Page 9 of Risk It All
“Where are you going?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him, surprise lifting her eyebrows. “Inside.”
“Why?”
“So this night isn’t a total loss.” As she crossed the lot, she searched for any moving cars. It was going to be a while before she felt completely safe again.
His wordless response sounded frustrated. She could hear him behind her as he followed her to the door, and she pretended to herself that she didn’t find having him at her back enormously reassuring. As she reached the entrance, he dodged in front of her so his huge form blocked her from entering. “What exactly are you going to do in there this time?”
She eyed him, more curious than angry. “Why do you care?”
“Because I have better things to do than follow you around saving your life all the time.”
An amused snort escaped before she could stop it. “Once. Not that saving my life even one time isn’t a big deal, but you made it sound like I make a habit of near-death experiences. And don’t pretend you don’t do this sort of thing constantly anyway. I saw you throw yourself in front of a moving car to save a tiny Pomeranian just a couple of days ago. Besides, I’ll be perfectly safe in there. All I’m going to do is people-watch as I pretend to drink beer.”
He didn’t budge. “Who are you planning on watching?”
“The woman Abbott talked to.”
His eyes actually widened. “Layla? No. That’s a bad idea.”
She felt a lurch of excitement. She’d figured he’d pretend he didn’t know the woman, but now she wondered if he’d actually give up information about her. “Her name’s Layla? What else can you tell me about her? What’s her connection with Abbott? What’d she hand to you when you met her and her fake baby the other day?”
His head tipped back against the door with a thump. “Forget I said anything. Just…go home. Pick someone else to follow around. A shoplifter, maybe, or someone with too many parking tickets.”
“I’m not followingyouaround anymore.” For a moment, she wondered why she felt so comfortable poking at Henry Kavenski, an accused murderer—a verylargeaccused murderer. Then she remembered that he’d saved two lives—hers and the little dog’s—from speeding cars in just the past few days. Maybe she was naive, but she didn’t think a cold-blooded killer would have bothered. “I thought you’d be happy about that.”
“I am.” Despite the words, his voice was a sullen grumble. “Now you need to quit going after Abbott. And Layla. And basically anyone who’s ever set foot in Dutch’s.”
She patted his arm, touched that he was worried about her. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been helping my sisters do this for years. I’m a pro.” Honesty forced her to amend her words. “Peripherally, at least. I’m aperipheralpro.”
Her assurances did not seem to do the trick, judging by Kavenski’s groan and the fact that he didn’t move out of her way. Instead, he took a step closer, forcing her to crane her neck to meet his eyes. She shifted back, but he followed, and she realized that he was herding her away from the entrance like a sheepdog with a recalcitrant ewe. Rather than being annoyed by this, however, she had to hold back a snort of amusement. For whatever reason, she was very tolerant of whatever Henry Kavenski did. She wondered if it was because she felt guilty for following him and breaking into his motel room now that she was fairly sure he hadn’t killed the Masons. It could also be that he’d endeared himself to her by saving her life. She was almost positive it wasn’tjustthat she found him unbearably attractive.
“You can’t—” he began.
The door swung open behind him, cutting off whatever he’d been about to say. Kavenski’s expression went still and hard as he whipped around to face the entrance, keeping his enormous form between Cara and the door. She shifted to peer around him, curious about who’d just emerged.
The bouncer blocked the entrance just as Kavenski had moments before, his thick arms crossed over his chest. “Leave.”
“Both of us?” Cara asked, disappointed. Now that she’d gotten used to the place, she wanted to return to the corner booth. She could be missing important information, thanks to the two large and mulish men standing between her and the door.
“Yes.” Even though the bouncer answered her, his gaze never wavered from Kavenski.
“What if I promise not to cause any trouble?” she pushed, her confidence boosted by Kavenski’s presence.
“No. Leave.”
She studied the firm, almost tense set of his jaw and gave up on the idea of entering the bar again. That didn’t mean she couldn’t get information, however. “You didn’t happen to notice anything about the car that tried to run me down, did you?”
That made his gaze flick toward her for a microsecond before returning to Kavenski. “I didn’t see anything.”
“Mmm-hmm.” She drew out the sound, allowing a touch of the skepticism to seep into her voice. “Took a conveniently timed bathroom break, did you?” A part of her was quite impressed with her sass, even as another, more sensible side reminded her that she wouldn’t have dared if she was confronting the annoyed-looking bouncer alone.
He didn’t respond, although the angry crease between his eyebrows deepened. Even though she knew perfectly well that he’d seen at least the beginning of her near-death encounter, she was also aware that he wasn’t going to admit to anything. With a frustrated huff, she gave Kavenski’s back a subtle pat goodbye. Turning around, she headed for her car. She’d just need to try another night. The bouncer was kicking them out tonight, but that didn’t mean she was banned forever. Besides, the guy couldn’t work every night.
She carefully crossed the lot, still limping slightly, although the initial throbbing ache eased the more she moved. She scanned the area, tensely anticipating any movement, determined to notice any threats before they got close enough to hurt her. Being run over once was plenty, and she’d rather not have a repeat experience. The distant rev of an engine made her jump, making her peer even harder into the harsh shadows surrounding her. Her stomach was knotted and tense by the time she finally reached her car safely.
Unlocking the driver’s door, she got inside. As she started to pull the door shut, a monster-sized hand grabbed the edge of the frame, holding it open. Cara jerked away from the opening, her elbow smacking painfully against the center console.
