Page 11 of Crossing Paths
“Me neither.” Her home and her computer were hersanctuaries. Leifsen had violated her sense of safety in both of them.
“What’s his name?”
She considered him as she absently bumped her padded gloves together. The muffled contact was an interesting sensation. “What are you planning to do with this information?”
“Find him. Have a chat.”
There was a slight edge to the word “chat” that made her fairly certain Dash meant “punch” instead. As appealing as that sounded, she reluctantly shook her head. “My sisters and I need to find him first. What you want to do would be very satisfying, but it would almost certainly cause him to leave town quickly. My sisters have had to take too many trips lately.”
“I could find him, have a chat, and then dump him on your doorstep so your sisters could bring him in.”
She considered that. “You won’t make it obvious that you’re searching for him? Skips are harder to find if they’re spooked.”
Dash looked offended. “I can be subtle.”
Looking at his huge form and the brutal, slashing lines of his face, she had a hard time imagining that. If she heard even a whisper of a rumor that Dash was out for her blood, she’d leave town—and the state—so fast there’d be a cartoon-style dust cloud in her wake.
When her silence went on for too long, his scowl deepened. “Ican. He won’t even know I’m searching for him until I pounce.”
She paused. “How hard are you planning on pouncing?”
He studied her face as if checking what he’d be able to get away with. “A moderate pouncing?”
Norah was tempted—her sister had almost died after all, and Leifsen had very likely been partially responsible—but her conscience niggled at her.
He must’ve read her face, since he gave a disappointed huff. On anyone else, his expression would’ve been a pout. “Fine. Alightpouncing.”
“Okay,” she agreed. He seemed so solid and reliable that every word out of his mouth had a sincere ring to it. “But if you spook him and he runs, you’re the one going to New Jersey or Tasmania or Mars to pick him up.”
His scowl disappeared as a rare smile touched his mouth so quickly that she wondered if she’d just imagined it. “Deal. Name?”
“Devon Leifsen.”
“Got it.” The badger look was back, and Norah felt a bit worried for Leifsen but more gleeful that the hacker was going to get at least some of what was coming to him. After all, Dash had promised to take it easy on him. “Ready to hit something?”
Perfect.She could pretend the punching bag had Leifsen’s face on it and get some revenge for her terror and sleepless night. “Very.”
***
By the time she got home, Norah was a little concerned about her decision to give Leifsen’s name to Dash. All she had was Dash’s word that he wouldn’t scare off Leifsen. She and her sisters had to keep Barney happy, at least until Charlie, Felicity, and Bennett dragged Jane back in time for her first court appearance.Besides, hersistersdidn’t even know about Leifsen stalking her. Norah had always shared everything with them, and keeping this a secret—even though her motives were good—seemed extra wrong now that she’d told Dash.
She stewed about it all afternoon as she closed her checking account and reopened a new one. It continued bothering her as she reviewed Leifsen’s file yet again, staying disconnected from the internet. Even sitting at family dinner that evening, she was still tightly wound, vacillating between aggravation and a growing sense of guilt.
“Sooo…” She dragged out the word.
Molly and John, along with Cara and her boyfriend, Henry, immediately gave her their full attention.
Since she’d only said the one word, Norah figured her tone must’ve tipped everyone off that she was about to say something momentous…or at least moderately interesting. Being the sudden focus of four people nearly startled her into forgetting what she was going to say, but she managed to get the words out with only a slight stammer. “I–I might have done something…um…well, unadvisable.”
John’s eyes lit up. “Youdid something unadvisable?”
Her only response was a grimace.
“Well?” John asked. “What was it, little sister? Don’t keep us in suspense.”
Norah was already regretting mentioning it, but it was too late to back out. Even though John was the only one pressing her for an explanation, the others looked just as eager to hear what she’d done. In fact, as she allowed the pause to lengthen,she could see the interest in their expressions intensify. She groaned, stabbing at her chicken breast. “Dash—the trainer I’m working with?”
“His name’sDash?” Molly grinned. “That’s such a great name.”
