handshake and a thank-you, Dylan headed around back and climbed up the wooden staircase.
He slipped through the back door and waited.
“Samantha,” he whispered. There was no sound of her. With DEFCON silence, he crept through the small apartment. The living room and kitchen were clear. He moved to the bedroom next, careful not to make a noise. If she was there, she wasn’t giving away her position. Why did that make his chest swell with pride?
He pushed the thought out of his mind, reminding himself that women were good at hiding things when they wanted to be. All things done in darkness eventually came to light. What else was Samantha keeping from him?
Out of his peripheral vision, he saw movement to his left inside the closet. A curtain acted as a makeshift door.
Caution dictated that he make no assumptions. The person was most likely Samantha, but until he had a visual, he wouldn’t take it for granted. There was always the possibility that someone had gotten to her.
Damn.
Dylan took a step back.
The curtain burst open and Samantha sprang toward him. She landed with her body flush with his, and he tried not to think about how long it had been since a woman had been in his arms.
“Dylan. Thank God it’s you.” Shock was in her eyes and deeply written across the lines of her forehead. “I was so scared.”
“Of course it is,” he soothed.
She gulped in air and he could see her pulse racing wildly.
“I’m here now. Everything’s okay,” he said, holding her.
“They were so close and I heard the shot. Oh, God, I panicked.” She gulped another breath like a fish struggling out of water. “I—I—I didn’t know what to do, so I ran here as fast as I could.”
Another swallow of air.
She was about to hyperventilate.
Dylan could either slap her or kiss her to snap her back to reality. Since he’d never once lifted a hand to a woman and had no plans to start now, the choice was clear. He dipped his head low and pressed his lips against hers, half expecting another knee to his groin in return.
Shock registered when her lips moved against his and her fingers tunneled into his hair, deepening the kiss.
She pulled away first, pushing him back a step and glaring at him. “We need to figure this out.”
He threw his hands up in surrender. “I was just trying to calm you down. I’m here as your friend.”
It was a kiss he wouldn’t forget anytime soon but a line that should never have been crossed, no matter how many times he’d wanted to do that in high school. Since high school.
“You’d do well to remember that.” Her breathing had steadied, but she was angry. “We need a different plan. I can go to one of my brothers’ places. You can’t be involved.”
“I’m sorry for what I did just now, but I still want to help.”
Her head was already shaking. “Not a good idea. He was specific. I should’ve just gone to my brothers in the first place and not tried to figure this out on my own. Then, you wouldn’t be here.”
Dylan figured he’d led this guy straight to her. What happened earlier was on him. His ringtone broke through the awkward moment. He immediately answered when he saw Brody’s name, noticing that he had a missed call.
“There’s no good way to put this,” Brody started, and an ominous feeling rolled through Dylan.
“Just come out with it.” This wasn’t going to be good. Waiting never made it better.
A deep sigh came across the line. “I wanted to notify you before the Amber Alert was issued. Maribel is missing.”
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