Blake turned back to him and Kara did the same. “It’s a little late for a drink, don’t you think?”

“Welcome to my world, where we sleep in the daylight and make the most of the night.”

Blake’s lips compressed. “Are the restaurants open late?”

“Twenty-four hours,” he said. “It keeps the activity looking honest.”

“All right then,” Blake said. “A drink at one of the restaurants works for me. I’d like to see how they operate.”

Ignacio’s gaze flicked back to Kara and she saw the suspicion in his stare, the hate. “Will she be joining us?” he asked, as if she wasn’t even there when he was looking right at her.

“Yes,” Blake said. “She will.”

“Excellent,” he commented. “Always happy to buy a pretty lady a drink.”

Oh yes, Kara thought. He was ready to buy her a drink all right, and then find a creative way to drown her in it. He’d decided she was a problem and he’d stay away from her for now, but later, if he had the chance, he’d smash her like a fly. But he wouldn’t get the chance, she reminded herself. She’d smash Ignacio long before he smashed her, if Blake didn’t beat her to the punch. She had a feeling he just might.

“Pine Street’s the closest location,” Kara said tightly, seeing this as an opportunity to get inside the restaurant she’d been scouting for some time, and perhaps inside the back warehouses the cameras kept her away from.

“Pine Street it is,” Blake said, lacing his fingers between Kara’s. “We’ll meet you there.” He didn’t give Ignacio a chance to reply. He pulled Kara with him and started walking toward the parking garage. His pace was steady and calculated, but she could feel the urgency building inside him, the fire about to combust. It was as if the instant they stepped away from Ignacio, something inside him snapped. Had something just happened or had he been containing this back there with Ignacio? And if he was, my God, how?

“What’s wrong?” she asked the instant she felt they were safely out of earshot.

“Not now. Wait.”

His tone was sharp, his grip on her hand tight. “Blake—”

“Not,” he ground out, “now.”