dessert? Nothing. Not even a damn piece of pie.”
“Why not?” Seth asked.
“Blame your friend.”
Seth slugged Boone in the arm. “You still don’t get it about women and chocolate, do you, buddy?”
“Shut up. She’s in training.”
“Yeah, right.”
Boone laughed, and Seth did, too, and it was good to hear that. He watched as Seth got out his gadgets, knowing the full sweep in the kitchen wasn’t going to be made easier by the crowd, but that was okay, too. It was good to be a team, however makeshift.
“Whoa, what’s this?”
Boone looked at what Seth was worried about. His scanner was pinging, but Boone couldn’t tell where it was pointed. He had to look under the table. At Milo.
“Oh, shit,” he said.
Seth looked at him with a shake of his head, then leaned down and petted Milo on the neck. He paused, nodded once.
“RFID?”
“Yep.”
“How long has this bastard been tracking her?” Boone asked, although there was no way in hell he was ever going to have the answer.
“WHAT IS THAT?” Christie moved closer to Boone and Seth, who were crouched over Milo. “What are you talking about?”
Boone looked up at her. “Does Milo have an electronic dog tag?”
“No,” she said. “I thought about getting one, but I wasn’t sure about the side effects.”
“That’s what I thought,” he said. He petted Milo, who rewarded him with a whimper and a lick. “Good boy.” Boone stood, but Seth stayed down, manipulating Milo’s neck.
“Is he hurt?” she asked, willing herself not to get crazy. It was hard, though, because it was Milo.
“No, he probably didn’t feel any pain. The RFID is implanted with a needle. Only, this one feels larger. It’s got broadcasting capabilities. Its own power source.”
“So is he listening to us?” she asked, her voice in an involuntary whisper.
“No,” Seth said. “It’s not a listening device. It’s a location tracker.”
“He knows where we run,” Boone said. “Train. Shoot.”
Christie sat at the table, thinking seriously about having a drink, even though she wasn’t that fond of liquor. This was all so bizarre. The bastard was tracking them through her dog? What kind of mentally defective creep was he?
“We have to get it out of him,” Seth said as he stood. “I’ll get my bag.”
“Wait just a minute here.” Christie looked from Seth to Boone. “Are you thinking of cutting him up?”
Boone came around to her side of the table and sat next to her. “We’ll make sure he isn’t hurt.” He looked at Seth. “You have any Novocain in there?”
“Close enough.”
Christie backed away from Boone. “Are either of you veterinarians? No? Then there is no way in hell you’re going near my dog with a knife. Is that clear?”
Boone looked at Seth. Kate looked at her hands. Seth scratched his head. Then he paused, and connected again with Boone. “I can fix it. But you’ll have to take him to a vet to get it removed.”
“What do you mean, fix it?” Christie asked.
“No knives. Nothing like that. I can disable it.”
“It won’t hurt Milo?”
“Milo won’t feel a thing.” Seth bent to his duffel.
Christie turned to Boone again, wanting to make sure that this was all legit. If something happened to Milo…
“I trust him,” Boone said. “I’d let him do it to me.”
“Okay. But if Milo so much as whines.”
“I’ll stop him.” He touched her hand, and the effect was immediate and more calming than she could have imagined.
Kate got up and went to check the chicken. She got a spoon out of the drawer and tasted the sauce, smiling her approval.
Christie liked her. She was a tough cookie, and it was good to have her on the team.
“We still have to get this room finished,” Boone said, in his familiar whisper. Then he looked at Christie. “You can go in your room,” he said. “Get some clothes, whatever.”
“Did you throw it all out?”
“Seth is going to do that for us when he leaves. I don’t want to put those sheets in your garbage.”
“That’s smart,” she said. “Good.”
“You want to go there now? Give Seth some room to finish up his work?”
“Sure.” She got up, and walked with Boone down the hallway. Glancing at Seth as she walked by, she saw he had some sort of electronic device he was working on, but she had no idea what it was. If Boone trusted him, so would she. Hell, what choice did she have.
Boone moved right next to her in the hallway. He put his hand on the small of her back. A simple move meant to reassure her. It did that, but holy crap, so much more.
Everything about last night came back in a head rush. The way he looked, standing naked by the tub. The feel of his chest on her back. The way her hand had been filled with his thick cock.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “I’ve got you.”
She smiled. She’d never get tired of hearing him say that. It didn’t just make her feel safe. It made her swoon. Her grin got bigger as she thought about that. Her? Swooning? Nate would be on the floor laughing if she’d suggested such a thing. But then, he’d never have imagined her in a situation this bizarre. This terrifying.
She stopped smiling at the door. Everything inside her revolted at the idea of walking in there. Her favorite room. Her sanctuary. Defiled in a way that turned her stomach.
“Christie.”
She looked at Boone. His green eyes were steady, his whole body strong and determined. But he wouldn’t push her. He’d let her make the call. “Let’s lock and load,” she said.
In return,
