He drew himself up to full height. “Yeah. That’s it. I’m a peacock whose tail feathers got plucked by the ATF. Save that quote. Put it in your story.”
“Don’t do that,” she said, c
oming to her feet. “Don’t slam the door on me or cop that smart-ass attitude.”
“Then stop asking questions. I don’t give interviews, remember?”
“Aren’t we beyond that?”
“Well, I thought so, but obviously not.”
“We’re just two people talking, Trapper.”
“Wrong. Only one person is talking. You. I’m not listening anymore.”
He went around her, scooped her bag from off the floor, and carried it with him into the bathroom, where he began tossing in grooming articles and the sleepwear she’d left hanging on the hook on the back of the door.
She followed him as far as the threshold between the two rooms. “You’re really sending me packing?”
He didn’t say anything, just raided the shower of her shampoo and razor and added them to the bag.
“Me plus you equals jeopardy for the bad guys, isn’t that what you said? Well, it’s worked. Someone got nervous enough about our being together to ransack your apartment and office. Thomas Wilcox came to you wanting to make a deal for immunity. How likely was that to happen if he hadn’t feared what you have on him? Someone went to a lot of trouble to set up Leslie Duncan for Sunday night’s crimes.”
She had to move aside or get mowed down as he came through the bathroom door. “We’ve stirred live coals, Trapper. Isn’t that what you had in mind when you abducted me?”
“What I had in mind was banging you.”
“That’s very romantic,” she said, “but it wasn’t your primary motivation.”
He lowered his eyelids to half mast. “Wanna bet?”
“Please follow along, ladies and gentlemen, as we move from scare tactic number one to scare tactic number two. Lewd and lascivious innuendo.” She paused for a beat. “Save it, Trapper. I’m not going to have the vapors or run screaming in fear of my virtue.”
“Don’t be so sure. I can get really lewd and…whatever that other thing was.”
She huffed out a breath. “Let me see what’s on the flash drive.”
He dropped all degree of suggestiveness and reverted to anger. “You’re just after the story.”
“Damn right, I am. But I can’t turn my back on this injustice and then blithely go on with my life.”
“It’s your life I’m trying to save.”
“Which is why I have a bodyguard.”
“You haven’t advanced me a penny of my retainer.”
“How much?”
“You can’t afford me.”
“Try me.”
“And anyway, I’m not for hire.”
“Where’s the flash drive?”
“Fuck!” Looking ready to throttle her, he stood there, breathing hard and angrily, then sliced the air with his hands. “Fine. I have transportation.” He dug into his jeans pocket for the key Carson had given him. “I’ll go. The room is paid up through today. You can stay here and figure out how to get back to Dallas on your own.”