Her uncle went on to explain the reason for his call and a familiar panic settled deep in her bones. “Mom is where?” Amy yelled.
A young couple passing by her on the street turned and stared.
Roper immediately huddled near her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. She appreciated the support.
God, this couldn’t be happening. Not when she’d just carved out a perfectly sane, normal life for herself. She shut her eyes for a brief moment before she pulled herself together.
“I’ll be right there,” she told her uncle, ending the call. Then she turned to Roper. “My mom and my aunt are being held by security at JFK Airport.”
She stepped off the sidewalk and into the street, glancing around for a free taxi cab to take her to meet them.
Roper grasped her hand. “I have my car in the lot downstairs. I’ll drive you. It’ll be cheaper and quicker. Come.”
She drew a deep breath and met his gaze. “Thank you,” she said, grateful for his unquestioning support.
He steered her back toward the Hot Zone offices and to the elevator leading to the underground parking garage.
“I didn’t even know my mother was coming to town. Apparently they wanted to surprise me.” And she hadn’t seen it coming, Amy thought. “Uncle Spencer has a meeting he can’t miss, so it’s up to me to get them out.”
“And we will,” Roper assured her.
Amy was sure they would. As good as her mother and aunt were at getting into trouble, they were equally adept at talking themselves out of it. Or letting Amy do it for them. And to think, she’d been so anxious to start her new life, she’d let her mother remain in Florida unsupervised. She’d underestimated the older woman yet again.
Roper handed his ticket to the attendant and within minutes they were in his car and on their way. Amy finally started breathing again.
“I almost took the Porsche but I knew with all the stop and go traffic, there’d be no point. It was a good thing, too. At least I can fit them in the backseat.”
She nodded, grateful. Even in the midst of her panic, she could see how quickly, calmly and efficiently he’d taken charge. What a guy.
“Why are they being held by security?” he asked.
“Uncle Spencer didn’t give me a straight answer, which isn’t surprising given my mother and aunt. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”
There was some traffic, but it moved at a decent pace and soon they’d pulled into the airport.
“I’ll drop you off, park and meet you in there,” he said, easing the car to the curb in front of the terminal.
She bit down on her lip. “You can drop me off and leave. I’m sure you have somewhere more important to be and—”
He placed his hand on hers, his touch doing more to calm her than anything could. “Nothing is more important than helping you through this,” he assured her.
Strong and capable. Roper had to be the perfect man.
For the first time, she could understand firsthand how and why his family had come to rely on him for everything. She couldn’t allow herself to do the same, especially since she’d faulted him for responding to them on cue.
“Really, I’ll be fine. I can take them home with me in a cab and—”
“I will be inside in five minutes. You’ll get to them sooner if you stop arguing and go,” he said, giving her a gentle yet firm push.
She inclined her head. Then, knowing she should just turn and head inside, she acted on impulse and placed a thank-you kiss on his cheek.
At least she meant for it to be on his cheek. But the scoundrel anticipated her move and with a quick shift of his head, he caused her lips to land squarely on his.
She didn’t pull away. Instead she leaned in closer. Her eyes closed, and for a sweet short time, she was back at the lodge, where real life couldn’t intrude. His lips parted, and his tongue swept over her lips, her teeth and then tangled with hers. Warmth eased from the pit of her stomach, shooting outward, overwhelming her senses…until a car honked, startling them and breaking the intimacy of the moment.
Flustered, she gathered her bag and darted out of the car.
ROPER MANAGED TO PARK and catch up with Amy before she was allowed in to see her relatives. A stiff man in a suit, who turned out to be the federal marshal on the plane, escorted Amy and Roper to the area where Darla and Rose were being held. The marshal explained that he worked with TSA, a component of the Department of Homeland Security and they were trying to assess whether Darla and Rose were terrorist risks.