She coughed out a laugh. “So your plan is to tick me off, drive me back to town, drop me in a safe house, and then go take him out?”

Wolfe lifted one shoulder in a shrug, nearly dislodging her. “Kind of. I wasn’t trying to tick you off, but I was so angry, am so angry, that it’s hard to talk. I’m trying. You kind of have the plan right. Except we’re going to stop at the next grocery store without cameras, ditch the truck, steal another vehicle, and then drive back home. I can’t be sure that Rock, I mean Gary, didn’t leave a tracker somewhere on this truck.”

“Oh.” It seemed he had it all planned out. “I’m for the idea of stealing a car, but I hope we get this truck back sometime, if possible. I like it.” Her stomach felt hollow, and she tried to hide the terror clawing through her. “I’m not hiding in a safe house when I can help track him. I’m a good journalist, Wolfe.”

“We’re dating, right?”

The world brightened. “Right. We are dating.” It was nice to have him back.

“Then one of my jobs is to protect you, wouldn’t you agree?” His thumb rubbed beneath her jaw.

The trap he’d set was a neat one, but she wasn’t born yesterday. “I think it’s my job to protect you, too.”

“You can do that by staying safe.” He leaned in, his nose touching hers. “I want to make you happy, and I don’t want to be a jackass, but I am locking you down. Period.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

The Ramcharger Wolfe had hot-wired hadn’t been kept in very good shape. Roscoe glared at him from the hollowed-out back seat. “You shouldn’t have combined different alcohols last night,” Wolfe muttered. “It’s your fault you’re feeling poorly.”

Roscoe tossed his head and lay down on the exposed floor.

Dana stared out the window, her body appearing more relaxed than earlier even though she was still giving him the silent treatment. Although he could understand why she didn’t want to go into protective custody, he wasn’t going to budge on the matter. He didn’t like making her unhappy, but he’d like it a whole lot less if she ended up dead.

She might also be a little peeved that he’d been so grumpy this morning; he couldn’t blame her. As soon as they got a little closer to the office building, he’d buy her one of the sweet lattes she loved. It was the least he could do.

They’d had fast food for lunch and dinner, but neither he nor Dana had eaten much. Roscoe had gone to town with the burgers, though.