“You have my phone number.”

“Yes, but I won’t be needing it. You’re going with me to Vegas.”

“I am?” She straightened in her seat. Then she caught sight of a familiar sign. “Wait, you missed the on-ramp.”

“We’ve got time to stop at your place first so that you can pack a bag. Don’t worry about bringing a lot of stuff. You can buy anything you need in Vegas.”

Sierra tried—and failed—to suppress a little thrill of delight. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m anxious to see if the gun works on your dad, so I’m okay with a side trip to Las Vegas. Besides, my parents are still there. But technically speaking, you don’t need me anymore.”

“I know,” North said. “But you need the protection of the Foundation a little while longer. Security will be easier to handle in Vegas than it is here.”

She winced. So much for hoping that he wasn’t ready to end their very short relationship. Then again, one night of hot sex in a library basement didn’t actually amount to a relationship. She forced herself to consider the logic of the situation.

“You think Loring might send his Puppets after me?” she asked. “But I’m just the go-between.” She groaned. “Not that it seems to matter to some people.”

“Sooner or later the Foundation cleaners will pick up Loring and the Puppets and recover the cache of weapons, but until they get this thing wrapped up, you’re vulnerable.”

“Because I know too much?”

“Yes. And because when Loring finds out he can’t use that tuning crystal to activate the rest of the weapons, he’s going to be pissed. Enraged. And probably a little crazy. He’ll be out for revenge. It will be hard to get to me, but you’re an easy target.”

“I can take care of myself,” she muttered.

“You’ll be outgunned and outnumbered.”

She folded her arms. “Okay.”

North glanced at her. “I was sort of hoping you would want to come with me to Las Vegas.”

“Oh,” Sierra said. “Yeah. Well, I do.”

“We’re a team, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“The lack of enthusiasm is hard on my ego.”

“You want enthusiasm?”

North flexed his hands on the steering wheel. “Well, shit, I thought we were at the start of an affair. Was I wrong? Was last night just adrenaline sex?”

She went very still in her seat. “No. No, last night was not just adrenaline sex. I never sleep with clients.”

“But you slept with me.”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “Yes, I did.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Nope. Not one bit. But I should warn you that I’ve never actually had a successful long-term affair. My relationships tend to end quickly and badly.”

“So do mine. But the way I look at it, there’s always a first time for everything, including a successful relationship.”

Her spirits skyrocketed. “You’re right. Always a first time.”

“Good,” he said. “That settles it, then.”

She looked at him. “It does?”

“For now.”

So much for an intimate conversation. Well, this was hardly the time for one of those anyway. They had other priorities.