“I can,” she cut him off. “I will.”
His eyes narrowed to blue slits. “You’re baiting the killer. You want him to come after you again, is that it?”
“I don’t have a death wish.” She hit Send on the file—it would be on her boss’s computer instantly. With a story this big, she had to get Hugh’s permission to publish. Hugh lived for breaking the big news. He’d probably give her the okay in five minutes flat.
“He was in your home.”
Like she needed the reminder. “I want him stopped.” She pushed to her feet.
He straightened and kept that hot, bright stare on her. “You think using yourself as bait is going to do that?”
“I’m not—”
“Harper!” Hugh’s bellowing voice cut across the room. “My office. Now.”
Wow. That hadn’t even been two full minutes. The boss did like his stories. She brushed by Cooper, slid out of her cubicle, and hightailed it to Hugh’s office. She heard Cooper following behind her, and she saw Penelope Finn’s gaze cut appreciatively to him. Penelope was the lead entertainment reporter, and the woman was always, always, styled to perfection.
Penelope leapt to her feet as they passed her desk. She was wearing a body-hugging dress that matched her golden eyes, and she zeroed in on Cooper—literally blocking him with her body. “I don’t think we’ve met,” she said.
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. Typical Penelope. Gabrielle didn’t slow down to rescue Cooper. He was a big boy; he could rescue himself. Besides, her boss stood in the doorway, glaring at her.
Hugh was wearing a stark white shirt that emphasized his coffee-cream skin. Hugh considered himself a master of style, and the guy had been known to charm his way into any and every closed-door meeting in D.C.
But, beneath the charm, a real bulldog lurked.
She loved that about him. After all, Hugh had been the one to teach her everything that she knew about reporting.
“No, we haven’t met,” Gabrielle heard Cooper say flatly to Penelope. “Sorry, but excuse me.”
Then, before she could reach Hugh, Cooper’s fingers closed around her shoulder.
Gabrielle glanced back.
“You can’t go live with that story,” he told her.
“No,” Hugh said, voice still a bellow even though they were about five feet from him. “She can’t.”
The charm certainly wasn’t in effect then.
Jaw dropping in surprise, Gabrielle whirled back toward her boss. “You’re not serious.”
“Dead serious.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “My office, Harper, now.”
Definitely no charm.
She stumbled into his office.
Cooper tried to come with her.
Hugh stepped in his path. Cooper was at least a head taller and probably seventy-five pounds heavier than her boss, but Hugh still doggedly blocked his entrance as he studied the younger man.
“Who are you?” Hugh demanded. “And why are you in my newsroom?”
“I’m her partner,” Cooper shot right back. “Where she goes, I go.”
“Is that so?” Hugh let him in the office. His dark, assessing gaze raked over Cooper. “Protection, huh? A bodyguard?” He shut the door behind Cooper, sealing them all inside. “Good.” He stomped toward his computer. “After what I just read, she can’t be safe enough.”
“Uh, she is right here!” Gabrielle barely managed to keep the words below a shout. “And what do you mean, Hugh? I can’t publish the story? It’s a huge story.”