just how much he’d scared her, and whether that’d been the right tactic. There wasn’t anything more he could say. If she wanted to be free and clear, he’d have to leave her here. He pulled the handle to release the door. He needed to get the cake tin, her voice stopped him.
“It’s a business deal. Half upfront. The rest when we get to Perth.”
He turned back to face her. “That’s right,” he said cautiously. This wasn’t in the bag yet, but it was looking doable.
“You get your own way back from Perth.”
“No problem.” He had no idea what would go down in Perth, but it was a sure bet he’d fly home.
“You pay all expenses.”
“Of course.”
“We keep it professional.”
“Strictly.”
She took her glasses off and lifted her head so he got his first look at enormous, anxious, navy blue eyes with orange flecks. “All right, you’ve got a deal.”
She held a hand out across the console. He took it and they shook, eyeing each other off. He still had one more condition he hadn’t laid on her. It could be a deal breaker.
“When do we start, Fetch?”
He grinned at her use of his adopted name. It didn’t sound quite so belittling coming from her mouth. He still didn’t know her name, but that could wait. He watched her face. With both lips and eyes to study he could read her better. He’d learned she was efficient, well-organised and level-headed. But she’d surprised him with her resilience. She’d had a rough afternoon, but despite her slender form, and her tendency to be reserved, even a little withdrawn, she was made of something sturdy and she hadn’t been intimidated. There was still time for that though.
“Right now. We leave right now.”
9: Naphthalene Dream
“You weasel.” Caitlyn gripped the steering wheel, a proxy for wanting to strangle the man. “You couldn’t have told me that before we shook?”
Fetch looked amused, if that’s what his expression meant. It was hard to tell through all the hair, but damn his laughing blue eyes. What did he think she was going to do, dump everything right now to go traipsing off without so much as packing a bag? Yep, look at him, that’s exactly what he expected. He was buckling his seatbelt.
“We’re not driving off tonight. You need medical attention and I have a life. For all you know I have a dog, kids, a husband to look after first.”
“You don’t have a husband or kids. Not sure about the dog.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
“I have a nose for these things. You just told me you didn’t.”
“I did no such thing, and just because I don’t have a ring, it doesn’t mean I’m not with someone.”
He sighed. “You mentioned the dog first. So am I wrong, do you have husband and two point five kids?”
It was incredibly tempting to lie. “No.” He was too smart for a delivery boy.
“Dog?”
“No.” He was also showing off a tightly muscled chest that really should be covered by more than blood splatter. He had an elaborate tattoo winding all around his good arm, a metal chain with roses and thorns twisted through it, and another over his chest that she could only see flashes of. She didn’t even want to be looking.
“Right then, like I said, we start now.”
“No we don’t. I have to go home, pack a bag, have a shower. You need to look after that arm.”
“My arm is fine. It’s stopped bleeding. And we buy everything we need.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is the all expenses paid part. I hand you money, you buy what you need for the trip.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say ‘you’re not serious’, but she’d said that about pulling into McDonald’s and that’d left her eating pie in her car and agreeing to a deal that, on top of her previous crimes, probably made her more of a wanted criminal than the hairy beast beside her.
Good Lord . What had she done? But twenty-five grand and the chance to disappear in Perth, to start again with a very healthy amount of
“It’s a business deal. Half upfront. The rest when we get to Perth.”
He turned back to face her. “That’s right,” he said cautiously. This wasn’t in the bag yet, but it was looking doable.
“You get your own way back from Perth.”
“No problem.” He had no idea what would go down in Perth, but it was a sure bet he’d fly home.
“You pay all expenses.”
“Of course.”
“We keep it professional.”
“Strictly.”
She took her glasses off and lifted her head so he got his first look at enormous, anxious, navy blue eyes with orange flecks. “All right, you’ve got a deal.”
She held a hand out across the console. He took it and they shook, eyeing each other off. He still had one more condition he hadn’t laid on her. It could be a deal breaker.
“When do we start, Fetch?”
He grinned at her use of his adopted name. It didn’t sound quite so belittling coming from her mouth. He still didn’t know her name, but that could wait. He watched her face. With both lips and eyes to study he could read her better. He’d learned she was efficient, well-organised and level-headed. But she’d surprised him with her resilience. She’d had a rough afternoon, but despite her slender form, and her tendency to be reserved, even a little withdrawn, she was made of something sturdy and she hadn’t been intimidated. There was still time for that though.
“Right now. We leave right now.”
9: Naphthalene Dream
“You weasel.” Caitlyn gripped the steering wheel, a proxy for wanting to strangle the man. “You couldn’t have told me that before we shook?”
Fetch looked amused, if that’s what his expression meant. It was hard to tell through all the hair, but damn his laughing blue eyes. What did he think she was going to do, dump everything right now to go traipsing off without so much as packing a bag? Yep, look at him, that’s exactly what he expected. He was buckling his seatbelt.
“We’re not driving off tonight. You need medical attention and I have a life. For all you know I have a dog, kids, a husband to look after first.”
“You don’t have a husband or kids. Not sure about the dog.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
“I have a nose for these things. You just told me you didn’t.”
“I did no such thing, and just because I don’t have a ring, it doesn’t mean I’m not with someone.”
He sighed. “You mentioned the dog first. So am I wrong, do you have husband and two point five kids?”
It was incredibly tempting to lie. “No.” He was too smart for a delivery boy.
“Dog?”
“No.” He was also showing off a tightly muscled chest that really should be covered by more than blood splatter. He had an elaborate tattoo winding all around his good arm, a metal chain with roses and thorns twisted through it, and another over his chest that she could only see flashes of. She didn’t even want to be looking.
“Right then, like I said, we start now.”
“No we don’t. I have to go home, pack a bag, have a shower. You need to look after that arm.”
“My arm is fine. It’s stopped bleeding. And we buy everything we need.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is the all expenses paid part. I hand you money, you buy what you need for the trip.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say ‘you’re not serious’, but she’d said that about pulling into McDonald’s and that’d left her eating pie in her car and agreeing to a deal that, on top of her previous crimes, probably made her more of a wanted criminal than the hairy beast beside her.
Good Lord . What had she done? But twenty-five grand and the chance to disappear in Perth, to start again with a very healthy amount of
Similar Books
