Page 70 of Justified Fear

He hung up the phone.

“What are you going to take care of?”

The hesitancy in her voice made him want to growl.Instead, he slipped his phone back in his pocket.

“Ray is missing, maybe abducted from the hospital.”

Her eyes widened.“Missing?”

He nodded.“So that means you need to go to a safe house.”

“But they don’t know it’s me.Right?”

“We don’t know that, and you understand that on some level.Otherwise, Dillon wouldn’t have been called in.”

She swallowed.“I have a business.”

Up until now, she had been reasonable, but her chin had gone up a notch, and she settled her hands on her hips.Sexy…but also a problem.

“This is also your damned life, Keely.”

She pursed her lips.This was the thing she was fighting.She had been so reasonable up until now.“I can refuse, right?I mean, I’m a private citizen.”

“Really?You want to give them a chance to get to you.We still don’t even know what the hell is going on, and you want to run around doing dinner parties?”

“Excuse me for having a business I care about.”She cocked her head as she studied him.There was a coldness in her gaze that left his soul frozen.He had never seen that look from her before.“Is that why you’re here?Did you take orders from your boss to keep an eye on me?”

“What?”

Her face seemed to lose color.“Is that why you made love to me last night?Was that on orders of your captain?”

He stared at her, trying to figure out if she was being obtuse on purpose.“That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“It does from my side.Now all the interest makes sense.You are here for your job.It’s just an excuse to keep an eye on me.”

He knew she was scared.That was what was driving her comments.Still, he couldn’t stop himself from being angry at her.It hit him hard that she thought he would just jump into bed with her for the job.

“Why would anyone need an excuse to accept dinner from the sexiest woman alive?”

He practically yelled it at her.Apparently, that was the absolutely wrong thing to do.She crossed her arms beneath her breasts.“No.I refuse.”

“You could put other people at risk.”

There was a flicker in her eyes.

“And if that doesn’t change your mind, I’ll contact your father.”

Keely looked like she had just taken a body blow.When she spoke, her voice was small, and every word pierced his heart.“Good to know just where we stand.I’ll go pack.”

She walked around him, but he grabbed her arm.

“I was not here for any other reason than I wanted to spend time with you.”More than that.He would have happily tried his best to talk her into bed again, which wasn’t normal for him.Usually, he took his time, but there was a need that seemed to be driving him.

She looked down at his hand wrapped around her upper arm, then her golden gaze rose to meet his.“Please let go.”

Every word was bitten out, anger threading each syllable.He hesitated, then released her.She walked away, her hips swinging with each step.Maya tossed him a look, then she followed Keely.His partner had just abandoned him for the woman who made her dog biscuits.He understood, but still, it sucked.

A whistle sounded behind him.Great.