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“You think a shelter will stop a man like that?” he scoffed. “He’ll kill her and take the kid and torture you just for the fun of it. I know his type.” He’d come across way too many of them on deployments he tried not to remember.
“I need to do my job,” she insisted. “She came to me for help. So, I’m going to help her.”
“Then I’ll help you.”
“You’re a senator, for crying out loud! You can’t play superhero or vigilante. You have another job to do and a place you’re expected to be.”
He laughed, the sound devoid of humor. “Do you even know how little work is actually expected of a senator? It’s pathetic. The taxpayers are being blindly ripped off. I could be gone for a week before anyone raised an eyebrow.”
She grimaced. “Well, that’s good to know.”
“Come stay with me,” he offered. “Just for the duration. I don’t feel comfortable with you here alone, even with new locks. My place has more security. And me.” Who had a vested interest in Anne’s safety.
But she was already shaking her head. “I can’t live like that. I’m not going to let this man push me out of my home. If you want to help me find Madeleine, fine,” she conceded. “I have her number. We’ll call and maybe this will be super easy and she’ll pick up, we’ll grab her and her child, and stash them somewhere.”
“In my experience, it’s rarely that easy. What’s the last name?”
“Habib. Her husband’s from the UAE.”
Blane already had his phone out and was dialing. “Got it. You try calling her. I’m going to find out everything there is to know about Habib.”
Anne had no idea who he was calling, but they answered immediately and he moved away as he spoke into the phone.
Grabbing her own cell, she dug through her purse and found the post-it where Madeleine had written her number. She dialed. A woman answered on the third ring.
“Hello?” She sounded wary.
“Is this Madeleine Habib?”
“Who is this?”
“This is Anne Holton. You came to my office yesterday, remember?”
A sigh of relief. “Yes. I remember. Can you help me?”
“I hope so. I have a friend who can help, too. We just need to know where you are, then I can get you someplace safe.”
Madeleine rattled off an address. Anne hurried to write it down. “Meet me there in an hour,” she said.
“Got it. See you soon.” Anne ended the call.
Blane was immediately at her side. “I’m coming.” Blane’s face had that flat look that said arguing would be useless. “You were attacked last night and chances are this woman is under surveillance. It would be prudent to have me as backup.”
“And how would that look? A United States senator playing bodyguard? It’s not as if you won’t be recognized in this town. I don’t want to be responsible for you being involved in something that could damage your career.”
“I can keep a low profile if I need to.” His gaze was intent on hers. “And you’re more important than my career.”
That stopped Anne in her tracks, her eyes wide. “Why would you say that? We’ve only known each other for a few days. It’s absurd.”
Blane shrugged. “I didn’t know there was a time definition that had to be met first.” Placing a finger lightly under her chin, he tipped her face up towards his. “Tell me I’m wrong. That I shouldn’t feel the way I do.”
His eyes were the color of an approaching storm, a wild tempest leashed. He was asking her to deny this…thing between them, to tell him that she didn’t know what he was talking about.
“It’s just a protective thing,” she said, weakly justifying it. “You’ve played the knight in shining armor for me and it’s given you a sense of misplaced loyalty and feelings. It’s not real.”
“Isn’t it?” he countered. “Because it feels pretty damn real to me.”
She pushed her fingers through her hair. “You are…not what I thought you were.” She turned away.
