her neck prickled.
“You should know what we’re dealing with.” He left, quickly returned and handed her two checks. “You saw these before. What did you think?”
Puzzled, she turned them over. “Sav-Mart payroll checks.”
“But one’s real and one’s counterfeit. Problem is, we can’t tell them apart because stolen checks were used as templates to make perfect phonies. Counterfeit checks from big companies are showing up all over the Northwest. The Treasury Department has been tracking them for nearly two years, but every time they think they’re making progress, they run into a dead end. The bad guys are always somehow one step ahead.”
Tessa frowned. “That’s why you suspect someone in law enforcement might be involved?”
“Yeah, plus the fact that our previous agents on the inside were murdered. So I came in deep undercover. Only my boss knows I’m working this, and he’s top-level security. A few days ago, we arrested a check passer who gave us some information, but wanted immunity before he’d tell all. While we were working out the details, the suspect ‘hung himself’ in his cell. We knew the checks were in the cash delivery to your branch. The robbery got them into my hands without tipping off the crooks or burning my cover. The checks confirmed the one common thread we’ve found.”
Every trace of the carefree rogue had disappeared. All business, his cool, serious gaze bored into hers. Tessa stared at a very different Gabe—the dangerous man his enemies faced. Icy fingers crawled up her spine.
“The real checks are being stolen from Oregon Pacific Bank. So far, the crooks have cleared over eight million dollars.”
“Eight million?”
“A hell of a motive for murder.” He grimaced. “And one of your co-workers is up to their neck in blood.”
Chapter 5
“What?” Tessa gasped.
“The mole has to have high security clearance. The setup is sophisticated, ingenious, and impossible to trace. That is, until you stumbled across the evidence. If you’d called security—” Gabe’s dark brows slammed together, and he clenched his jaw. “You’d be bunking beside Gregson in the morgue.”
Her stomach churned. “That’s why you kidnapped me.”
“When I realized you’d seen the checks, I couldn’t risk leaving you behind. I’d hoped to let you go none the wiser. No chance of that anymore.”
“So now what?”
“I have to find out who’s running the operation, and protect you.” He tapped his pursed lips with a long finger.
Tessa stared at his sculpted mouth, the memory of his recent kiss burning through her brain. She gulped a swig of hot coffee.
“I can’t make you disappear without tipping off the bad guys. I can’t trust anyone else with your safety. And your inside connections at Oregon Pacific Bank will come in very handy.” He flashed a wickedly sexy smile. “Yeah. Looks like we’re gonna be roomies.”
The room tilted as every molecule in her body hummed in response to his gorgeous smile. She straightened. She would not let out-of-control hormones jeopardize her future. “Absolutely not.”
He sobered. “These guys will kill you with less thought than taking out the garbage. Gregson’s isn’t the first suspicious body to be found downriver with a new view out the back of his head. I doubt they’ll risk attracting attention with a public hit, but if they catch you alone, all bets are off.”
She scowled. “But my wedding arrangements.”
“If they succeed, you won’t have to worry about that.” He scowled. “Or anything else.”
“I refuse to let those criminals ruin my wedding.” She crossed her arms over her chest. She was so close to achieving her dream. Nothing short of a nuclear war would stop her now. “You’ll have to compromise.”
“I could tie you up and lock you in a safe house, you know.” His sober gaze didn’t look like he was joking.
“You wouldn’t dare.” Would he?
“Don’t kid yourself. If I could guarantee your safety, you’d already be there. Okay, I’ll figure out the wedding stuff.” He shuddered. “But stick close and do what I say, when I say.”
She squared her shoulders. “To a point,” she warned darkly. “How am I supposed to explain you to my friends and my fiancé?” How would Dale react to the news that she was living with another man? During their two-year relationship, she’d never seen him ruffled. A purely female part of her hoped he’d respond with at least a small show of jealousy. Men in love were supposed to feel proprietary, weren’t they?
“Later.” He glanced at the complicated gauges on his watch. “First we take the chopper back to the city.”
During the trip, he grilled her about the checks and the incident with Gregson. But she thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and his company.
When they landed at the Riverside airport, he turned to her with a knowing smile. “Nice, huh? The first time, fear of the unknown takes away from some of the fun. The second ride is usually much better.” He arched a dark brow. “It doesn’t take long to get addicted to flying.”
She willed away the annoyingly delicious shimmer caused by his double entendre. “Are we taking the bike?”
“No. I’ve got a Viper here at the airport.”
“What happened to the Jaguar?”
“Using different vehicles keeps them guessing. I’ve also changed plates on the ’Vette, so the car can’t be traced to the robbery. Here’s the plan. Your place, fifteen minutes to pack, then we’re bugging out to my house.”
“I can’t pack in fifteen minutes!” And she needed a lot more time to get used to the idea of living with Gabe.
“You’d better, because ready or not, I’m hauling your cute little six out of there.”
“You said that before. What’s a six, or do I want to know?”
He chuckled. “Military slang. Tail, rear end—”
She held up a hand. “I get the point.”
They climbed into a white Viper with tinted windows and Gabe whisked them to her apartment with his usual Mach speed.
She reached for the handle, but he stopped her. “I check it out first.” He thrust out his hand. “Keys?”
She pulled them from her purse and slapped them into his palm. She might owe him her life, but his macho routine set her teeth on edge.
Gabe opened his door. “If anything happens, hit the horn.” He sauntered around the front bumper with confident grace. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the bushes.
Minutes passed. Tessa fidgeted. Should he be taking so long? Had something happened? Maybe she should go
