“I’ll take the day off.” He was spinning his wheels on his case anyway, and the chief had been on him to take some of his unused vacation. Tomorrow would likely be another day of waiting, and even if the chief wasn’t happy, Brody didn’t like the idea of Hannah making that long trip alone. Either the victim or the perpetrator of the Vegas kidnapping had e-mailed her—twice. Two thousand miles could be covered in five hours by plane. As a bonus, he’d get to spend the whole day with Hannah. The longer they were together, the more he liked her. And the less he cared about her transient nature or their complicated relationship.

Brody collected his keys from the counter. “What time is your appointment?”

“One o’clock.”

“I’ll pick you up at nine. If we don’t get held up by traffic, we’ll have lunch before your appointment.”

“All right. Though we both know that won’t happen. Traffic in and out of New York is a given.” Hannah walked him to the foyer, flipped on the porch light, and opened the door. “Thank you for helping me.”

“You’re welcome.” Brody turned to face her. Tired, her face looked soft. His gaze dropped to her lips. Would it be inappropriate to kiss her now? Because he really wanted to do it. But this wasn’t the time, just as it hadn’t felt right early this morning. Some things couldn’t be rushed, he decided. When he kissed Hannah for the first time, he wanted her completely on board, not upset or confused. It was inevitable, though. He would kiss her. Soon.

“Good night, Hannah.”

“See you tomorrow, Brody.”

The door closed firmly behind him. He glanced over his shoulder as he stepped off the porch. She was watching him through the sidelight, and he instantly regretted not kissing her when he had the chance.

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Frustration churned in Mick’s blood, making him edgy. He lowered the binoculars. Who was the guy walking the dog? His shape was obscure in the dark. Mick could see just enough of the figure to know it was male.

Mick had been staked out in the woods behind the blond’s house since darkness fell. His plan had been to snatch her while she was out back with the dog. He wasn’t worried about the mutt. Golden retrievers weren’t threatening, and Mick was good with dogs.

But that man had stolen Mick’s opportunity. He eased back into the woods, taking his time. Dead leaves formed a damp and quiet carpet under his boots as he sneaked away from the house. He crossed the street and ran back to his car, concealed behind some trees.