It was freaking easy to trace a properly rented car if she had used her real ID, which no doubt she had. “Good idea,” he rumbled. Why scare her even more than she already was? Or maybe he should. When he’d turned around and seen her at that sex club party, his head had almost exploded—and not just because of the danger she seemed to hunt like a bluetick hound. That outfit should be illegal.

He opened the passenger-side door and settled her inside, lifting his head. The skin of his neck prickled in warning. Slamming her door, he ran around and tried to force his six-foot-six body into the driver’s seat. Groaning, he reached down and pushed the seat all the way back, which still wasn’t far enough, then slammed the door, wincing as his knees pressed the steering wheel up. He turned the key, impressed she’d left it in the ignition.

The car bucked, and he punched the gas.

“Hey.” Dana stabilized herself with her hands on the dash. “Slow down.”

He didn’t bother to answer, settling both hands on the steering wheel and taking a turn on two wheels.

Sirens trilled, rapidly approaching.

Going on instinct, he turned down another residential street in the subdivision, heading for the rear entrance. The emergency vehicles would use the main entrance. He hoped. “Put on your seat belt,” he said, increasing his speed.

“Wh-what if we need to jump out?” she gasped.

“Seat. Belt.” He didn’t have time to argue.

She did as he ordered, mumbling something and no doubt rolling her spectacular green eyes. “You need to release these damn cuffs.”

Without looking, he reached over and freed the clasp before taking another turn, swiping some rich person’s rosebush. “I like you bound.”

She snorted, tearing off the cuffs and tossing them in the back seat. “Don’t flirt if you can’t follow through.”

He swallowed down a retort, because she was right. He had no intention of dragging her into his disaster of a world, because he knew, without a doubt, that she deserved much better than he’d ever be able to offer. “Want to tell me why you were at a sex party undercover, without backup?” One of the many skills he’d learned in the military was to keep his voice mild when his temper was spiking.

“Oh, no,” she said, stabilizing herself by grabbing the oh shit handle above her head. “I’m not giving you a thing until you spill it all. Not this time.”

Darn stubborn woman. He slowed the car as he caught sight of two kids tossing a football in front of a well-lit mansion. Shouldn’t they be in bed? It was after midnight.

She cleared her throat. “When you picked me up after I kicked you—you weren’t really going to . . .”