"As little as possible," Deke said. "Oh?" Whitney said from the doorway.Deke hadn't noticed the water had stopped running. He hoped she hadn't heard the references to goblins. That would take some explaining, which he wasn't interested in doing. He rose. Her wet hair was slicked back from her bare face. The look on her face spelled determination. She was even more beautiful now. Even as he thought that, he reminded himself that he didn't want to see Whitney that way."I've made you some food," he said.She eyed him, and then Trent, who seemed overly interested in his plate. As gargoyles—and former military—they shouldn't have been afraid of a woman who was a little spit of a thing, compared to them. Then again, the shortest drill sergeants were usually the toughest—and the smallest dogs were far more likely to attack than the biggest ones were.With that in mind, Deke retrieved the plate and put it at the place he'd set for her. Would his fried rice soothe the savage beast?She slid
That meant someone had opened a door or window to the outside. Was Whitney doing a runner? He heard a creak—a faint one, but he knew it came from the basement. If it were just him, he could escape off the roof. Hopefully, Whitney wasn't afraid of heights. As a gargoyle, up would be his natural direction. With his shoes in hand, he crept in his socks to the room Whitney had chosen. Her door was still closed. The doorknob didn't make a sound when he turned it. His eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to see she was still there. A fierce sense of protectiveness overcame him. Why? Why did he feel the need to keep Whitney safe? He'd never felt this strongly about Brenda. He shook off the thoughts of his dead ex-girlfriend.Moving to the side of the bed, he nudged Whitney. She woke up, and he put a hand over her mouth. "Quiet. It's Deke." She nodded, and he let her go. He was close enough to whisper, "Grab your clothes. Leave your phone."She rose and was ready to move in minutes. He was im
"Because mine isn't trackable.""All phones are trackable.""Not if you know the ones to buy," Deke said. His thumbs raced over the keys, and she was impressed. She was just past the age of having gotten good at texting. She did it, but she wasn't as fast as he was.The waitress came over with a coffee pot, and Whitney could have hugged her—or the pot. The black liquid couldn't fill her cup fast enough—or her empty stomach. Running from bad guys worked up an appetite.Who was she kidding? She was always hungry.The woman stood over them in a lime polyester uniform underneath a stained apron. She didn't pull out a pad to write down their order. "What'll it be?"Deke motioned for her to go first. A gentleman.She hadn't looked at a menu, but Whitney knew what she wanted. "A short stack, bacon, two fried eggs over easy, and rye toast.""I'll have what she's having," Deke said, his eyes still on his phone. The waitress left, and Whitney lifted her coffee mug with two hands, taking in as m
"Yes. This is the Pennsylvania wilderness. People hunt.""Aren't you concerned someone will get shot?"What a city girl. "No. Hunting goes on for months, and no one gets shot."Whitney blinked a few times, then looked out her window. "How many acres do you have?""A hundred."Whitney whistled. "Wow.""Have you ever lived anywhere else but Philly?" he asked. He navigated around the larger potholes, but the driveway was still a mess. It was always going to be a mess. That's why he'd chosen an old SUV as his escape vehicle. "No," she replied."Then, you're in for a treat."She frowned. "Not sure a 'treat' is what I'd call this. Are there bears?""Yes, and rumors of cougars."She shivered."Relax, Whitney. They don't prey on humans. They are closer to harmless than the men who broke into my house."That seemed to sober her up.Finally, they reached the cabin.She gasped. "It's so tiny.""I only built it for me, so we're going to have tight quarters for a while." He stopped the truck in fr
"No story?""I'll ask permission first."Deke frowned, then nodded. "I guess that's all I can ask of a reporter.""You talk about my profession with such disdain. You'll have to tell me why sometime. Right now, I want to know our current situation, and the plan."He cocked his head at her. "For someone in danger, you're awfully demanding.""I'm not going to be passive. It's not in my nature."He settled at the table, and she wiped her hands dry. "The man was murdered. He was the Assistant to the Governor of Pennsylvania—Tom Scott.""What was the assistant's name?""Derek Bonham."She sat in a kitchen chair. "The name's familiar, but since I don't write the hard news, I can't place it.""He's been in the news because he was going to testify in a trial this week—a trial for someone who was crucial to the governor's political career.""So, Derek was silenced." She'd heard the story before. Some of the older editors—who had been around when gambling started in Atlantic City—talked about ho
"Of course."Deke rubbed a hand down his face. His life had just gotten more complicated. "And it was just a coincidence Whitney was there to see the body drop?""Not a coincidence—an unfortunate happening. Might even have been a warning to her.""Why her?" he asked. The buck sauntered off, as if Deke were inconsequential. Deke walked the perimeter, checking for breaks in the wires, or trip wires that had been violated. He found none. "I don't know," Tex replied, "but there are no coincidences.""True. I haven't figured out yet how she fits into all this.""She does; we just don't know how yet. I'll do some more digging. Her father owns the newspaper she works for."Something niggled at Deke's brain. That was important. "Dig more on him.""Oh?""Nothing I can tell you with any certainty, but my gut is saying it has to do with her father." Deke leaned against a tree, suddenly tired. He'd wanted to live out the rest of his life quietly. That option had left when the body had dropped off
Deke put up his hands. "You're not mad at me." He was right, but that didn't stop her from wanting to rage at him. Her whole life had been a lie, and she needed time to adjust. He rose and strode to the kitchen, brushing past her. "Let's take this conversation up later.""It's not going to be any easier later than it is now."He glanced over his shoulder at her. "You need time to adjust."She didn't have time. Someone had tried to get into Deke's house—to get to her. "Obviously, I don't know anything about my birth parents."Deke nodded. He put a tea bag into a mug of hot water, then leaned against the counter. She wrapped her arms around herself. Would she ever be warm again? Deke handed her the mug of tea. She gripped it like it was a lifeline. "I'll have Tex investigate it," he said. "The adoption was private, so he was lucky to get even that much information."She nodded, wanting to go farther inside herself but refusing to. This was her life, and she had always tried to face it he
"What the heck was that for?" Whitney asked."That alarm was the perimeter being breached. Someone must have gotten the cell signal.""I thought you said this was a secure line.""I guess the bad guys have up-to-date technology, too. Get your jacket on. We have to go.""Go where?""Back to the city. That way, no one can easily intercept the signal. There are too many of them." She hurried as Deke waited by the door. When she was ready, he went out ahead of her. He looked all around them. "Come on." He grabbed her hand—which was good, since she couldn't see past the light coming from the front window. He took long strides, and then they were in the woods. Her feet moved faster than she thought they could."Why aren't we taking the truck?" she asked."Because they've seen it." He didn't stop—not even when she yanked on his arm."I need to catch my breath," she said."No time, princess."The moniker chafed at her. She was no princess. "No need for insults. I'm just out of shape.""That co