Connor had delayed his visit with Paul until after seven. That left plenty of time for awkward shifting around each other in his kitchen. As much as she wanted to pretend the kiss last night meant nothing, that it didn’t touch her at all, that wasn’t true. Their lips touched and her tongue went numb. Her knees buckled. Her traitorous heart hammered so hard that it blocked every other noise and most of her common sense.

Another few seconds and, head bandage or not, she would have crawled all over him. Not that she ever planned on letting him know that. Sending him the not-impressed vibe was the right answer, no matter how hard it was to hold on to her pretend indifference.

But that was earlier. Right now she had another male problem. This one had a badge and gun.

She stopped in Ben’s doorway and slipped off her coat. When he yawned and sipped on coffee, she’d never felt more bonded with anyone in her life.

She dropped into the chair in front of his desk with her tablet on her lap and phone in her hand in case she needed to take a call for anyone. “Any news?”

“We saw each other ten hours ago.”

“So, no?”

“I didn’t see anyone at Connor’s place last night. Repeatedly checked the perimeter. This morning I got in touch with your old friend Evan Williams and sent the new note for testing.” Ben took a long drink before talking again. “I also managed to sleep about a half hour, right in this chair because I’m a multitasking genius.”

Only one part of all that whining mattered to her. The part that ran headlong into her past. “Go back. Why did you talk with Evan?”

“Really? That’s all you got out of that?”

“Humor me.”

“I called him because you need round-the-clock protection until we can figure this out.”

That sounded far more formal than the babysitting she endured now. And, no. That wasn’t happening. She’d lived that life already. Gave up her name and her life. All of her friends and what little family she had. She walked away. Missed her mother’s funeral. Maddie was an only child to a single mom, and it had always been the two of them against any threat. But when the end came she couldn’t even say goodbye. Every decision made in accordance with the guidelines and rules set by WITSEC, the Federal Witness Protection Program.