“How are you getting to work?”

“One of the guys dropped me off this afternoon. I figured I’d take a bus tomorrow, or walk to the streetcar and ride it in from there.”

“That’s a long stretch from here to the station.”

She shrugged. “I don’t mind. If I had research to do on a story it’d suck, but if my editor sends us out for assigned gigs, my crew and I can take the station rigs.” She took another sip of her drink, set it back on the table and twisted so her back was to the sofa arm and her leg was bent in front of her. “Speaking of stories, how’d the names I gave you turn out?”

He shook his head. “Neither of them are a concern. Townsend has been out of town for some time and, from all accounts, Reynolds’s hype is all talk and no carry through.” His gaze dropped to the hem of her T-shirt for all of a second, then he seemed to catch his distraction and refocused on her face. “Have you had any other ideas?”

Oh, she had lots of ideas. Just not the kind that had anything to do with angry people that might want to cause anyone trouble. “No. But it’s hard to guess when I don’t know what you’re trying to guard against. Has there been a threat of some kind? Something stolen?”

All trace of sensual distraction disappeared in an instant, and his eyes got laser sharp. “It would be best if I keep that information to myself.”

“Why?” The question was out before she could soften it, the prickling instinct that always came with the promise of something worth digging into sparking in an instant. “Would you be implicated in something? Or are you afraid there’s something there worth reporting and don’t want it to be common knowledge?”

“I’m not worried about being implicated in anything. I’m merely taking steps to protect my family.”

“Protect them financially, or protect them physically?”

“Why do they have to be mutually exclusive?”

“Well, if you think there’s a need to protect them physically, the police should be involved.”

“I prefer to do my own work.”

“But you’re not doing your own work. You’ve asked me to help, and if someone gets hurt, then I’ve contributed to their injury.”

His instant smile was warm and appreciative. “You’re very clever. And observant.”

“I’m also smart. And while you’ve never actually admitted what it is you and your family do for a living, not reporting to the authorities if there’s potential danger certainly indicates operating outside the law.”

Kir cocked his head. While he didn’t seem angry, her words had fired an edge in him she’d never seen before. “You used the word family quite mockingly. Do you have any comprehension of what you’re referring to?”

Okay. Maybe he was angry.

She paused long enough to take a solid breath and weighed her response with a cautious and reasonable tone. “I think the information my colleagues gave me months ago was probably closer to the truth than you’d like me to believe. That you’re deeply entrenched with a crime family. If my tone was mocking or aggressive, I apologize. That wasn’t my intent. But I’m more than just a reporter. I’m a law-abiding, single female, and I’d be foolish if I didn’t call out my concerns or think twice about how deep my involvement goes with you.”