against Joshua, unwilling to give up the haven of his arms.
“Is she all right?” Hotwire asked.
Joshua pulled away and looked down at her questioningly.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. She turned to Hotwire. “Sorry about that. I shouldn’t let it get to me.”
The blond man looked at her like he was measuring her mettle and then his mouth creased into a smile. “You’ll do.”
For some reason that made Joshua frown, but he kept his arm around her as he led her back to the car. Hotwire pulled out onto the road before Joshua spoke again.
“So, you didn’t find anything that couldn’t have been planted when he broke into her apartment in Houston?”
“Right.”
“I haven’t noticed anything out of place.” She had assumed that had meant Nemesis had not broken into her current home, but now she wasn’t willing to make such naïve speculations. “You don’t think he’s been in my current apartment?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t.”
She didn’t know why that made her feel so much better, but it did. “Call me Lise.”
“All right, Lise.” He drawled her name, making it sound like it had six syllables.
She giggled at his Southern silliness.
“Was anything traceable?” Joshua asked shortly.
“No.” Hotwire turned the car into a restaurant parking lot. “The perp bought the kind of stuff they sell on dot-com sites for spyware. There’s too much of it out there to trace an individual purchase.”
“What was the range on the audio transmitters?”
“Two miles. He stuck with the same family of gadgets.”
Joshua frowned, making no move to get out of the car. “Too bad.”
“Why?” Lise asked.
“His base could be anywhere within a two-mile radius of your apartment.”
“And there are a lot of apartment complexes and neighborhoods around your building,” the blond man added. “He could be living pretty much anywhere.”
Joshua unbuckled his seat belt and turned in toward her. “One good thing is that with all the domiciles around you, it would be really hard for the perp to use an ear-dish.”
“What on earth is that?”
“It looks like a mini-satellite dish, but it’s used to detect sound. Some have a range of more than one mile. However, in an area like your neighborhood, it is virtually impossible for the perp to lock in on your apartment without getting a lot closer.”
“And people would notice someone in the street pointing a satellite dish,” she surmised.
“In most cases, yes, but if he has a van that he’s made up to look like a technician’s vehicle, maybe not. We’d notice, though.”
She presumed he meant Hotwire, Nitro, and himself.
She sighed, realizing they were discussing the type of equipment that often made it into her books. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”
“No reason you should have.”
“I write adventure fiction. While my heroines are more familiar with an AK-47 than a listening device, it still should have occurred to me.”
Joshua just shook his head.
Hotwire smiled and she figured he had women following him around like puppies after bacon with the kind of charm he exuded. Even if he was intimidating and dangerous in turn.
“You’re a good writer.”
She felt her eyes widen with surprise that he’d read her work. “Thank you. Did you read my books when you were at the apartment?”
“No, ma’am…I mean, Lise, we were too busy doing the bug sweep before you got back.”
“Then how…”
“Both me and Nitro read your books when Wolf is done with them.”
“Who’s Wolf?”
“I am,” Joshua growled.
Chapter 5
S he had no problem imagining how Joshua had gotten such a nickname. The man was pure predator at times.
“You read my books…all of them?”
His jaw went taut and she could tell he didn’t like having that fact revealed. “Anything recent.”
She didn’t know how to take that. She wouldn’t think there’d be a lot of time to read in his line of work, but maybe she
“Is she all right?” Hotwire asked.
Joshua pulled away and looked down at her questioningly.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. She turned to Hotwire. “Sorry about that. I shouldn’t let it get to me.”
The blond man looked at her like he was measuring her mettle and then his mouth creased into a smile. “You’ll do.”
For some reason that made Joshua frown, but he kept his arm around her as he led her back to the car. Hotwire pulled out onto the road before Joshua spoke again.
“So, you didn’t find anything that couldn’t have been planted when he broke into her apartment in Houston?”
“Right.”
“I haven’t noticed anything out of place.” She had assumed that had meant Nemesis had not broken into her current home, but now she wasn’t willing to make such naïve speculations. “You don’t think he’s been in my current apartment?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t.”
She didn’t know why that made her feel so much better, but it did. “Call me Lise.”
“All right, Lise.” He drawled her name, making it sound like it had six syllables.
She giggled at his Southern silliness.
“Was anything traceable?” Joshua asked shortly.
“No.” Hotwire turned the car into a restaurant parking lot. “The perp bought the kind of stuff they sell on dot-com sites for spyware. There’s too much of it out there to trace an individual purchase.”
“What was the range on the audio transmitters?”
“Two miles. He stuck with the same family of gadgets.”
Joshua frowned, making no move to get out of the car. “Too bad.”
“Why?” Lise asked.
“His base could be anywhere within a two-mile radius of your apartment.”
“And there are a lot of apartment complexes and neighborhoods around your building,” the blond man added. “He could be living pretty much anywhere.”
Joshua unbuckled his seat belt and turned in toward her. “One good thing is that with all the domiciles around you, it would be really hard for the perp to use an ear-dish.”
“What on earth is that?”
“It looks like a mini-satellite dish, but it’s used to detect sound. Some have a range of more than one mile. However, in an area like your neighborhood, it is virtually impossible for the perp to lock in on your apartment without getting a lot closer.”
“And people would notice someone in the street pointing a satellite dish,” she surmised.
“In most cases, yes, but if he has a van that he’s made up to look like a technician’s vehicle, maybe not. We’d notice, though.”
She presumed he meant Hotwire, Nitro, and himself.
She sighed, realizing they were discussing the type of equipment that often made it into her books. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”
“No reason you should have.”
“I write adventure fiction. While my heroines are more familiar with an AK-47 than a listening device, it still should have occurred to me.”
Joshua just shook his head.
Hotwire smiled and she figured he had women following him around like puppies after bacon with the kind of charm he exuded. Even if he was intimidating and dangerous in turn.
“You’re a good writer.”
She felt her eyes widen with surprise that he’d read her work. “Thank you. Did you read my books when you were at the apartment?”
“No, ma’am…I mean, Lise, we were too busy doing the bug sweep before you got back.”
“Then how…”
“Both me and Nitro read your books when Wolf is done with them.”
“Who’s Wolf?”
“I am,” Joshua growled.
Chapter 5
S he had no problem imagining how Joshua had gotten such a nickname. The man was pure predator at times.
“You read my books…all of them?”
His jaw went taut and she could tell he didn’t like having that fact revealed. “Anything recent.”
She didn’t know how to take that. She wouldn’t think there’d be a lot of time to read in his line of work, but maybe she
Similar Books
