Finding Her Son(32)

“I’m your last chance,” he argued. “Who else are you going to go to?”

She bit out a harsh expletive she had to have heard on the streets she’d so carelessly explored, then spun away from him and headed back toward her bedroom.

He raced after her wearing only his sweats and stuck his foot out as she tried to slam the door on him.

“Trust me.” Mitch tugged her close to him and lifted her chin. “We’re not done. I don’t have this figured out yet, but I have resources. And we have new information. We’ll find someone who knows something.” He twirled a strand of hair around his finger. “People talk, Emily. This thing has too many players for someone not to crack.”

She gripped his arm. “Don’t talk to the police. Please. Not yet.”

Could he answer her without one more lie? “As long as I believe it’s not safe.”

“I don’t know if that’s good enough.” She blew out a frustrated breath.

“It’ll have to be.” He paused and let his finger toy with the tucked corner of the towel. “Get dressed. I have an errand to run, and I want to show you the safe room before I go.”

“You’re leaving me?”

Mitch crossed his arms. “I’m not taking you out in the open. It’s not safe. I won’t be gone long. Call in sick to work, because you’re not going anywhere predictable until we solve this thing. Then go through Perry’s box. See if you recognize anything else.”

“I’ve been through every slip of paper and item in that box. The wine storage facility is on Kalamath. The number Perry yelled—eighty-five—could be a locker number.”

“Or the year. You’re not a bad partner,” Mitch said, with a slightly bemused smile and a heavy heart.

A small rose blush traveled from her full breasts now barely hidden by the white terry cloth. Her lips parted slightly as she smiled at him, and the desire in her eyes flared. “Let me come with you.”

“No. It’s for your own protection. You can use the computer to track down the business owners while I’m gone.”

Her jaw tightened. Just as quickly, the heat between them turned arctic again. “Fine.” She pressed the door, trying to close it.

Mitch didn’t budge. He didn’t like the look in her eyes. It reminded him of her expression when the car almost ran her down that first night. Satisfaction. Secret knowledge. He couldn’t let himself forget she was dangerous. “Emily?”

“I’m getting dressed. I’ll run your check. I’ve become good at research.”

“Which is why I asked for your help. You’ll wait for me? You won’t do anything on your own?”

“Contrary to your opinion, I don’t want to die. I have to live. For Joshua.” She tried to close the door again. He didn’t move. “What?”

“Promise?”

“I won’t follow the lead on my own.” She glared at him. “Can I get dressed now?”

He nodded and let her slam the door closed.

Whew. She was sexy when she was angry. Mitch went back to his bedroom. He needed some space, a break in the case and a cold shower. And not in that order. Once he could tell Emily the truth, nothing would stop him from having what they both wanted.

He’d take her in his arms and wouldn’t let her go until they were both trembling, exhausted and satisfied. Dropping his sweats, Mitch stepped beneath the chilly water, his aroused body fighting for control.

If she’d let him touch her when she learned about his lies.




EMILY STARED OUT THE front door as Mitch left in a huge pickup. Where, he wouldn’t say. She’d expected him to hide the keys to his brother’s other vehicles, but he hadn’t.

He should have.

She’d promised not to follow the wine-store lead. She hadn’t promised not to leave if she had a reason. Quickly, she headed to the basement, through the high-tech gym that Mitch’s brother had stocked with more equipment than her own clinic. She weaved past the elliptical toward a nondescript door, more like the entrance to a hot water heater closet than a super secret panic room.

She turned the knob to reveal a concrete barrier with an embedded keypad. She knew that she’d be found out at some point, but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t trust anyone. Perry had told her that. She believed the man who had died for her.

She tapped in the code Mitch had shown her and walked into the safe room. Stocked with enough supplies to last weeks, it didn’t look like a bomb shelter, but essentially that’s what Mitch’s brother had created. The elaborate décor and survival supplies weren’t what attracted her attention, though. She wanted the fully operational security cameras, and the very high-tech computer system. She walked into a small secondary room. Sure, she could’ve used the office laptop upstairs, but there were more interesting toys in this communications center.

She’d watched Mitch carefully when he’d powered off the system. She sat down and turned on the switches. After a light-speed boot-up, she used the same identification and password Mitch had provided upstairs. She was in. She typed in the wine-storage company’s address into the county’s database and waited for the information to run.

While the government’s computers churned slowly, she let her gaze wander to a small screen Mitch had surreptitiously turned dark. She flicked the switch. The system booted up. Just as she thought. GPS. She hadn’t done all that research over the last nine months for nothing.