Page 49 of Under the Radar
Mo gave him a lopsided smile. “It was very cleansing.”
“Excellent,” he said, pausing. “You want to come inside? I brought a cart of food.” He waggled his eyebrows.
How thoughtful. “Sure.” Mo got up and grabbed her barely sipped glass of wine. “Did you find what you were looking for in my stuff?”
“Yes. You want to see it?” He took the glass of wine from her hand and held the drapes out of the way as she stepped into the room.
“Not really, but yes. I suppose I should know what one of the little buggers looks like for future reference.” She folded her arms. “Was it a listening device?”
The corner of his lips lifted slightly. “No, GPS only. Disappointed?” He pulled a vial from his shirt pocket and opened it.
“It’s a damn shame they didn’t hear my rant. That just means I’ll get to repeat it in court someday. Where did you find it?”
“On the outer side pocket of your purse. Makes sense to place it there. Women change their clothes all the time, but the purse tends to stay the same.”
Mac handed her a pair of magnifying glasses and laid a latex square in her palm. He tilted the vial and tiny pieces of metal fell into her hand. “Don’t touch it. I managed to lift a partial fingerprint.” He moved the pieces around with a clean toothpick. “See this? It’s the chip. And this is the casing. It’s disabled now. Best grade of surveillance device you can buy in the general market, but nothing compared to the military option.”
Mo’s lips flattened into a grim line. “What’s the difference between the two?”
“This gadget gave them your location within 100 feet, give or take a little. The military grade option would’ve given them your location to the exact seat in a restaurant. It’s much more sensitive. Anyone can buy this if they want it bad enough and are willing to spend two or three Franklins. The fact that it’s not military grade tells me this organization doesn’t have ex-military types in their hierarchy. They’re probably not as disciplined or trained—basic street thugs. That doesn’t mean I’ll underestimate them, but it arms me and the Baltimore PD with information.” He scooped the pieces back into the glass tube.
“Were they trying to kill me or kidnap me, Mac?” As if knowing would make her feel any better.
He placed the vial with the GPS device in his top drawer. “They were shooting at me. If I’m removed from the equation, they can get to you. You’re no good to them dead. Any smart person paying a ransom will require proof of life.”
She sank down onto the arm of the couch. “I’m so sorry I’ve pulled you into this situation.” But another part of her was relieved he was involved. What would she have done without him?
“Not my first rodeo, Mo. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself and those around me. You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”
“It was terrifying. For a minute, I thought you were hurt when I saw the bullets in the water. And then, the jet ski was circling above me. I don’t know what I would’ve done…” She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her chest burned with anger. What if they would’ve shot him? What if one of the bullets streaming through the water would’ve hit her?
Mac poured himself a bourbon and gave a mirthless laugh. “You held your own. You’re no gutless waif, Mo. I’m really proud of you.”
Heat flushed her chest. “Thanks, but we wouldn’t have been in that position if it wasn’t for me and my shopping idea.” The sure-to-bloom bruises on her arms after bumping side view mirrors would remind her of her stupidity for weeks to come.
Mac shrugged half-heartedly. “It was one little stop. You couldn’t have known because we didn’t know about the tracker. Hugh spent the whole day with top-notch surveillance equipment and never picked up a whisper of anything. I trust him implicitly—still do. He’s the best at what he does. Those assholes stayed low until we were vulnerable and made their move. The main point is, they didn’t catch us.”
“Well, when we get back to Baltimore, I’ll have a team of bodyguards ready to take over my protection. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Please understand.
His body tensed. “You can have your security people in Baltimore, but I’ll be coordinating them because that’s what I do.”
“I don’t think so, Mac. You have to think about Lily. I want you to stand down once we’re home.”
Mac crossed his arms. “Are you trying to let me down gently, Mo? Because if you are—just say so.”
She shook her head and sighed. “No, of course not. But remember your little speech when you told me about Lily? You gave me the option of walking away before we got too involved because your life was complicated. I’m giving you the same option. This is just a cruise. It’s okay if you walk away and think of this as a fling.” She spotted her glass of wine and retrieved it.
He gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “I don’t do flings. If I wanted a fling, there’s a bartender downstairs who’s interested in one of those. I’m not wired for the short term: are you?”
Crap. I’ve pissed him off. “No, but you’ve got to think about your life.”
“My life is amazing with you in it.”
“Be realistic, Mac. You’ve got other people to think about. It’s okay to walk away.” She’d do whatever it took to make sure he didn’t get hurt in this mess.
“When I walked into that bayside tavern Friday night before the wedding, you dazzled me while you beat my ass at pool and didn’t apologize for it—told me I ought to practice more often. I knew then.”
Mo pressed an ice pack to her cheek. “You don’t know anything. I don’t know if couples ever really know each other.” He was so exasperating. “You’ve known me a total of four weeks. Certainly not long enough to think you know about a future with me. I’ve had longer relationships with an ice cream flavor.”