Page 55 of Allie's Shelter

“Wait!” Dale called after him.

Ross stopped, though he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to give Dale any hint of his plans or his worries.

“I want that meeting with Ms. Williams.”

“So you believe me that Roberts isn’t dead?”

The FBI interest was exactly what he’d told Allie they needed, but after watching that murder, he’d changed his mind. “You’ve got Roberts as soon as you catch the guy who waltzed in and out of the lockup. I know it won’t take long for you to find him. By now, they probably already know which name is bogus.”

“You owe me a meeting.”

“Then you owe her some protection. By now, if he’s shown himself, my team has tagged his car.” It was only a mild embellishment, but Eva would do it if she got the chance.

“You should cooperate, Carpenter.”

“What if I agreed to bring you the bastard—alive—the banking information and the data? Your whole case, gift wrapped.”

Dale shook his head. “Face to face with the witness. I want her wired and briefed on the confession we need.”

Ross didn’t like the sound of that. “You get her wired up and chatty about something she isn’t supposed to know and you’ll get her killed.”

“It’s a wonder she’s alive anyway,” Dale said with all the concern he might show a cockroach who’d survived nuclear war.

Ross snarled and barely contained the urge to tear Dale’s head off.

“Whoa. What is she to you?”

My hang up. My weakness. My baggage.

My heart.

He couldn’t say any of that to Dale without getting his man card revoked. When they’d worked together, Ross hadn’t bothered vocalizing his opinions that emotional entanglements left a soldier vulnerable in the field. Back then, his behavior and silence on all matters of family, hearth, and home spoke for him. Right now, his ridiculously possessive reaction proved the theory he’d clung to: having someone to go home to only distracted you and made the assigned task more challenging.

He never should have taken Allie to the lake house. He would’ve held out, been stronger against the sexual temptation, if they hadn’t been sharing quarters right where he’d buried his deepest memories and feelings for her.

“Ross?”

“Be careful what you say to me,” Ross warned, tossing Dale’s earlier words back at him. “Ms. Williams is under my team’s protection.” He clamped his mouth shut before he rudely pointed out that Allie was still alive.

“I’ll be in Haleswood this evening. Make her available.”

Ross nodded. “Call the office line when you’re close and we’ll give you directions.” He turned and stalked out. He knew he had to cooperate with the feds and still it grated against his overwhelming need to protect Allie.

Too antsy for the elevator, the urgency riding him harder than ever, he took the stairs down two at a time. In the car, the few minutes it took to reach the interstate felt like hours.

He dialed Eva’s number and listened to the status report. So far, no Roberts, but she said Allie appeared to be charming the regulars with lots of conversation.

“Don’t let her out of your sight,” he said.

“No problem, boss.”

“If Rick calls in—”

“Already did. We have a full update on—”

“I’ll get that in person.” He didn’t think Dale would have ordered a lackey to plant a bug in his car, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibilities.

“Okay. Anything I need to know? You sound jacked up.”

---