Page 8 of Allie's Shelter

She crossed her arms. “It’s a small department, as you’ve said. With a small budget. Someone has to pay you and your team.”

“That’s not your concern.” Whatever really sent her running had turned her into a bulldog. “The county has a fund to take care of things like this.”

“I’m not staying here.”

She took one step, and another, then he was on his feet blocking the door. “You are.” He towered over her, leaned in to make it obvious she wouldn’t get by him, and tortured himself with the familiar jasmine scent of her. “You’ll stay right here even if I have to tie you to the bed.”

She gasped and a priceless blush stole over her cheeks. Good. He shouldn’t have to be the only one suffering with the potential of that image. She took a half step back, but he saw the way her tongue darted over her lips while her gaze lingered on his mouth.

God, she twisted him up. Always had. “Nice try, but no dice, sweetheart.”

Another indignant gasp, but thankfully this time she turned away and stomped over to the other bed.

Why was it such a challenge to resist her?

“Keep yourself on your side of the room.” She flopped onto the bed, her purse and duffel by her side.

“Fair enough.” Being pushed away was a pattern he was used to. “I don’t go where I’m not invited.”

She snorted, a sound full of doubt.

If she only knew how much he agreed with her opinion. He and the team often got in and out of places they weren’t welcome. Usually with whatever they had been tasked to recover. Why couldn’t this be one of those times? Because it was Allie, the one failure and rejection that had haunted him for more than a decade.

His team’s arrival in Haleswood had been at the request of Allie’s boss, not the sheriff. Hopefully he’d be well onto the next client by the time she learned the truth about him and his purpose here. When she learned who really hired him to track her down in Haleswood, she might never trust him again.

He stretched out on the bed once more, listening to her breathing. Odds were good no one would bother them in the light of day on Main Street, but he hadn’t survived this long relying on the whim of odds.

When she finally fell asleep, he sent another text to Eva with further instructions.

It was tempting to sneak that purse out of her grasp and search it while she slept, but he resisted. Whoever had aimed that shooter in her direction was seriously messing with his recovery paycheck. He intended to get to the bottom of that deviation from the plan. Tucking the phone back into his jacket, he let himself slide into the doze soldiers know, where the body can rest, but instinct stays on high alert. He knew better than to trust the thief in the next bed.

* * *

Allie woke up in a rush, her heart stuttering at the unfamiliar pillow and bed beneath her. She blinked rapidly until the stock artwork on the wall came into focus. The motel. Rolling over, she double checked the bedside clock with her phone. The two-hour nap was better than nothing, especially since it had been nightmare-free. She took a head-to-toe inventory and realized she actually felt refreshed. Cautiously, she peeked over at Ross.

He was sound asleep, or at least it looked that way. His breathing was quiet and steady, his face relaxed. Even so, the dark slash of his brows, his strong nose, and that square jaw shadowed by his morning beard offered a type of warning.

A warning to any sensible woman anyway. For her, all his rough edges had always been a magnet. She still wanted to press her lips to that little scar along his jaw that he got during a football game in middle school.

She should be long over him, but something about Ross stuck with her. It wasn’t merely being in the same room with him. No, the memories of him, of loving him with all her heart, had dogged her since they parted the summer after graduation. It was a fact she often found as intrusive as it was annoying. The ghost of loving Ross had withered her attempts at serious dating relationships before they’d had a chance to grow.

Scooting across the bed, she prayed he slept through every little noise as she gathered up the duffel and her backpack and headed for the bathroom. This way, if he tried to snoop, she’d know about it and wouldn’t have to worry or assume the worst.

Turning on the water, she pulled out her phone, checking the news sites for any word on her, her company, or the events of last night. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or more terrified when she finally saw a relevant headline.

The article focused on the company’s losses in the previous quarter, but buffered those discouraging numbers with updates about the company’s public outreach to assist those who couldn’t afford their medications. Despite the way they’d scoffed in the initial meeting when she suggested this spin, now they were using it to their advantage.

She couldn’t blame them for that since it was exactly what she’d proposed. Of course, that was before she’d found proof her boss was working against the best interest of the unknowing public. There was no reference at all to the new drug they planned to bring to market in six short weeks. She wanted to believe that was a good sign, that maybe someone had listened to her warnings, but she was no longer that naive.

Regardless, the article would do interesting things to the stock values. It seemed like the market responded to what went unsaid as much as it reacted to official announcements.

The whole thing was all an elaborate game. She’d known that when she took the job, but she considered it a good game, one worth playing then. She’d thought she’d understood the rules. Boy, had she been wrong.

“Allie?” The heavy knock on the door made her jump.

“Yes?” She scrambled to shut off the phone and tuck it out of sight.

“I’m going for coffee and breakfast from the Midnight Rooster. Want some?”

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