Page 14 of Toxic Truth
Hank’s voice poured from the speaker, “The what?”
“Hit.” She leaned toward the phone. “The feds or the pharmaceutical firm I used to work for, possibly both, have a contract out on me. There was a tracker in my jacket. Lucas tossed it in the creek. It’s supposed to be waterproof, but we all know manufacturers lie about their products, especially those with government contracts. If it’s stopped transmitting, goons are going to show up here, guns drawn. You have to help him. He can’t get hurt. Neither can his babies.”
Hank cleared his throat. “Him who? What babies?”
Lucas gestured her to silence then spoke to Hank. “Give me a sec.” He pulled her back to the stove. “Don’t budge from this spot.” He’d lowered his voice so only she could hear. “I mean it. Take a step toward the phone and I’ll have Bullet guard you. He won’t be licking your hand this time. If I tell him to bare his teeth at you, he will. He follows my orders, not yours.”
She crossed her arms. “I was only trying to tell Hank what happened since you’re taking forever to do so.”
“There’s a method to my madness.” The oven pinged. “Stay here. Make sure the stew doesn’t burn, and don’t forget to put the biscuits inside this thing”—he rapped the stove—“rather than leaving them on top.”
And here she’d thought he was close to perfect. In a pinch, men always condescended to women to get their way. “Maybe you should write out your directions so I don’t forget.”
“Only when I have time.” He chucked her chin. “For now, stay…please.”
His request did it. So did his playful touch. “Sure.”
Back on the call, he explained her concern for his safety, along with Caesar and Bullet’s, aka his babies.
Hank made a muffled sound. Could have been laughter. “Got it. While you were…occupied a few seconds ago, I dispatched a crew to take care of the vehicle. We’ll store it in one of our facilities. Their ETA should be less than an hour.”
“How about a perimeter guard?”
“A what?” She closed the oven door. “You mean men guarding this location so no one gets close?”
Lucas nodded.
Hank spoke, “I’ll have men stationed on every road leading to your place. Your security system’s still operable, right?”
“It is.” Keying into his computer, he brought up several outside images: the front porch, backyard, the cabin on each side, and the kitchen showing him at the table, her shifting from foot to foot by the stove. “Everything’s up and running.”
She gripped his chair. “What if someone shoots out the cameras?”
He lifted his face to hers, his features serene. “They’d have to find them first.”
“Yeah, I know.” She dug her nails into the wood. “Aren’t there devices to do that?”
“There are, but I’ve already taken precautions against them.”
The truth? A lie to make her feel better? “Please be straight with me.”
He pushed out a breath. “The lenses aren’t at eye level where someone could detect them easily. They’re at a height no one would expect. If by some chance a device could, and anyone shoots them out, an alarm sounds. It’s loud enough to wake the dead in every county in this state. I’ve also booby trapped the areas around the cameras.”
She realized something. “You saw me on your system after you heard my car.”
He nodded.
Backing away, she pointed at him. “I could have gotten hurt by one of your traps.”
“Only if you’d messed with a camera.”
This is nuts. “Is someone after you, too?”
“No,” Hank said. “At times, we’ve needed a secure location for our clients, and we’ve used Lucas’s cabin, given its isolation and security. Trust me, you couldn’t be in a better place or in finer hands. He’ll take great care of you.”
Lucas’s face flushed, darkening his olive complexion, but he didn’t look away from her.
Something inside her fluttered, the walls she’d built around herself beginning to crumble. Hardly a wise choice, but she couldn’t stop her feelings for him. “I agree with your assessment, Hank. Can I call you that?”