Page 87 of Stripping Bare

“Pulled a double. Traded with Callahan because his wife went into labor. First kid.” Cash folded the chamois cloth he’d been using. “Did you come for thepackage?”

“Whatpackage?”

“The one we found outside the station doors this morning. It has your name onit.”

The hair on the back of Jonah’s neck quivered. “Why the hell didn’t someone callme?”

“I planned to drop it by your place after myshift.”

Jonah clenched his jaw to keep from lashing out at his cousin. Cash couldn’t have known how important this might be. “Did you see who left ithere?”

“Nah.” Cash scratched his ear. “We took a call about two this morning. Got back here around four. Didn’t see the box then. Wasn’t until the lieutenant came out to grab the paper at six-thirty that we found it. What the hell, man? Didn’t your fancy house come with amailbox?”

“Where isit?”

Cash looked pointedly at Tessa, then shot a sharp glare at Jonah. “Things were too busy for chitchat yesterday, but maybe you could introduce me to your friendhere.”

“Cash, this is Tessa. Tessa, this is my nosy cousin,Cash.”

“It’s a small town. Everyone is nosy here.” Cash laughed and waved for them to follow him into the bay and through a door into the interior of thestation.

“So nice to meet another member of Jonah’s family,” Tessa said. “How big is the Steele crew,anyway?”

“If you count both my mom’s and dad’s sides, we have a cousin or two,” Jonahsaid.

“Or twenty.” Still chuckling, Cash led them to the kitchen where a small box sat on thecountertop.

Jonah approached the box carefully and lifted it. Probably weighed less than a pound. Too light for a bomb? Reid would know for sure. “I’m gonna take this outside to the open grassy area behind thebuilding.”

Cash’s easygoing expression tightened. “Why? What’s init?”

“I’m not sure. Last time, it was VR goggles and some otherstuff.”

“You had me worried there for asecond.”

“Mind if I borrow a turnout suit andheadgear?”

“Now I’m worriedagain.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Jonahsaid.

“You’re thinking bomb, aren’t you? We could call in a squad fromAsheville.”

Something told Jonah they didn’t have time for that. Besides, whoever was toying with him and Tessa was enjoying the game too much to end it thisway.

“Stay with Cash,” he toldher.

“I don’t thinkso.”

Shit.He shot Cash a look, one that men all over the world knew. It was the take-care-of-my-woman nod. “Then at least stay inside thebay.”

“You said you’re going behind thebuilding.”

“There’s an exterior door with a window at the back of the bay,” Cash told her. “You can watch him throughthat.”

From Tessa’s drawn eyebrows and downturned mouth, it was obvious she wasn’t happy about that solution. So Jonah carefully set the box aside and pulled her into his arms. Instinct shouted for him to get her the hell out of here. He loved that she was so strong, so resilient. But her strength warred with his need to protect her. “Please do this for me. If something happened to you, I would lose mymind.”

She reached up and skimmed her fingers down his cheek to linger at his lips. Last night, that same touch would’ve felt sexual. Today, it felt like something more. Something both comforting and dangerous. “Then how do you think Ifeel?”