He chuckled. Then itfaltered to a smile. “I need you to do something forme.”
“Anything.” Her tone meantabsolutely anything.
His smilewidened.
“All right. What do youdesire?” she teased rolling to her back and splaying herarms.
“I’d love to, butlater.”
She pouted.
He flipped her lip with afinger. She had a beautiful mouth, and enticing as it was at thatmoment, he had another agenda. “I need you to pack a small bag ofessential clothing and toiletries.”
She sat up abruptly knowingimmediately that he was excluding her from the plan. “What?Why?”
“I need you out of herebefore tonight. The shit is going to hit the fan and I can’t loseyou in it.”
“What is happeningtonight?”
He never saidanything.
“It’s what you told myfather, isn’t it? You set him up?”
“Not exactly, and I’m nottelling you a damn thing because you’d get yourself into the thickof it.”
She breathed deeply andstared at him. “We are in this together. You agreed.”
He sat up and cupped herface meeting her eyes. “I’m serious Kat. Jackson is going to takeyou someplace safe. I’ll contact you as soon as I can.”
“And how are you going toexplain my absence to my father? You know he keeps close tabs onme. Ivan knows everything I’ve done outside of this bedroom, andsuspecting things going on inside. He’s dangerous.”
“They’re all dangerous, andthat’s why I can’t have you hurt. I’ll figure something out withyour father.”
“He’ll know something’swrong as soon as he sees you and not me.”
“You’re not leaving untilafter supper. He’s got something going down tonight and I’ve givenhim an edge on finding the leak in his organization. I’ve decidedI’m going—”
“What? And get yourselfkilled?” She pulled back from him. “Oh hell no!”
“Listen—”
She scrambled out of hisbed and shook her head. Then, without a word picked up her shambleddress, shoes, and underwear, and stomped into her room slamming thedoor.
“Ah hell.” Ryan stared atthe closed door. He expected resistance but this was a little morethan what he’d bargained for. He got out of bed and pulled on hispajama pants, walked over to the adjoining door and tried theknob.
It was locked.
He pressed his lips into athin line and shook his head. Well, he shouldn’t have expectedanything less from her. He knocked softly.
No answer.
“Kat, I can’t do thiswithout you. I need you to go with Jack. I can’t leave you alone inthis house in case something goes horribly wrong.”
“You and Jack can go tohell,” came the muffled answer. Something hard hit the door. She’dthrown something at it.
He took a deep breath forpatience. This was no longer amusing. Well, he could break down thedoor and turn her over his knee, but that would be a waste ofeffort with her. She was stubborn and it would be like wrestlingwith barbed wire. Instead, he’d wait her out.
He had a shower, anddressed. He took his time about it too. Then he sat in a chair andwaited. All the while he had visions of strangling her or kissingher. She had to be the most frustrating woman he’d evermet.
It was another hour beforethe door opened. She stood there in a long white skirt with yellowflowers printed on it, a white sleeveless button up v-neck shirt,and her hair in a ponytail. She stood there with one hand on herhip looking absolutely stunning.
“Are you done pouting?” heasked politely.
She lifted her chin andwalked by him. “I’m hungry. I want breakfast, and I don’t want toeat here.” She opened the door to his room. When he didn’t move sheturned back to him. “Are you coming?”
He took his time standing,adjusted his suit jacket and followed her.
They took his jeep, found aquiet restaurant on South Miami Beach and she ate in silencecompletely ignoring him.
Ryan fully intended onmaking her listen, but he had to her work through her anger first.If he knew her as well as he thought he did, she’d put up one hellof a fight if he insisted on her compliance at that moment. He’dwait for her to start talking.
That didn’t happen untilshe was done her meal and spent another half an hour staring at thewaves washing the beach. Over that time, he could physically seethe anger drain out of her expression. What replaced it was,fear.
“I’m scared,” she saidsoftly.
“I know.”
She faced him. “I meant,I’m scared of losing you.”
“I know what youmeant.”
She nodded and took a drinkfrom her glass of water. “I can’t go Ryan, please don’t ask me to.I have this horrible feeling in my gut that it would be the lasttime I see you.”
He reached across the tableand squeezed her hand. “That’s not going to happen. I have—measuresin place.” She opened her mouth to say something and he held up hishand. “No, I won’t tell you. Don’t ask. The less you know thebetter.”
She clamped her jaw shutand looked away again. “That doesn’t do anything for my nerves.Where were you expecting Jack going to take me?”
“I have a lakefront cabinin Northern Ontario.”
Her eyes widened.“Canada?”
He nodded. “It’suntraceable back to me. It’s safe there.”
“Oh no, that’s too farRyan. I won’t go.”
“You will. I can’t finishthis with you here Kat. You’re too distracting!” It wasn’t commonfor him to raise his voice, but she needed to listen to him. Hesoftened his tone but the fierceness was still in it. “I’m havingtrouble thinking about anything beyond you as it is. I can’t haveyou here with what’s about to go down.”
“We said we’d do thistogether.” Her voice cracked. She wouldn’t cry, no, she wouldn’t.How could he send her away? She needed to see this through as muchas he did. Didn’t he get that?
He studied her for amoment. “I know you think you owe something to the lives yourfather has destroyed, but that is not yourresponsibility.”
“It’s not yours either,”she countered.
He never saidanything.
She sat straight back inher chair and stared at him. He wore that same unreadableexpression she’d come to dislike. “I need to ask you something.Please be honest.”
He hesitated, but thennodded once.
“What would your brothersay?” She knew from the way Ryan talked about him that the man hadintegrity.
He smiled. “He’d say; thatit’s not your fight Ryan. It was my choice.”
“He would?”
“Yes. I’ve heard it ahundred times
