Page 60 of Crossing Paths
“He has your number? Why?”
“For situations like this?” Molly said. “Or in case you forget to turn your phone on or something.”
The second one made more sense. Even Norah, who worked for a group of bounty hunters, couldn’t have predicted the previous night’s mess. “What did he say?”
“The gym’s closed. He’s on his way to meet you there.”
“Yeah, I should’ve figured out that it wouldn’t be open.” She was a little abashed by her lapse in logic, but she’d just wanted to see Dash, so she hadn’t thought further than that.
“Good news is he’s not working, so he can go with you to get a new phone.”
Norah thought that was an optimistic way of looking at it.
“You should leave my car parked by the gym and take Dash’s.” Molly’s voice had an undercurrent of laughter, as it always did when she was being an instigator.
“Okay,” Norah said slowly. “Why?”
“My car’s so recognizable that you know our detective buddy is going to notice it. It’ll drive him up a wall when he can’t figure out where we went.”
Norah snorted at her sister’s machinations but just said, “Fine. As long as Dash is okay with it.”
“Stay safe. You have your pepper spray and your Taser on you?”
“Of course.” As she spoke, she heard a voice in the background on Molly’s end.
“Cara’s reminding you not to take your shoes off for any reason.”
“Why would I take my shoes off at the phone store?”
“Just promise her,” Molly urged. “It’s easier.”
“I promise.” Glancing in her rearview mirror, Norah sawDash’s SUV pull up behind her. “Dash is here. See you later.”
“Bye. Be careful!”
“I will.” She started to lower the phone from her ear as if that would encourage Molly to end the conversation.
“Tell Dash if you get hurt in any way, we’re holding him responsible.”
“Yeah, I’m not telling him that.” Just the thought of it had her face warming with imagined embarrassment.
“It’s okay. I already did when he called earlier.”
Norah tipped her head forward to rest on the top of the steering wheel.Of course Molly did.“Okay. Bye. I have to talk to Dash and also die of humiliation.” She ended the call before her sister could say anything that would make her blush even more.
A tap on the window made her lift her head to see Dash, his scowl heavier than usual. She moved to lower the window but then realized the car wasn’t on, so she reached for the door handle instead. As soon as the lock disengaged, Dash pulled it open the rest of the way.
“You okay?” he asked immediately. When she looked at him in confusion, he offered her a hand. “Your head was down.”
“I’m fine. Molly was embarrassing me.” She accepted his hand even though she didn’t really need help getting out of the car. Then her stiff muscles screamed at her, and she reconsidered, gripping him a little harder as she straightened to standing.
His gaze flicked over her as he frowned even more severely, and she knew she hadn’t managed to hide her grimace. “What hurts?”
Everything.She knew that wouldn’t do anything except make Dash even more worried, so she shrugged and said, “Just a little sore. Nothing serious. How’s your head?”
He waved a hand, effectively dismissing the fact that he’d been bashed over the head hard enough to daze him less than twenty-four hours earlier. “I’m fine. You need a phone.”
“Yes.” Apparently, asking Dash how he was feeling got him to quit fussing over her. “Do you mind driving? I’ll pay for gas. Molly wants Detective Mill to see her weed car here and spend the day futilely searching the area for one of us.”
