There were too many guys after too many people. He had to take care of his problems sooner rather than later, and he needed to ensure her safety first. “I like you.” The words rolled out, surprising him.

She drew back, confusion clouding her emerald eyes for the briefest of seconds. “I like you, too.”

“I don’t have many friends, Dana.” It was hard to find the right words, especially when dealing with someone who used words all the time in her work. She was an excellent journalist and writer, and he knew he wasn’t putting this right. “You’re my friend, and I can’t let you get hurt.” There. That made sense.

Her shoulders relaxed. “You’re my friend, too, but I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, Wolfe. I’m on a story, one that matters to me, and I’m not letting up.”

Her tenacity and dedication had impressed him from the beginning of their friendship. Oh, if she were tough or hardened, they would’ve taken it temporarily beyond friendship. But she was sweet and soft and kind . . . and he was none of those things. Probably never had been. “Would you please relocate to my place while we figure out what’s happening with both of our cases?”

She blinked. “You just said please.”

“Yeah.” He was the muscle for his unit, and when it came to safety, he usually gave orders. She wasn’t his to protect unless she allowed it. Although, if she said no, he’d camp outside of her apartment out of sight. But she didn’t know that.

She sighed. “If I don’t go with you, you’ll just skulk around my apartment complex and scare people.”

Maybe she did know him better than he’d thought. “I don’t skulk.” The idea was a little insulting. He started the engine and drove sedately out onto the main road, turning quickly to use back roads to the car rental place, which took longer than he’d planned. By the time they reached the business, his truck was already waiting on the front curb, gleaming beneath the streetlight.

“Angus Force sure gets things done,” Dana mused.

True. Wolfe parked the car, tossed the rental agreement and keys in the after-hours box, and once again took Dana’s hand to lead her to his truck. Her hand was small and her skin soft against his, and he tried not to notice. He really did.

She hesitated at his truck, pulling free. “I’m not sure I should stay with you.”