Running (8 page)

“
I’m taking a shower. Can
you order a pizza or Chinese or something?”

“
Sure.
I’m going to run over to Wally World and pick up a few supplies. A
phone. You need anything?” Panties. Hopefully she’d say panties,
and he could spend a minute or two hoping Walmart had something
that
fit
his
Blondie.

“
Chocolate. Anything
chocolate. And get some juice or something to drink. Orange or
apple. And don’t take too long. You’re paying for the
pizza.”

“
Red’s paying for the
pizza, then. I’m still broke.” He couldn’t help himself. She just
looked too damned perfect, standing next to the bed. She’d borrowed
a sweatshirt from Red’s trunk—there were plenty of clothes for both
Red and Sebastian in a plastic tote in the back of the vehicle—but
the shirt hung on Blondie’s slightly thinner frame. She still had
the hood up over her hair. He yanked her to him using the strings
at the neck. She pushed against his hands for a moment. “What are
you doing?”

“
What do
you
think
I’m
doing? You look cute. Kissable. And I’m a man of action.” To
illustrate, he kissed her. Hard, quick. Hot and insistent. Then he
pulled away.

She looked up at him,
silent for once.

“
Well. So that’s what it
takes?”

“
What?”

“
To keep you from harping
at me? All I have to do is kiss you and you go quiet? Hell of a
thing, that.”

Chapter
Eighteen

***

Paige waited until all the
posturing between opposing teams settled down. After the initial
niceties had ended, and the
real
hostility began. It took them an hour to
determine that
no one
really knew what was going on with this Seth guy. No
one.

Carrie and Al were out
there somewhere with a guy in trouble, and
no one
knew a damned
thing.

And here she was in the
dark when both of the people she loved most were in danger. Her
phone jerked against her hip. She’d set it to vibrate, not wanting
the ring to bring attention her way.

She grabbed it out of habit
and read the screen.
Public phone.
Who…?

She half swallowed her
teeth when she answered and heard a familiar voice telling her to
stay calm and quiet.

Carrie spoke quickly. “Are
you alone?”

“
Not really. I…uh…can’t
talk right now. I’m waiting on news from a few friends.” What was
she supposed to say? “Can you hold on for a minute?”

“
Is
Sebastian ok?” Her first words
would
be for her husband; but why hadn’t she called
Sebastian? “Is he?”

“
Fine.
Look, I’m going to the restroom, Lea. Can I call you back after?”
She pretended to disconnect the call. But she knew Carrie would
understand.
Lea
was a code name they’d used for years on the streets, that
basically meant
let me get somewhere where
I can talk.

But Paige bypassed the
restrooms and headed deep into the supply closet. She shoved a box
of printer paper in front of the door. Several months earlier
someone had set off smoke bombs in the PAVAD building that had
ignited full fires in several locations. Sam and Ritchison—both
with the forensics department—had been locked in the supply closet.
It had been luck that got them out before smoke inhalation got
them. Since then Paige was leery of going to the supply closet
without ensuring the door wouldn’t close behind her. Nothing she
hated more than being confined. “All right, I’m in the supply
closet. Talk fast. What the hell is going on?”

“
Sebastian’s brother is in serious trouble, can’t trust anyone
on his team, except
maybe
his partner…and he and Al just left me at a truck
stop.”

“
What?”
No.
Al
wouldn’t do that. She’d not let
Carrie out of her sight. Unless this Seth character had made her.
Paige’s opinion of him kept on dwindling. No surprise, the third
brother Sin hadn’t impressed her much yet.

“
Yes. She
took my keys from him and got back in my car. He followed. I
watched from the bathroom.” Carrie’s words were slightly
self-satisfied. Paige rethought the angles for a moment. Carrie
was
planning
something. Paige just knew it.

“
Carrie,
what are
you
up
to?”

“
Listen,
they
need
time to
get away. I’m going to call you in a few hours and let you find me,
ok? I just didn’t want you to worry…and take care of Sebastian for
me, will you? He’s going to be completely flipping out right now.
Tell him if you can, that I’m ok. And so is the baby.
Ok?”

“
Carrie…just be careful,
ok?”

“
Aren’t I
always? I
can
take
care of myself, you know.”

After her sister
disconnected the call, Paige found her voice again. “I know…little
sister, I know. You always could.”

She had to wait fifteen
minutes for a chance to tell Sebastian what Carrie had said, and
she had to get him the message in the most roundabout way she
could.

Through the food. It was
all she could think of.

She shoved a foam container
under his nose. She’d offered to go down and meet the delivery guy
from Smokey Jo’s in the lobby. She scrawled a quick message in
black ink across the inside of Sebastian’s lid. He’d see it, and
understand.

She hoped.

Until then, she’d try to
figure out how to help Al.

Chapter
Nineteen

***

Seth grinned at her, that
madly infuriating grin that made her want to smack him. Why did she
always laugh when that same expression was on his brother’s face,
but on this guy it burned her with irritation?

“
You’re
annoying; did you know that?” He was so different from his brother.
Gave significance the entire nature-vs.-nurture debate. Had he
always been so different from Sebastian? What else was she supposed
to say? She didn’t have the breath to say much of anything, really.
It had been a
very
long time since she’d been kissed like
that.
And she couldn’t think, not
really. “I don’t think it works that way. Now I’m just astounded
you’d be that stupid.”

“
Why is it stupid? You’re
here, I’m here. We’re free, attractive people. And I know it would
be good between us. Can you deny that?”

“
And that’s all it takes
for you? Scratching the itch would be good, so why not do it?
Sorry. I don’t work that way. I’m taking a shower; go get food. A
walk in the snow might clear your head a bit. At least one of
them.”

***

Al hid herself in the
shower as quickly as she could. She’d kissed him back—and she’d
enjoyed it. She wouldn’t deny that. Was it just the close contact,
the adrenalin from what they’d been through the last few days—or
even the week before with her previous case? Or was it his
similarity
to
Sebastian, plus his availability and proximity making him
more alluring than what he actually was?

Or had she just gone off
the deep end?

Al didn’t do random
affairs. And it was abundantly clear that all Seth Lorcan was
capable of was casual. The man had freely admitted he barely
connected with his siblings and had few friends. A relationship
wouldn’t be on his game board. She’d do well to remember that. And
she’d made a point of not getting involved with men who didn’t look
to the future. Ever.

She wouldn’t be stupid with
this guy. No matter how tempting. It wouldn’t work out for
her
the way it had with
Georgia, Carrie, or Jules. And she couldn’t
want
it to with
Seth.
How would that even
work?

Someone would have to give
up what they currently had just to take a
chance.
And she couldn’t see him
doing that for her. And she couldn’t do that for him.

Everyone who mattered to
her was in St. Louis. She wouldn’t leave them again; not after
almost losing them at the end of last year. A move just wasn’t
worth it. And she wouldn’t risk that with a man like Seth Lorcan. A
man she’d known less than fourteen hours—it just wasn’t worth the
risk.

No, when she did find
someone to attempt a relationship with it would be with someone
solid, grounded, and stable. Not some crazy whirlwind like this
guy. Solid, grounded, stable. Realistic.

She’d just have to stick to
her guns on this. Even if there was a possibility of
something
being there,
she wouldn’t risk it.

And there was the niggling
doubt about
why
he’d kissed her. Men had kissed her out of opportunity and
proximity before—because she was there and pretty and men tended to
think with their glands when she was around.

Al definitely wanted more
than
that
.

If she was going to risk
upsetting—
changing—
her entire life to have a relationship with a man, it would
be with a man who wanted more than just an opportunity lay. She
wanted someone who’d see
inside
her, rather than the outer trappings.

The way Sebastian had
Carrie. He loved her friend, all Carrie’s quirks
included.

Maybe that was
Seth’s
draw? A part of
her was expressing deeper feelings than she should because Seth was
so much like a man Al already cared about? He looked like
Sebastian, so a part of her expected him to act like his
brother?

That was as stupid as
assuming Mick would act like Mal because
they
were brothers.

She would not let herself
be stupid over this man. She wouldn’t.

***

Seth was whistling as he
crossed the parking lot toward Walmart. It was still snowing—enough
to effect visibility—and that was to their advantage. Not many
people wanted to venture out in the snow. Which meant a lot less
chance of him being recognized. Still, he pulled the knit hat he’d
found in his brother’s trunk down lower over his ears and tightened
the strings on the hooded sweatshirt further around his
neck.

He hopefully would just
look like another random guy in Walmart buying a winter coat. And
food. The woman wanted food and chocolate. And he’d probably pick
up some condoms. Just to be on the safe side.

Because even though she’d
brushed him off this time, he strongly suspected there would be a
next. He fought a smile. Yeah, she’d enjoyed kissing him as much as
he’d enjoyed kissing her. And they’d be spending a lot more time
alone…

Might as well be prepared
if something did happen.

He got what he needed in
the store in under twenty minutes. Surely she’d had time to take
her shower and escape him for a while by now? He understood the
value of a strategic retreat with a female like her. If something
did happen between them, it had to be
her
decision
or he’d pay for it
later.

No sense pissing off
Blondie over sex. Even if he knew it would be good sex, probably
the best sex he’d had in a long, long time.

He put her chocolate on the
bed, and then waited for the bathroom door to open. She had to come
out sometime, right?

He underestimated that. She
didn’t make a reappearance until the delivery guy knocked on the
door. She came out dressed in sweat pants that were a bit too big
for her and another hooded sweatshirt. Apparently Red had favored
hoodies—there had been several in a range of colors in the back of
the Escape.

Even in the shapeless
clothes there was no mistaking the fact that this woman was hotter
than hell.

Seth blocked the pizza
guy’s view of his female companion. The less eyes on her, the less
chance they’d be recognized. He got that—women stood out more than
men. Especially women like his Blondie.

He waited until she was
settled at the cheap plastic table before opening the pizza box.
“Dig in, toots.”

“
Gee, thanks. Great date
you make.”

“
Charming, aren’t
I?”

“
You do think so, don’t
you?” But her snark was ruined by the pizza in her mouth. Poor kid,
he must have been starving her the way she was eating. “What did
you get?”

“
A winter coat. Some soda
and chocolate for my queen. And a couple of burn phones. I’ll
charge and activate in a few.”

“
I want to call home. Call
someone. Let them know I am not dead, and make sure they found
Carrie.”