If she didn’t want a partner, she wasn’t likely tolet him in.
She’d had Will Tennyson, and he’d been killed. Ifshe’d loved him as much as she trusted him as her partner, thenAdrian figured she’d built those walls to hide behind for goodreason. She’d been more than burned.
And wasn’t that what he’d done, determining to saverelationships for later? Who could say the next woman he fell forwouldn’t object to his job the way Sandra had? He was savinghimself from being hurt again by not even getting into arelationship until he was done with the FBI. Right? But maybe itwas just another way of taking the easy route.
Megan was the one protecting herself from genuinetrauma.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She lookedsurprised she’d said it. “Never mind.”
“No.” He touched her elbow.“It’s okay. And I’m sorry.”
“For looking at me?”
“I’m not sure I’m going to apologize for admiring abeautiful woman,” he said, purely to test the waters.
Her gaze softened, but he didn’t get the smile hewanted. And she didn’t blush. Maybe she’d been changed too much shedidn’t do that anymore.
“Not so bad looking yourself, champ.”
He barked out a laugh. “I can’t say it’s ever beenput like that before.”
“Had a lot of admirers?” Now she looked like she wasready to punch someone. Good.
He said, “I guess you’ll have to ask me some probingquestions. Put those FBI investigative skills to good use and seewhat dark secrets I’m hiding in my past.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please. A golden boy like youprobably grew up wanting to be an FBI agent. A badge and a gun.Your mom cried when you graduated the academy, didn’t she?”
“Didn’t yours?”
She shook her head. “She didn’t speak to me for amonth.”
Adrian didn’t know what to say to that.
Megan lifted a smaller bag and slid it over her headso the strap went across her body. The bag rested against her goodhip as she wandered to the door. “Your mom probably tells herfriends all about you, so you get calls to fix people’s parkingtickets.”
“I’m not a cop.” That didn’t mean it didn’t happenexactly like that, though. “She knows that.”
Megan chuckled. “Aced all your tests. Broke somerecords, maybe?” She studied him, so he nodded. She said, “Thoughtso. The G-man who closes all the cases.”
“I’m waiting for the downside.” When she glanced athim, he shot her a smile, then said, “I’m also unsure what thisproves. Other than the fact you’ve figured out nothing about methat isn’t plainly obvious.”
“Your favorite color is red.”
He frowned. “How did you know that?”
“And when you were married, you didn’t wear yourring.”
“It was too big.” He’d always meant to go get itresized, but hadn’t ever made time in his schedule. It just seemedlike such an incidental thing when he had so much that was moreimportant going on in his life.
She walked out of the plane and down the steps.Adrian followed. They made their way to the SUV parked close to thehangar.
The man leaning against the vehicle tossed Megan thekeys. “Perkins.”
“Hernandez.” She turned and tossed the keys atAdrian. He caught them out of the air one-handed.
“You drive. I’llnavigate.”
The man by the SUV smirked. “Happy hunting.”
Megan nodded her head, then tossed her bag on theback seat and left the door open so he could do the same.
“Friend of yours?”
Megan shrugged. “We contract out some things, onoccasion.” She got in the front passenger side.
Adrian went around to the driver’s door and got in.She already had her phone loaded with directions to the hospital.He said, “You think he’ll still be there when we show up?”
Megan buckled up, her attention out the window. “Idoubt it. I figure he’s long gone.”
“On a flight out?”
She scrunched up her nose in a type of shrug. “I’dbuy a beater car if I was him. Or steal one. But mom will beoccupied with web searches and making phone calls, trying to findhim regardless.”
Things that wouldn’t necessarily draw theblackmailer’s attention. Or give anything away.
“Keeping her busy?”
Megan shrugged. “She wants to help.”
And Megan had to balance allowing her to be part ofher daughter’s life with keeping her safe.
Adrian figured the blackmailer knew what they knewabout Zimmerman regardless of Megan taking that precaution with theemail. They had to assume as much. Which meant the blackmailer knewthey were in St. Louis, and that they were headed for the hospitalto retrieve whatever “message” had beenleft for them.
Adrian pulled out and headed for the exit. “Youokay?”
She was looking out the window again. “Just can’tshake the feeling someone is watching. And I don’t likehaving a target on my back.”
Chapter6
“You think this might be a trap?” Adrian parked thecar in an empty slot at the back of the hospital parking lot.
“I’ve learned the hard way to assumeeverything is a trap.” Megan shoved the door open. The sunwas bright, the air cool and crisp. She grabbed her jacket off theback seat, mostly so it would cover the gun on her hip. She wasn’there as an agent. Adrian needed to take the lead.
She was going to focus on their surroundings.Otherwise her thoughts would drag her down in the idea thatZimmerman had a relationship of some sort with El Cuervo.
Together they headed for the lobby and found theright floor. The nurse had given a room number for the sick child,but Megan wanted to talk to the woman who’d sent the email first.They needed details, along with whatever message was left for her.And the less they could bother a sick child, the better—as far asshe was concerned.
Megan rapped her knuckles on the counter at thenurse’s station. The woman looked up. “Help you?” She leaned herbig body back in the chair.
Megan smiled. “We’relooking for a nurse, Patricia Carlton.”
“That’s me.”
Adrian pulled out his badge. “I’m Special AgentWalker, this is my associate, Megan Perkins. We need to ask you afew questions about
