“Liar. I’ve seen the way you look at me, and I intend to—”
But Trent didn’t get to finish his sentence as her knee flew upward and into his groin. He groaned and fell to the ground, clutching his privates.
Meanwhile, a crash resounded through the room as the door flew off the hinges. There, standing in the doorway, was Dallas, looking like he was ready to throw someone through a window.
He rushed into the room, then seemed to notice that Mel was okay and Trent had been dispatched. However, that didn’t stop him from grabbing Trent by the ankle and hauling him down the hall and out the hotel doors.
Once on the sidewalk, Dallas tossed Trent into the parking lot and prowled after him, but Mel grabbed his hand and shook her head.
“Easy, tiger,” she said soothingly, rubbing her fingers against his. “He didn’t get the chance to hurt me. Let him go.”
He looked down at her for a second, then back at Trent, who was now getting up from the ground, a litany of curse words spewing from his lips, but apparently, he knew better than to approach them.
“Stupid bitch, you’ll pay for this,” he spat, glaring at them for a second before he gingerly trotted over to the news van and got in and drove away.
Once he was gone, Dallas gave her an apologetic look.
“It’s fine,” she said, sighing. “I didn’t need the equipment anyway. Everything I really needed is already back at your trailer.”
He nodded at that, looking relieved.
But still, why were people trying to stop her? And why now? She’d been attacked in an alleyway, had her room ransacked, and now, apparently, her bosses were cutting her time to research short.
She’d faced opposition in getting facts for stories in the past, but nothing like this. What was it about this story that was so interesting that it made everyone around her determined to shut her down?
Still, it didn’t change the fact that she was going to get to the bottom of this. If anything, all of the forces working against her only made her more certain that she was on the right track.
There was no way she was giving up the story now.
Dallas took her by the hand, turning her toward him and eyeing her up and down.
“I’m okay,” she said, nodding. “Really, I’m not hurt. He was just a jerk, getting what he deserved. To be honest, kicking him in the nuts felt really good, especially after all the crap he’s put me through.”
He pursed his lips at that.
Mel turned back to face the road, frowning. “Though, I might not have a job when I get back to Houston.”
Dallas’s eyes went wide with worry.
“It’s all right. I came here because I wanted to get to the bottom of this, and I intend to see it through.” She grinned ruefully. “Until they drag me away, I’m going to keep looking.”
He looked impressed and nodded slowly.
She didn’t say it to him, but deep down, the story wasn’t the only reason she had to stay.
The other reason was standing right next to her, holding her hand.
She’d never felt this way about anyone before, and for some reason, she got the feeling that if she left this town, left him, she might never get the chance to see him again.
So she just had to hope things panned out for her, both with the story and the incredible man who was starting to feel like he should always be a part of her life.
16
Mel felt a surprising calm move over her as she walked back to Dallas’s trailer, holding his hand.
It had been a few hours since Trent had left, and the time had passed uneventfully. Despite her determination to get to the bottom of the story, there hadn’t been any leads to chase.
Plus, she couldn’t help but wonder at what Trent had said about higher-ups telling them to stop investigating.
Was it her boss? It couldn’t be him, as he had assigned the story to her in the first place and given her the timeframe to research and interview people in the town.
He had never called her back from a case. He knew too well how determined she could be, so it must have been people higher up in the news station.
Still, she couldn’t imagine why they would want her to just stop. If she quit now, wouldn’t that mean a lot of wasted resources and nothing to show for it?
So many unanswered questions, and for some reason, her boss wasn’t picking up his phone.
All she could do at the moment was keep moving forward and doing her best to find the pieces that would complete the puzzle.
Mel turned and smiled up at Dallas, grateful that she had this sexy man by her side. She wasn’t sure what she would do without him.
“Thanks for always being with me,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze.
He nodded warmly in response.
When they got back to the trailer, she cocked an eyebrow at him. “Well, I don’t have any interviews to do or leads to chase. What would you like to do tonight?”
Dallas was thoughtful for a second. Then he nodded decisively and walked over to hold open the passenger door of his truck for her.
“We’re going somewhere?”
He nodded again.
“You going to tell me where?” She grinned amusedly, already aware of what his answer, or lack thereof, would be.
A small smile lit on the corners of his lips as he shook his head.
“As usual.”
He shrugged at that and held out a hand for her to take so she could step up into the truck. Once she was in, he jogged around the other side and got in as well.
Mel knew better than to push, so she just enjoyed the quiet ride next to him. A wave of heat went through her when he reached over and placed his hand on her thigh.
To her surprise, they left the small town and headed toward another small city an hour or two away.
When they got
