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Dare s brows shot up at her bold statement.  Overprotective? Baby, three people are dead& that
we know of. There could be more. Money is a powerful motivator and if they think you know
something they won t hesitate to come after you. From now on, I m keeping you under close
observation. You ll have me or a deputy on you at all times.
It sounded like one of Dante s circles of hell. Someone watching every little movement she made
every second of the day and night. She adored Dare but that much togetherness was going overboard.
She needed a little bit of privacy.
 If they killed those two men then they know what s on the tattoo, Rayne pointed out as he joined
her on the couch. After a long day cleaning her house, he d relieved the deputy watching her and
brought her back to his place where he could keep an eye on her personally. Camy had protested at
first but then been won over when Dare convinced her it was the safest place for Rayne.  They don t
need me anymore. For all you know, the man has the money and is headed for Mexico or the Bahamas.
Wherever bank robbers go to retire these days when they no longer have to share the loot.
 The loot? Dare laughed and propped his feet on the coffee table.  Who are you, Ma Barker?
Rayne lifted her chin and shrugged, not letting his teasing deter her from the goal.
She didn t need protecting.
 I m simply trying to get you to see sense, Dare. Whoever was looking for that drawing must
know what it contains or they wouldn t have found the mine. It makes sense, don t you see?
She put a little more pleading in her words than she normally would but she didn t like having a
babysitter follow her around. Today the deputy had sat three tables away while she and Camy had
eaten lunch. He d just watched them. Eating. Then more watching. It was creepy and it gave her an
unsettled feeling in her gut.
 Or the killer followed them there and that s how he found the location, Dare stated reasonably.
 There are two parts to that design, babe, and they may still need the second half. I m not taking any
chances with your life.
 But you ll take chances with your own.
His arm came around her shoulders and pulled her closer so they were curled together, her head
on his chest.  It s my job and I m used to it. I m not going to do anything stupid so don t worry about
me.
Rayne poked him in the chest.  You re made of flesh and bone like everyone else. You need to be
careful. Maybe I ll get you a bodyguard.
She could feel his chuckle under her cheek as he tugged at a stray strand of hair. It was hard to
believe this content and smiling man was Dare Turner.  Tanner does a pretty good job of not letting
me do anything dumb. When this is all over, I d love for you to meet some of my friends like him,
Seth, Reed, Griffin, and Evan. You d get along with the wives really well, especially Presley. She s
something else and keeps Seth on his toes.
Her throat tightening with emotion, she didn t reply but simply smiled and snuggled closer. She
loved it when he talked about the future and now he was categorizing her with the  wives . She d
never had much of a yen for marriage and commitment but this man might be the one to change her
mind. She could see herself spending evenings with him curled up on this sofa watching television or
reading in bed.
 So stop trying to change the subject and tell me about the two men you found. What do you
know?
He d already told her the men s names were Earnest Haines and Milo Yardley, both in their late
twenties.
 Not much, Dare admitted, running his fingers through her hair in a soothing motion.  The two
men are local and have a history of petty crime. Mostly bar fights but one of them has burglary on
their rap sheet. We ll cross reference any prints from your shop and home break-ins to them.
 Did you know them?
 In passing. I was never the arresting officer although I knew of both of them. They weren t bad
guys, just more like troublemakers when they were drunk. Both of them had trouble holding down a
job and have worked at several of the local ranches before getting kicked to the curb. Honestly, I
didn t even know they knew each other until today.
In a small town like Valley Station there weren t too many secrets, but there had to be some.
 We re a secret or we were, she pointed out to him.  So if they were friends or business partners
they could probably keep that a secret too.
 For how long though? You and I haven t been dating long, and after today at the bowling alley
I m pretty sure the cat s out of the bag. You ve got a hickey on your neck, babe, and people are going
to notice.
Rayne slapped a hand over the red spot she d seen in the mirror earlier.  Is it that bad? It didn t
look like much of anything this afternoon.
Dare waggled his eyebrows and grinned.  It s turning a lovely shade of purple. I like marking my
territory so be warned.
Slapping him ineffectually on the chest, she rubbed the sore flesh and gave him a dirty look.  I m
not territory, you male chauvinist pig. If you mark me, you can be damn sure I ll mark you.
 Be my guest, baby. Dare held his arms wide in invitation.  Make my body your canvas. Wait,
you ve already done that, although no one can see it.
 I m serious, Dare.
 So am I. You want to give me some love bites or hickeys, you go right ahead. I ll wear them
proudly.
 You are a sick, sick man. Rayne lifted up and threw her leg over both of his so she was
straddling him. She wanted to be able to look directly into his eyes.  I worry about your mental
health.
 I am a sad specimen, but I m all yours.
She brought her hands up to cup his jaw.  You did it again, dammit.
Dare gave her a long suffering sigh.  What did I do this time, baby girl?
 You got us off the subject again. I want to know about the murders. Talk and don t change the
subject until you re done.
 I only have preliminary information to go on until the autopsy, but it appears that Haines was shot
in the chest at point blank range, maybe a .38. That blood spatter is near the middle of the room from
what I observed, but Yardley s was closer to the door. His entry wound appears to be in the back so
I m guessing he was running away possibly after seeing Haines shot.
 They trusted each other, Rayne murmured, trying to picture the scene in her head despite not
being there today.  It doesn t sound like Haines was afraid.
 If they were partners and money was involved, they should have been. There s little honor
among thieves as I told you before. Clearly, someone wanted to keep it all for themselves.
 But this is it, right? Tanner saw four bank robbers and now three of them are dead. That leaves
one.
His lips twisted as he ran his warm hands down her spine to rest on her bottom.  Theoretically,
yes. But they could have other partners who weren t with them at the bank. I can t say for sure that the
bloodshed is over.
 So what happens now?
 I investigate Haines and Yardley. Their friends, family, enemies, business dealings. Anything and
everything. I want to know their favorite food and what fabric softener they used. Somehow I need to
find the connection to the fourth man. When I do, I ll find him and the money.
Dare sounded exhausted, his eyes bloodshot and not from drinking too much last night. This case [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]