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After packing the dishes away, Cam moved to the sofa to read while I fed Ranger. Jobs done, I returned to the dining table and opened my laptop. I searched through some news websites and found no mention of Cam’s disappearance, but it was coming. It wouldn’t take long for her boss or a neighbor to notice her missing, and since she wasn’t a notorious scumbag, there’d be a big-scale manhunt starting soon. Pretty young woman disappears? That shit gets nationwide coverage.

I also wanted to know if there were any leads that might implicate me. It had been a clean job, but with so many people having security cameras out the front of businesses and homes these days, it was difficult to predict what blowback there might be. The excuse I’d given Franky for taking some time off, that I was staying out of town to lay low, was legit.

I pulled out the weapons case to give my Glock some love. It needed stripping down and cleaning, a task I always found therapeutic. Some people meditated to relax. I cleaned my guns. When I finished, I returned the case to the locked cabinet in the utility room.

Back in the living area, Cam had passed out on the sofa with the book laying open against her chest. Damn, she had the sexy girl-next-door thing going on. It wasn’t only that. If she were a bitch, there was no way I’d be this taken by her.

Nope, apart from having shitty taste in boyfriends and being too loyal to that jackass brother of hers, there wasn’t much I could fault in her. I wished there were so I wouldn’t be standing here staring at her like some fucking creeper.

Jesus, you’re a grown-ass man. Act like one.

Instead of waking her, I scooped her up and headed toward the bedroom. She stirred and nestled her cheek against my chest. One hand grabbed a fistful of my shirt.Fuck. I tried to ignore how much I liked that. The red wine and whiskey must have knocked her out good. If I was being honest, I was a little affected by the alcohol myself.

I laid Cam on the bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. She stirred again and rolled onto her side, dragging the blankets higher. I should put the cuffs on, but I didn’t want to disturb her. And she seemed on board with the overall game plan, so she wasn’t as much of a flight risk now. Besides, she’d still have to climb over Ranger and me to get out of here. Well, Ranger wouldn’t wake up, but I was a light sleeper.

I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Ranger trotted into the room and hopped onto the bed next to Cam.

“Look after my girl.” Lucky son of a bitch.

My girl. Jesus, I had no right to call her that.

I turned the lights off before stripping down to my boxers and getting into my makeshift bed on the floor.

I punched the pillow a few times before folding it under my head and tried to think about anything but the gorgeous, totally off-limits woman curled up in my bed.