”

“You know what I’m gonna say. You, of all people, Darren, know exactly what my answer is. You know me better than anyone alive.” Darren started to speak, but Connor went on. “I’m not coming in.”

“Romano—”

“It’s not up for debate, Darren. Come to me tonight, and make damn sure you’re not followed. I’ll give you the formula, and you can take Lexi to a safehouse. Guard her with your life. She means something to me.”

Darren hesitated, maybe tripped up by that declaration. Then he said, “Yeah, well, she won’t if you’re dead.”

“We do this my way or no way,” Romano told him, keeping his voice level.

“All right. Okay. Go on, what else?”

“That’s it. Take her somewhere safe. Get your best guys to work on the antidote and then put that damned formula down the nearest toilet. But don’t let it slip that you have it. I want White to think he still has a chance.”

“But he’ll still come after you if he thinks that.” Then he sighed. “That’s what you want, isn’t it? He’ll come after you tonight, and you’ll?—”

“Better than letting him get away again, don’t you think?”

Darren sighed, but didn’t argue. “Tell me where you are, my friend.”

“Yeah.” Romano looked toward the bathroom door, where he could hear the shower running, and he thought of how furious Lexi was going to be with him for this. She wouldn’t go willingly. He knew she wouldn’t. “Give me a couple of hours, okay?”

“Sure. Whatever you want.”

So he told him the name of the hotel and their room number. A few minutes earlier he’d been wondering if he could convince Lexi to stay with him. Now, he was trying to think of a way to convince her to leave.

Connor seemed pensive.

Lexi wanted to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling, but she wouldn’t ask. If he had something to say to her, something to tell her, he’d have to do it on his own.

When she came out of the bathroom fresh from a shower, he was pretending to watch television. There was an open pizza box on the table.

His face was expressionless, but there was trouble in his eyes. His shoulders were too stiff, too square.

She’d thought they were safe. They’d left the killers behind, found the formula, brought it to the good guys.

Only they hadn’t given it to the good guys just yet. And it was pretty clear that her feeling of finally being safe was an illusion.

“You might as well tell me,” she said. “I can see in your face something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong. This thing is almost over, that’s all.” He got up from the sofa and came toward her. “You’ve been great. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I’ve been fighting you every step of the way.” She met his eyes, saw what was in them, and didn’t like it a bit.

This was it. He was getting ready to say goodbye.

“Lexi—”

“Don’t.” She pulled her hand away, a flutter of panic in her chest. Not now. Not yet. But she couldn’t keep her eyes away from his if she tried. So much feeling in them. So much emotion. How could he pretend not to have feelings, when his eyes were oceans of them? “You’re going to say it’s over, aren’t you?”

He closed his eyes, nodded slowly.

“And what if I say I don’t want it to be?”

“I don’t want it to be either.” It wasn’t the reply she’d expected, and she got the feeling it wasn’t the one he’d meant to give. She thought there were tears in his eyes. “I’d like you to stay with me. Live with me. Make love to me every night. I’d like that a lot.”

“Then ask me, Connor. Just ask me. We’ll get out of here right now, tonight, drop that notebook off with your boss on our way.”

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