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Jake grinned as the flames continued to consume the house down the hill. “You’ve changed, sweetheart. Improved.”
She chuckled. “You’ve got to confront your fears in order to overcome them, right?”
He pulled her close and kissed her. “Absolutely.”
Daniel groaned. “Do you mind?”
Jake ignored him and gazed into Astrid’s eyes. “You got any other fears you’d like to confront, sweetheart?”
“Like what?”
“Like, allowing an ex-cop who cares about you into your heart?”
She grinned with joy. “I might be persuaded to open my heart to you. But first we’d better rescue my sister.” She glanced at Daniel. “Graves said no cops. So maybe we should leave this incompetent corrupt one out of it from now on. What do you think?”
Jake inspected him. “I think we may still have some use for him. As long as he promises to listen to you from now on.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jake drove Astrid to a secluded parking lot near the warehouse and parked the car. She was so glad he’d ditched the Ferrari back at Clara’s college and was now driving her car – it was much less conspicuous. She prayed Graves didn’t know Jake had switched cars, but he seemed to have a knack of knowing what was going on…
Daniel followed in his car, and he pulled up into the space next to them. It was quiet here, other than the sound of the traffic coming from the highway beyond the trees. Astrid and Jake climbed out the car and they all stood facing each other in the grim parking lot. The gray clouds were starting to gather, and the temperature had dropped, causing an icy chill to creep through Astrid. She held Jake’s hand, trying to absorb his warmth and strength, preparing herself for their final showdown in a couple of hours’ time.
Unless that was a trap too…
The three stood there silently sizing each other up – Daniel leaning on his car on one side and Jake and Astrid standing next to theirs opposite. Daniel spoke first. “Listen, I’m sorry for what happened, all right? Astrid was right. I was wrong. What more can I say?”
“How about ‘I was hoping you’d die in there, Jake?’” Jake growled.
Daniel seemed rattled by this accusation. “It was a mistake!”
“All right… let’s just keep our heads. We can still use you, Daniel. Your contacts. If Astrid’s in agreement?”
She nodded. “Anything that’ll help rescue Emma. So we’re still on to go to the disused warehouse this evening. If that’s not another of Graves’ tricks.”
“It might be,” Jake said. “Anything’s possible. But that’s where Graves is leading us, so that’s where we’ll have to go.”
“I’ll go speak to the local cops,” Daniel said. “I think you’re right – we need some back-up.”
Jake gazed at him. “Are you really gonna ask for help?”
He nodded. “Yeah. We need more manpower.” He smiled sheepishly. “And they’ll probably be wondering why that house exploded – I’ll let them know what’s going on. I’ve got a few contacts around here – I’ll speak to them and get them to surround the warehouse for us later. You’ll go in and confront Graves. They’ll have your back.”
“All right,” Jake said. “But tell them to stay out of sight. He’s already tried to blow me up because we ignored his ‘no cops’ request.”
Astrid drew herself up to her full height. “I’m coming in too.”
“No, Astrid…”
“Yes. He wants me, not you. She’s my sister. I need to be there.”
Jake sighed. “We’ll talk about it later. For now, Daniel, you’d better go talk to your friends. Tell them to be there before seven.”
“I know. I will.” Daniel pulled open his car door and started to climb in. “See you later.”
“Hey,” Jake said. “Don’t even think about screwing me over. It won’t end well for you.”
Daniel shook his head, then he ducked inside the car and drove away.
