Cowboy In The Crossfire(47)

But he would...if it meant saving her. He wouldn't lose someone he cared for. Not again.

Her hands splayed across his back and dipped beneath his shirt. Her bare fingers on his skin sent his desire into overdrive. What would happen if he just picked her up and took her? Right here, right now?

The way his body leaped at her touch, he wouldn't maintain control for long.

Her fingers lingered at the button of his jeans.

"Do you want the main course," he whispered in her ear. "Because I'm ready."

Blake's ringing phone shocked him out of his passionate haze. With shaking hands he fumbled for the phone. "How did you get this number? I blocked it."

Amanda tugged at his wrist and pressed the speakerphone button. Blake sighed and held the phone between them.

Logan laughed. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

"If you can do it--" Blake began.

"Hi there, Amanda," Logan interrupted smoothly. "I have the best techy in the business, but don't call anyone else with this phone. Because they probably tracked you through the computer's internet service provider, they aren't tech dumb." He paused. "Which brings me to a problem."

"You opened the file."

"No. Let me put Zane on."

"Sheriff Redmond?" The man's voice was gruff. He sounded like a military trooper, not a geek.

"The file?"

"I have a problem. This guy, Vince Hawthorne? Was he into computers?"

Blake glanced at Amanda and she frowned, the worry on her face straining her mouth. His gut churned. "Yeah. Said if he hadn't been a cop, he'd have worked for Bill Gates. He liked messing around with stuff."

"I was afraid of that." Zane paused and keys pounded in the background. "He was good. Better than good. I won't go into the technogarbage, but I can't break the code on the file. I've got no access. It's in the clouds, but if we don't have the right password..."

"What, it'll self-destruct in five seconds?"

"Well, the equivalent."

Blake couldn't believe this. Couldn't they catch a break? Amanda groaned and dropped her head against his chest. He stroked her hair.

"There's got to be a way. It's just a bunch of ones and zeroes."

"Well, they don't mean squat if the numbers aren't in the right order. From what I can see, Vince did a number on this file. Unless we enter the correct password, the data will be so corrupted, I don't think a supercomputer could decode it. He should've been working for the CIA. I'm sorry."

Blake wanted to punch the wall. Damn Vince. Amanda's face had paled. He couldn't let her see his own frustration, although somehow he got the impression over the last few days she'd learned to read him more than most.

"Okay, we have no choice. We have to find the password. Any suggestions?"

"Could be anything. Letters, numbers, symbols. Did Vince give you any hints?" Zane asked.

"He was killed before he could tell anyone anything, except maybe Ethan. And I don't have a computer. Zane, maybe you can find something in those emails Vince sent to Amanda."

"I'll have him check it out."

Blake pressed Amanda closer to him. He had to start thinking contingency. "Logan, we're going to need fake I.D.s. If something doesn't break soon, they won't have a choice but to disappear."





Chapter Eleven


The devastation on Amanda's face echoed in Blake's heart. To keep her safe, he might have to give her up. Or give up making the bastards who killed Joey pay.

The choice didn't bear thinking about.

A knock sounded at the door. "Mommy, I'm hungry."

Amanda rubbed her eyes and straightened her back.

"Be right out, little man," she called out. "We'll get something to eat soon."

Amanda met Blake's gaze, her own somber. "We're running out of options," she said.

"We'll crack the password, and Logan will come through on the boots. It's not over."

"I don't want them to get away with what they've done." Amanda righted her shirt and touched her lips. The lips he'd bruised with his passion.

"Mommy, I'm hungry now."

She sighed. "Ethan, why don't you turn on the television? I'll be right there." She lowered her voice. "I can't distract him much longer. He needs to run and play."

"Hopefully this will be over soon," Blake said. "He's a good boy. You're a good mom."

With a tired sigh, Amanda shrugged, opened the door and walked back into the bedroom. A cat-and-mouse chase blared from the television. Ethan smiled at the antics, although he didn't laugh as much as Blake would have hoped. It would take time.

"You could catch them both, couldn't you, Leo?" Ethan whispered to the dog and buried his face in the animal's fur. "You're a hero."

Blake bent to her ear. "I think Leo's found a new master," he whispered and clasped his arms around her waist, pulling her hips back against him so he could feel her closeness.

"Mommy, Mommy! You're on TV."

Ethan bounced up and ran over to the television set. They hurried over. Amanda's picture flashed on the screen.