she’d learned from Lester.
“One thing about that terrorist group we took down…they were well trained. Too much about this attack does not jive with that.”
“But nothing else makes sense.” If she kept saying it, maybe he would get it. “No one could want to kill me .”
“Are you sure about that?”
She couldn’t believe he had to ask. Maybe she was naïve, but she didn’t think most people spent a lot of time worrying about getting knocked off. “I’m positive.”
“Then I guess we’re going with the theory that it’s Josie they are after. For now, anyway.”
For forever, as far as she was concerned. “That means she’s in danger.”
“Not hardly, if the people going after her are all as untrained as your assailant, but I already contacted Nitro to alert him to the situation.”
“Good. I hope they are having a great time.”
“According to Nitro, it’s heaven on earth.”
She couldn’t imagine the taciturn man saying anything that effusive, but he must have implied his version of the equivalent. And that did not surprise her. Nitro and Josette had found something that Claire thought was extremely rare…honest, reciprocal, and unconditional love between two people who could genuinely count on each other.
Hotwire paused. “He and Josie want me to stay with you until they return.”
“I…”
“If you say it’s not necessary, I’m going to get irritated.”
“I wasn’t going to say that. It is necessary. Even I can see that. I don’t want to end up a corpse in my own bed, but I don’t know how it’s going to work out for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“What about your business?”
“I’ve been working remotely from this suite for the last few days already.”
He’d said something when he first brought her to the hotel about having been in Portland a few days. It hadn’t computed at the time, but now it made sense.
Sort of. “That explains how you got to the hospital so fast, but I don’t understand why you were here. Are you on an assignment?”
“Not unless you count watching over you.”
“You came for me?”
“Yes.”
“But why? I mean, I know Josette asked you to keep an eye out for me, but I think she meant make the occasional phone call, not keep a watching brief.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t like being so far away when your alarm went off the first time. There was nothing I could do from Montana. So, I decided to take care of that.”
This man took his promises to his friends very seriously. “So, why didn’t you come and stay at the house?”
He grimaced, his gaze filled with self-censure. “I should have. None of this would have happened if I’d been there.”
Her own eyes widened. “You can’t believe that. It’s not your fault. You can’t be sure your presence would have made any difference.”
“Can’t I?”
That actually made her smile, despite the fact that her head was pounding. “Your arrogance is showing again.”
“Again?”
“You’re pretty impressed with your effect on women, too.”
“I prefer to think of it as justifiably confident. There’s a reason roosters strut, you know.”
She laughed and then had to smother a groan at the pain it brought. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t come to the house.” Was it the bash she’d receive to the head that made everything so confusing, or was this situation as surreal as it felt to her? “Surely you don’t think I would have minded?”
He shook his head, his expression primitive and just slightly predatory. “I checked into the hotel because I knew that if I stayed with you, I’d be sleeping in your bed and not because I kicked you out of it.”
“Oh.” She licked her unaccountably dry lips. “And that would be bad.”
He merely looked at her and let her draw her own conclusions. Of course it would be bad; no matter how good that kiss at the wedding was, she knew sex wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Not even close, and sex
“One thing about that terrorist group we took down…they were well trained. Too much about this attack does not jive with that.”
“But nothing else makes sense.” If she kept saying it, maybe he would get it. “No one could want to kill me .”
“Are you sure about that?”
She couldn’t believe he had to ask. Maybe she was naïve, but she didn’t think most people spent a lot of time worrying about getting knocked off. “I’m positive.”
“Then I guess we’re going with the theory that it’s Josie they are after. For now, anyway.”
For forever, as far as she was concerned. “That means she’s in danger.”
“Not hardly, if the people going after her are all as untrained as your assailant, but I already contacted Nitro to alert him to the situation.”
“Good. I hope they are having a great time.”
“According to Nitro, it’s heaven on earth.”
She couldn’t imagine the taciturn man saying anything that effusive, but he must have implied his version of the equivalent. And that did not surprise her. Nitro and Josette had found something that Claire thought was extremely rare…honest, reciprocal, and unconditional love between two people who could genuinely count on each other.
Hotwire paused. “He and Josie want me to stay with you until they return.”
“I…”
“If you say it’s not necessary, I’m going to get irritated.”
“I wasn’t going to say that. It is necessary. Even I can see that. I don’t want to end up a corpse in my own bed, but I don’t know how it’s going to work out for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“What about your business?”
“I’ve been working remotely from this suite for the last few days already.”
He’d said something when he first brought her to the hotel about having been in Portland a few days. It hadn’t computed at the time, but now it made sense.
Sort of. “That explains how you got to the hospital so fast, but I don’t understand why you were here. Are you on an assignment?”
“Not unless you count watching over you.”
“You came for me?”
“Yes.”
“But why? I mean, I know Josette asked you to keep an eye out for me, but I think she meant make the occasional phone call, not keep a watching brief.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t like being so far away when your alarm went off the first time. There was nothing I could do from Montana. So, I decided to take care of that.”
This man took his promises to his friends very seriously. “So, why didn’t you come and stay at the house?”
He grimaced, his gaze filled with self-censure. “I should have. None of this would have happened if I’d been there.”
Her own eyes widened. “You can’t believe that. It’s not your fault. You can’t be sure your presence would have made any difference.”
“Can’t I?”
That actually made her smile, despite the fact that her head was pounding. “Your arrogance is showing again.”
“Again?”
“You’re pretty impressed with your effect on women, too.”
“I prefer to think of it as justifiably confident. There’s a reason roosters strut, you know.”
She laughed and then had to smother a groan at the pain it brought. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t come to the house.” Was it the bash she’d receive to the head that made everything so confusing, or was this situation as surreal as it felt to her? “Surely you don’t think I would have minded?”
He shook his head, his expression primitive and just slightly predatory. “I checked into the hotel because I knew that if I stayed with you, I’d be sleeping in your bed and not because I kicked you out of it.”
“Oh.” She licked her unaccountably dry lips. “And that would be bad.”
He merely looked at her and let her draw her own conclusions. Of course it would be bad; no matter how good that kiss at the wedding was, she knew sex wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Not even close, and sex
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