Privilege (Special Tactical Units Division 2)

“To frighten me. We don’t know that whoever it is actually wants to—”

“If you mean, we have no proof, well, you’re right. We don’t.” He clasped her shoulders. “But when you add up the phone call, the condom, the very fact that this—this—” This lunatic, crazed, insane sociopath was what he wanted to day, but logic warned that his beautiful shrink might object. “What I’m saying is when you tally things up and add in the fact that this person has obviously been in your home… Put all that together, sweetheart, and it’s probably a safe bet to act as if you are, in fact, in physical danger.”

He could see her thinking it through.

Then she nodded.

“Okay. Perhaps.”

Perhaps? Well, at least they were making progress.

“I’ve gone through all the possibilities,” he said. “One, we could stay on in the hotel, but I don’t think either of us would be comfortable stuck here for much longer, no matter how luxurious the accommodations. Right?”

Bianca nodded.

“Two, we could stay in your apartment. Get the locks changed, but…” She shook her head vehemently. “Yeah. My feelings, too.”

“I don’t ever want to go back there,” she said, and shuddered.

“Then there’s option three.”

“What’s option three?”

“You have family in Texas.”

“In New York, too. Well, some of them have condos here.”

“Right. You could stay with family while I work this thing through.”

He waited. Option three, while viable, was the one he didn’t want her to take. He’d tried telling himself it was because it would worry him not to be at her side to protect her and that was true enough.

But there was another truth, a deeper one, and it was a lot more basic.

Option three would take her away from him.

And he wasn’t ready to be parted from her.

Not yet.

He was a realist. He knew it would happen eventually. He’d find the man who wanted to hurt her, she’d be safe, and this—this episode would end.

Life would return to normal.

She’d go back to her job.

He’d be deployed.

Except for sex, he thought bluntly, a woman who saved souls and a man who took them would not have a hell of a lot in common, and anyway, he wasn’t looking to tie himself down…

“Option four,” Bianca said.

Chay frowned and brought his thoughts back where they belonged.

“Option four?”

She nodded. “I go with you to Santa Barbara.” Her voice was soft. “If that’s what you truly want…”

He kissed her, and gave her all the answer she’d need.