“And how do you plan on doing that?”
“You get as far away from here as possible. Take a vacation until I get this guy.”
She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Annie—”
She slashed a hand in front of her. “No, Dominic. I refuse to allow some nutcase to drive me away from my life.”
“Damn it, Annie. I need to make sure you’re safe and I can’t have you messing with my head.”
Heat—and not the heat of anger—engulfed her. “Damn you, Dominic. I’m not a complete idiot. I know how to take care of myself.”
“And I’m telling you, if you don’t agree to get the hell out of here for a little while, I will tie you up and stash you somewhere until I catch this guy!”
Chapter Eight
Annie gaped at him in total shock.
Couldn’t say he blamed her. He was being unreasonable and he knew it. But when it came to her, there was no reason.
“Have you gone completely off the deep end, Dominic? I’m not going anywhere. I have responsibilities. I have a job. Hell, I have two jobs. I refuse to leave either of them in the lurch.”
Frustration ate away at his control. As did the way her lips moved when she spoke. And the way the blue of her eyes deepened in anger.
“Are you gonna be finished here soon? We can swing by your house so you can pack a bag—”
She stepped right up to him and stuck her index finger in his chest. “I am not going anywhere. You cannot make me go anywhere because I will tell your parents that you’ve kidnapped me.”
He snorted and watched those cat-green eyes flare with heat. Every nerve ending in his body shot to full attention. If he wasn’t careful, he wouldn’t be able to stop the raging erection pressing against his zipper.
But damn, it felt good to fight with her. “No, you won’t. You won’t tell my parents because you won’t want to upset them. You’re not going to win this one, Princess. Let’s go.”
He headed for the door and had his hand on the knob when a book whizzed by his head. “You overgrown, self-important, bullying ape!”
He turned, prepared to fend off another book to the head but he froze when he saw how pale she was, how utterly exhausted she looked.
Damn it. He’d pushed her too far.
Get a grip.
Taking a deep breath, he reached for a calm he wasn’t feeling. “Annie. I just… I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t think I could handle it.”
Okay, maybe that had been a little too honest because her mouth dropped open in surprise and she stared at him like he’d just morphed into a giant insect.
After a few seconds, she blinked and sucked in a quick breath. Then she turned to grab her purse, avoiding his gaze.
“I’m leaving, Dominic. I will give you a ride back to your car or wherever you want to go but I’m done discussing this with you now.”
And there went his blood pressure again. But this time, he didn’t let his temper get away from him.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Surprise widened her eyes at his apparent consent. Then suspicion narrowed them.
That’s right, sweetheart. You should be worried.
In the car, Annie turned on the radio and subjected him to Broadway tunes for the drive back to the garage. He didn’t push a conversation. She looked ready to bite his head off if he so much as opened his mouth and he was running strategy.
When she pulled to a stop behind his truck, she gave him one quick glance. “I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.”
He didn’t bother to contradict her, just nodded and got out of her Audi.
Then he let her pull away and get a few blocks’ lead on him before he followed her.
* * * * *
Jimmy sat at the table in the middle of the room, doing his best impression of a mad scientist with goggles, plastic gloves to the elbows and a white coat.
“Hey, Jim—”
“Don’t move.” Jimmy’s voice was quiet but deadly serious and Nic froze. “This stuff isn’t as stable as I’d like it to be. Didn’t think you’d be back for awhile.”
“Didn’t expect to be back. I need a few things. I’m gonna be on a stakeout for a while.”
“Oh yeah. Do you have a lead?”
“No. I’ll be staking out Annie’s place.”
Jimmy’s mouth dropped open and his gaze shot to Nic’s, though his hands never wavered. “Okay.” He drew the word out to at least three syllables. “And why the hell are you doing that?”
If Jimmy hadn’t had an explosive substance in his hands, Nic wouldn’t have thought twice about punching his brother in the shoulder. “Because she wouldn’t leave. The bastard specifically mentioned Annie. I’m not taking any chances. I’m gonna be sitting on her house until we catch the guy.”
Jimmy frowned. “That’s gonna be interesting. Jesus, Nic—”
“I didn’t spend all those years in the military for nothing. Janey’ll never notice and—”
“And Annie’s okay with this?”
Nic snorted. “Yeah, right. Like I told her.”
Jimmy grinned. “Damn, big brother. You really do love living life on the edge, don’t you? She’s gonna ream you but good when she finds out.”
“That’s why she’s not going to find out.”
Jimmy paused long enough to set the glass container on the tabletop then stripped off his gloves and looked at Nic. “This is totally gonna suck for you.”
His brother knew him way too well, knew that being forced to watch her every move was gonna be hell.
“Yeah, it is.”
“Have you considered the fact that she’s not eighteen anymore, Nic? That it wouldn’t be a crime to ask her out?”
“Yeah, I’ve considered it. Obviously even a nutcase can see I’m too wrapped up in her and now she’s in danger because of me. She won’t want me within twenty miles of her.”
“And I think you’re deluding yourself.”
Nic just shook his head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
* * * * *
At six-thirty, Nic watched Annie lock her front door and head toward her car.
She’d parked on the street after she’d gotten home from dropping him off. Obviously she had somewhere to be tonight or she would’ve parked her car in the garage she and Janey shared up the street.
Since he’d been sitting in his car up the street for more than two hours, he hadn’t seen anyone or anything suspicious. And since no one had called the cops on him, he figured no one had noticed him. No one except Mal.
He and Janey had left her place across from Annie’s about twenty minutes ago. Mal had stopped at the car but Nic had shaken him off. Mal had taken the hint and made sure Janey didn’t notice him.
Neither did Annie as she took off down the street. He followed her through the city up to Broad Street, where she pulled into a spot on the curb then ran across the street.
He gritted his teeth as she nearly got picked off by passing taxi then darted into a building down the block from the Academy of Music.
Looking up, he realized why she was here. Dance studio on the second floor.
Curiosity got him out the car and into the building. He spent way too long at the bottom of the stairs, arguing with himself over whether he should go up. He knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.
Silently, he took the stairs, searching for hidden dangers in every corner.
No one in the entry. The whole place appeared to be deserted except for one studio at the front of the building. Music streamed through the open door to the studio, something with a Latin beat.
He knew he should stay out here, out of sight. But then he wouldn’t be able to see her.
And he wanted to see her.
Footsteps coming up the stairs caught him off guard and he turned to find an older guy coming up the stairs. He wore an expensive suit, carried a leather briefcase and had a phone in his hand.
The guy stopped when he saw Nic, checking him out, probably wondering if he should call for help.
Then the guy walked straight toward him. “I’m guessing you would be the infamous Dominic DeMarco. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
The guy walked straight toward him, hand out, as if Nic was supposed to know who he was. Obviously, this guy recognized him, which put Nic at a disadvantage.
Nic took the guy’s hand for a firm shake, not ready to confirm or deny his identity. “And you would be?”
“Sean Minns.”
The name rang a bell but Nic couldn’t put his finger on why right away.
“And you’re here…?”
Sean smiled, the crows feet at the corners of his eyes crinkling. The guy had to be in his fifties. “For the same reason you are, I’m assuming. To watch Annie and Colin.”
So her dance partner’s name was Colin. Good to know. “And you are?”
Sean’s smile got wide. “Colin’s partner. And I mean life partner, not dance. Two left feet, I’m afraid. Why don’t we go over to the observation room? We can watch them from there and not distract them. One-way glass. You look amazingly like your father, but I’m guessing you hear that a lot.”
Following Sean to a door to the left of the studio, Nic finally connected the name. “You defended Briggs. My parents said you gave the closing argument of your career and saved Briggs’ life.”
Sean didn’t bother to turn on a light in the observation room. Enough light came through the tinted glass to allow them to see. They settled into plastic seats in the front row and Nic got his first glimpse of Annie. He barely heard Sean continue the conversation.
Jesus, she was beautiful. Dressed much as she had been that night at the office with Bill and Bert, she wore a black leotard, a sheer wrap-around skirt and heeled shoes. Her sweater tonight, though, was emerald green and matched her eyes.
“So you’re a private investigator.” Sean’s statement registered and Nic drew his attention away from Annie to look at Sean, who was watching Annie and Colin stretch on the other side of the glass. “You and Annie work for your family’s business, yes?”
“Yeah, my parents started it after they retired from the service. My brother and sister and I work there now.”
Sean’s gray gaze caught his and Nic found himself subjected to an intense scrutiny. “Annie enjoys it there.”
“She’s doing a good job.”
Sean nodded. “She’d be pleased to hear it. What about you, Nic? It must be tough working in an office surrounded by family while the woman you love is right under your nose.”
Nic returned Sean’s stare, but where another guy might have backed down, this man merely smiled.
“Won’t work on me, son. Sorry. Scarier men than you have tried to intimidate me and, frankly, it only made me cranky.”
Nic felt a reluctant grin forming. “Yeah, well, you don’t know unless you try. And, for the record, she’s not in love with me.”
“Good tactic, shifting the focus, but you didn’t deny my supposition.”
“Somehow I don’t think you meant it as a supposition.”