She raised both hands in frustration. “Baylor’s in trouble.”
“If he is, then he will get himself out of trouble.”
She glared at him. “What if he’s being ambushed?”
“If Baylor’s being ambushed, then he’ll turn around the scenario, so he’s not.”
She sagged back in her seat. “Is it that easy for you?”
“This is the work we do,” he said quietly. “You’ll need to understand that.”
“Why do I need to understand that?” she snapped.
“Because you and Baylor have a thing.”
“Says you.”
“You’re the only one who’s worried about Baylor,” he said.
“He saved me,” she said by way of excuse.
“Oh, that’s not good,” he said. “You’re not allowed to use that as an excuse for a relationship.”
“It’s not an excuse for a relationship,” she said.
“You’re not allowed to use that to excuse how you feel either.”
She frowned. “I don’t know how I feel. I’ve just lost both my mother and my father,” she said, “and Baylor was somebody I briefly knew years ago. But we didn’t really know each other all that well.”
“I wonder,” he said. “The two of you clicked back then, I presume?”
“Sure, but neither of us were ready for a relationship. We were just looking for an evening of companionship.”
“And did you get it?” he asked.
She looked at him, surprised. “Yes, it was a nice evening. We shared a meal and some great conversation. That’s all.”
“And now that he’s rescued you, how do you feel?”
She glared at him. “Of course I’m grateful.”
“But?” he asked.
“But gratitude is not the basis of a relationship,” she said stiffly. She hated these probing questions.
“Well, maybe you need to take another look at that.”
She frowned. “Take another look at what? I don’t understand.”
“As to whether it’s just gratitude or something more.”
“It’s not,” she said automatically. He just smiled again, earning another glare. “It’s not the time to talk about a potential relationship,” she snapped.
“It’s perfect timing,” he said. “It’s not like we have anywhere to go.”
She’s sighed. “Why does it even matter?”
“Because he’s a good man,” Dane said.
She stared at him in surprise. “I never said he wasn’t,” she said cautiously.
“No, but he deserves to have more than just gratitude as the basis for a relationship.”
She stared at him, trying to figure out where this was going, but thinking that maybe she was starting to understand. “I see. So you’re afraid that I’ll hurt him.”
“Exactly,” he said. “Because the bigger and the tougher they are, the harder they fall. I’ve seen it time and time again with these guys, and I don’t want any of them hurt.”
She sagged back, then looked at him and said, “You know what? Not many people would understand this conversation.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter what anybody else says,” he said calmly. “Because the only people who matter are the people here having the conversation.”
She blinked. “Are you always this concerned about your friends?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “You never know when something will go wrong.”
“But there are no guarantees in life,” she said quietly.
“No, there aren’t, but he’s been hurt before,” Dane said. “I know he’s interested in you. I can see it in his reaction, plus he’s very protective.”
“That’s because he rescued me,” she said, but she had to wonder.
“Nope. When you’re in a room, the two of you migrate together, and, when you’re apart, you’re always looking to see where the other one is,” he murmured.
“I hadn’t recognized that,” she said, a frown slowly creasing her face. But, as she sat here, she realized it was true. “But we haven’t spent much time together.”
“No, but the time you have been together has been very bonding. You went through some very intense life experiences together.”
She sighed. “So tell me that he’s okay then.”
Just then his phone buzzed. He read the message immediately, then bolted to his feet and said, “We need to leave.” Not giving her a chance to argue, he ushered her out into the hallway.
“Where are we going?” she asked in confusion.
He crossed the hallway to another apartment on the other side, where he quickly closed the door, put a finger against his lips and whispered, “Be quiet.”
She stared at him in shock, opened her mouth, and he placed his finger against it. She walked into the main room and beyond to a bedroom, then sagged onto the bed, wondering what the hell was going on. All she could think about was what was going on with Baylor.
When a knock came on the door about twenty minutes later, she sat up and looked out fearfully into the main room, as Dane opened the door.
Baylor rushed in, walked over, and pulled her into his arms.
She wrapped her arms tight around him and whispered, “What happened?”
“Well, let’s just say I had a talk with somebody who killed your kidnapper.”
She stepped back. “The pervert? The real one?”
“Yes, the real one,” he said. “Apparently your father offered them a fair bit of money to let his family, your family go.”
“He would do that,” she said.
“Well, now they want the money, even though he’s gone, and you’re the next best way to get it.”
She stared at him in shock. “Does this never end?” she asked faintly. “This is all just too bizarre.”
“I get that,” he said, “but it does give us a motive and explains why we think you’re still in danger.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she snapped. “I don’t have any money,” she whispered.
But Dane, from the doorway, said, “Remember the life insurance?”
She leaned around Baylor’s shoulder and turned slightly to look at Dane. “Yes.”
“It’s highly likely you’ll be inheriting the estates of both your mother and father at some point, wouldn’t you think?”
She stared at the two of them. “I suppose. So what? Now I’m a target?”
“I think you are, yes,” Baylor said. “They’re trying to salvage something out of this. Because the job went south, I don’t think the players are getting paid and worse, their bosses are cleaning up, trying to make sure they can’t talk, now that they know you all
