Page 23 of The Survivor
It was only when he came to a screeching halt in the driveway of his house that he turned to her, eyes flashing, unable to control the anger and fear bubbling in the pit of his stomach.
“So much for your brilliant idea to stay in town,” he snapped.
CHAPTER 6
“Jesus, Corwin, you need to get her out of there.” Michael Knight, the man known for his calm, unruffled manner, sounded absolutely livid. His deep baritone voice shot through the airwaves, piercing Blake’s eardrums with its sheer volume.
Not that he blamed his boss for being furious. Blake was pretty damn enraged himself. He hadn’t said a single word to Samantha since reprimanding her in the car, and yet again she’d retreated upstairs. But he wasn’t about to apologize for what he’d said. He didn’t blame her for being recognized by the meddlesome reporter, but he sure as hell blamed her for putting herself in the position to be recognized.
“At least he didn’t get a photo,” he said in a stab at sounding optimistic.
“He doesn’t need one.” Knight cursed loudly. “One of the men here did some checking on Reynolds. Guess who he works for? FOX News. That’s right, home of Geraldo Rivera.”
Blake closed his eyes.
“The CPD and the Chicago field office have been dealing with calls from reporters for the last hour. Reporters demanding to know if Samantha Dawson’s death had been staged and if she’s officially come out of hiding to stop the Rose Killer.”
Pain vibrated in his temples. Dammit. This wasn’t good. Not good at all.
“How could you let this happen?” Knight roared. “That woman is a walking target. You were supposed to have her back in the safe house by now.”
“She wouldn’t leave.”
“It was your job to make sure she did.”
So much for being Knight’s best agent. Recrimination coupled with a streak of protectiveness collided in his chest. He’d known that letting Sam stay in Chicago was a bad idea. Hell, he’d warned her that something like this could happen. Too bad the stubborn woman hadn’t listened.
But he should have known better than to let himself get soft. He could have tried harder to make her leave, worked harder to talk some sense into her, but had he done that? Oh, no. One look at those gorgeous gray eyes and he’d been sucked in, ready to let Samantha Dawson do anything her sexy little heart desired.
“Where’s Scott?” Knight demanded.
“On his way here.”
“Good. Neither of you is to leave that woman’s side until we can arrange for a new safe house out of state.”
“Out of state? Why not take her back to Wellstock?”
“We’re getting her out of Illinois, Corwin. It’s too risky to keep her here with the media sniffing around.”
His headache threatened to become a full-blown migraine. “She won’t go.”
“You’ll make her go. I don’t care if you have to cuff her to do it.”
Knight had hung up. Biting back a string of four-letter words, Blake sank onto one of the wooden dining room chairs and buried his face in his hands.
Trouble. The woman was nothing but trouble. Did she not value her own life? Hadn’t she realized that by putting her foot down and going to see Elaine Woodman again she’d be taking a tremendous risk? The sick bastard who’d almost murdered her was too smart to leave loose ends. If he learned that Sam was still alive, who was to say he wouldn’t track her down and slit her throat this time?
Not her wrists, but her goddamnthroat.
His chest ached at the thought. He’d only spent a few days with Sam, yet he knew that if anything happened to her, something inside him would be destroyed. He’d already lost the woman he was going to marry thanks to a man as twisted as the Rose Killer.
He’d never recover if he lost Sam, too.
He gulped. Hard. Frantically searched his mind, trying to figure out exactly when he’d become this attached to Samantha Dawson.
Was it before or after you kissed her?came the taunting voice in his head.
Christ. Not now. He didn’t want to think about that kiss. He’d been pushing it out of his mind all day, and yet the memory continued sneaking right back in, like a dog eager to play fetch with its owner.
