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Now it was Blake who frowned. “You haven’t even heard a rumor?”
“You doubtin’ my word, Blake?” The voice had gone very quiet.
Blake sighed loudly. “You know better than that, Spider. I’m just frustrated, that’s all.”
“Yeah, well...” The other man grudgingly accepted the implied apology.
“If you ask me,” Spider said after a moment, “there’s somethin’ fishy about that whole thing.”
“I’m asking you,” Blake said.
“No one’s talking about it. Matter of fact, everyone seems to be real careful not to talk about it, if you know what I mean. This ain’t no ordinary, everyday B and E.”
“So you don’t think it’s local?”
“Hell, I’m sure it ain’t. If anybody would know, it’d be me.”
Blake pulled something out of his jeans pocket, and laid it on top of a broken crate. “I appreciate this, Spider.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for, man,” the disembodied voice drawled. “You take care, ma’am. Don’t let this rascal get you into more trouble than you can handle, you hear?”
Tara didn’t quite know how to answer that, since in her mind, it was already too late. She said only, “Goodbye, Spider.”
Blake turned and led Tara out of the building without another word.
THOUGH rr WASN’T significantly brighter outside, considering the heavy cloud cover overhead, it felt almost like stepping out of the night and into the day. The odors of the alley weren’t notably sweeter than those inside the old warehouse, but it was still fresh air. Blake inhaled gratefully, wondering how Spider could stand to spend so much time in that tomblike environment.
He released Tara’s hand so that he could open the driver’s door to the truck and let her slide in. Surreptitiously, he flexed his fingers, which had gone rather numb. He’d been impressed by how well she’d handled the admittedly strange encounter with Spider, but the way she’d gripped Blake’s hand had hinted that she wasn’t quite as calm as she’d acted.
“Are you okay?” he asked, turning to her as he got in behind the wheel and closed the door.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you,” she answered with almost humorous politeness.
“You weren’t frightened in there, were you?” he asked, his hand still tingling as the circulation returned slowly to his fingertips.
“No, of course not,” she replied, daring him to doubt her.
He couldn’t help himself. He leaned across the seat and settled his lips warmly, firmly on hers. And, after only a momentary hesitation, she responded.
By the time he drew back, she had lost that slightly stunned look she’d worn since they’d left the warehouse. She blinked as though just waking up from a bizarre dream—which only made him want to kiss her again. So he did.
“I really have to stop doing this,” he murmured against her lips.
“Yes. You really do.” Her voice was husky.
Reluctantly, he straightened, started the engine and backed carefully out of the alley.
His meeting with Spider hadn’t been as productive as Blake had hoped, but it had certainly given him some things to think about.
THE RAIN STARTED almost as soon as they were back in the truck. Torrents of it slashed across the windshield, accompanied by rumbling thunder and buffeting wind.
“Where are we going now?” Tara asked as Blake drove onto the freeway. She’d had to raise her voice somewhat to be heard over the storm.
“Another motel, I think,” he replied. “We don’t want to be combing the streets for information in this weather. And I’ve got a couple more calls I want to make. This time, we’ll find a place on the other side of Atlanta—Monroe, maybe.”
She nodded. She no longer questioned Blake’s cloak-and-dagger games. After meeting Spider—sort of—Tara was prepared for anything.
It was close to lunch time when they arrived in Monroe and spotted a likely-looking motel. A fast-food restaurant with a drive-through window was nearby, so Blake stopped there first, saying they would eat in their room, where they could talk in private.
