Trusting Danger (Danger, #2)(22)

Claire stiffened. The man was treating her like cargo and his bossy attitude was beyond belief, but that was fine as long as he got Charlie. Left with no other choice, she handed him her keys and watched him stalk across the street.

Oh! Charlie’s things!

Opening her door, she called out, “Wait!”

Matthews turned around, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “What is it?”

“I need to tell you where Charlie’s things are. His leash is in the drawer next to the sink, and his food—”

“Save it. I’m only going in for the dog.” He held up a hand to shut down any further protests. “Get back in your seat and close your door.”

Claire slumped back into her seat in disbelief. Leaning forward, she asked Agent Cox, “Is he always like that?”

The burly young agent rested his wrist on the steering wheel as he scanned the street, watching both passing cars and pedestrians. “Yeah, pretty much.” He turned around enough in his seat to catch her eye. “Both of us want you safe, Claire. And since we’re going to be spending some time together, you might as well call me Jeremy. He’s Grayson, but we call him Gray.” Smirking, he added, “His bark is worse than his bite.”

The friendly words and cute grin that accompanied them eased some of Claire’s frustration. Jeremy seemed to be a pretty okay guy, but Agent Matthews—Grayson—made her want to tear her hair out. Which was a shame, because he was really, really nice to look at.

This whole situation was crazy. How had she ended up in the middle of a kidnapping scheme? Did they know who was behind it? Her instincts told her the agents knew more than they were saying.

Claire’s thoughts were still spinning when Grayson left her building a few minutes later and trotted their way.

She bolted upright. Why wasn’t Charlie with him? Had someone come looking for her and hurt her dog in the process?

Not registering the warning Jeremy shouted from the driver’s seat, she jumped out of the car to run toward Grayson.

“Back inside!”

Claire froze as Grayson rushed at her, giving her no choice but to drop back into the backseat. His tall form loomed over her as her heart thumped panicked beats.

“Where’s Charlie?”

“The dog wasn’t there.” He thrust a piece of paper at her. “There was only this.”

As Claire read Verna’s note, her pulse rate began to steady.

Dropped Charlie off at Sheryl’s.



Dread filled Claire as she realized what she needed to do. It was going to annoy the hell of him, but she had to do it.

She met Grayson’s exasperated gaze. “I need to make a call.”

“To who?”

“My other dog sitter. I need to make arrangements with her and tell her to stay away from here. It’s not safe.”

“We’re not turning your phone back on.”

“But—”

Before she could say another word, he shut her door.

“You can use mine.” Jeremy handed his phone over the seat. “Look up the listing online.”

Claire stared in amazement at Grayson as he stalked around the car, but she forced out a thank-you and took Jeremy’s phone. She found a listing for Sheryl and pressed the link to call the number.

“Do you have Charlie?” she asked once Sheryl answered.

“Yeah. Verna dropped him off because she wasn’t feeling so great.”

Claire frowned. Verna was in her early seventies but was usually the picture of health. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She said she’s getting a cold and is a little achy. Nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, good. Do you mind keeping Charlie for a few more nights?”

“I don’t mind at all.”

She closed her eyes in relief. “It’s really important that you don’t go to my condo.”

“Is everything okay?”

Sheryl sounded worried, so Claire scrambled for an excuse.

“The building’s being fumigated and it won’t be safe for pets there for a few days. I’ll call you when I can pick Charlie up. Thank you for everything.”

Grayson was looking out his window as she ended the call. Even in profile, he looked annoyed. She tried not to take it personally as she passed the phone back to Jeremy.

Grayson glanced her way. “All set?”

“Yes.”

“Terrific.”

Jeremy tucked his phone inside his pocket. “Any other stops I need to make?” He glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

Shrinking a little in her seat, she shook her head. This whole situation had been so embarrassing. These agents were simply trying to keep her safe, and she’d done nothing but make their job harder. Now that she knew Charlie was safe, she needed to apologize for her escape attempt at the gas station.

She caught Grayson’s eye, giving him an apologetic smile. “Listen, I’m sorry about running. I was confused and scared.”

His sharp gaze narrowed on hers but he didn’t reply. She stared back, unable to look away, her breath quickening.

After an awkward pulse-pounding moment, Claire jerked her gaze away and looked out the window. Still feeling guilty, she reviewed the events at the gas station inside her head. Yes, looking back, she’d let her imagination run a little wild, but she hadn’t been trying to be difficult. She’d simply done exactly what she’d been trained to do.