to the phone, Trace said, “He’s a twenty-three-pound cat, if you can believe that. Thing is, he’s a sweetheart, so fair game. And I just know he’d make a powerful weapon against her.”
“Yeah.” Dare went thoughtful, but only for a moment. “You want me to keep him out of harm’s way? Hell, my girls would love it. They enjoy all things furry. Since I’m not on assignment right now, I’ll be around to make sure they get along.”
Relieved that Dare had offered, Trace let out a breath. “If you’re sure, I could drive Priss and her cat down there tomorrow. She needs a damned makeover anyway. Coburn ordered it.”
“Damn. That’s not sounding good.”
“No.” But Trace didn’t want to go into Murray’s motives yet. If he did, he’d want to go kill the bastard now instead of sticking with the plan. “Maybe you could arrange for a beautician or whatever to be there, to help cover the trip. If Priss returns with her hair changed, and her nails done up, no one would think anything of it. And Jackson could make sure we got out of town without being followed.”
“Yeah, I think we can manage that. I’m pretty sure Chris has a friend who’s a hairdresser.”
Amused, Trace shook his head. Dare’s wife, Molly, though very pretty, wasn’t into long hours spent at a salon. But Dare’s good friend and employee, Chris, had a variety of acquaintances ranging from football players to beauty queens—all of them guys. “Unless something comes up, I could have her down there late morning.”
“Plan to eat lunch here.”
“Thanks.” The mention of food made Trace wonder—
when was the last time Priss had eaten? Now that she’d slouched comfortably on the couch, her exhaustion showed. He frowned. “I’ll call when we’re on our way.”
After hanging up with Dare, Trace went to the blinds and peered out. The parking lot adjoined the bar on one side, a back street on the other. He didn’t like the layout, or the noise level, or the lack of security. Even the shittiest joint should have some safeguards in place.
This place had none.
“You made arrangements for Liger?”
He nodded. “It’ll just be until you’re in the clear, Priss. That’s all.”
“But we don’t know how long that might be.”
“No.” Trace rubbed his face. “Have you eaten?”
“Not since breakfast.”
And it was now well past dinnertime. “All right. Let’s get your things together.”
“How much should I gather?”
“Everything you might actually need. If I can help it, you won’t be spending any nights here.”
“Such a shame.” She looked around wistfully. “I was already settled.”
He wouldn’t debate it with her. She was moving, period. “We’ll get you checked into a hotel, but not the one you mentioned. I don’t want you any place where Murray knows to look for you.” He’d take her to the same hotel where he was staying, as close as he could keep her.
“Won’t that make him suspicious?”
“I’ll think of something.” He watched her rise from the couch. “After that we’ll grab some food.”
She hesitated. “And Liger?”
“He’ll stay with you for tonight. Then tomorrow we’ll take him to stay with my friend.” Trace watched her, and saw her gearing up for an argument, based on concern and fear. “Don’t look like that. Dare will be really good to him, I promise. He has two dogs who love other animals. Between them, they’ll make him feel right at home.”
Trace knew she didn’t want to. She had that look of stubborn machination coming over her; he could practically see the variety of alternate plans flitting through her thoughts.
He used stark reality to convince her. “Would you rather one of Murray’s henchmen find him? Trust me on this, Priss, they’re more than capable of using the cat to hurt you. It would be … ugly.”
Given the look on her face, she knew exactly what he meant.
Her shuddering breath and trembling lips left fear in his soul. Do not cry. Please. Priss had a body like sin, and the disposition of a hedgehog, but seeing her love for that big fat cat … well, it struck something tender deep inside him.
Very softly, Trace said, “You okay?”
Regaining her self-confidence, she firmed her lips and nodded. “Thank you for thinking of it.” And then in a less intense voice, “I’d die if anything happened to him.”
Which meant Trace would do every damn thing in his power to see that it never came to that. “This way he’ll be safe.” Now if only it was that easy to ensure Priss’s safety. “Let’s get going. We’ll have a long day tomorrow.”
“All right.” She left the cat on the couch and went into the bathroom. In one overnight case, she had everything already packed. From behind the fold-out couch, she produced a large duffel bag stuffed full. “Other than this, I need to get Liger’s litter box and food.” She lifted the cat’s leash and harness off the door knob.
Amazed, Trace looked at her paltry belongings. “You hadn’t unpacked yet?”
“I hadn’t planned on sticking around too long. And I didn’t want to have to leave anything behind if I got boned on this deal.”
“The deal to … kill Murray?”
“That’s right.” Priss’s smile felt like an alarm. “You might think I’m a silly girl acting on impulse, but I had a plan, Trace. A sound plan. And if you hadn’t shown up, I’d be that much closer to ridding the world of a very rotten soul. Now that I know seeing my cat again depends on my success … well, let’s just say I’m doubly motivated to get this over with.”
Trace saw the gleam of success in her eyes, and the cocky tilt of anticipation on her sexy mouth. For a slight, shapely female with an innocent face, she was so damn bloodthirsty.
Contradictions. Nothing but constant contradictions.
So why the hell was he starting to find that so exciting?
PRISS STRETCHED AWAKE IN the much-cleaner and better-smelling hotel room. The sheets were smooth, the pillows soft. She had enough space to actually move around without bumping into anything.
Sunlight crept in around the haphazardly closed curtains. It would be another gorgeous June day. Time to get up—except that she couldn’t move her legs, not with Liger stretched out in full splendor across her. He had her blankets pinned down so that they only covered her waist.
The air-conditioning—something unavailable at the apartment—kept the room cool. With a yawn, Priss crawled out from under Liger and sat up on the side of the bed. Her long hair hung in her face and the now-rumpled T-shirt she wore covered only
