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Dirk did that, then asked, “Anything else I should do before I go?”
“We,” she corrected him. “Before we go.”
“You really think it’s necessary?” He couldn’t help it—he cupped her cheek with his hand, trying not to notice how soft her skin was. “I don’t want to put you in harm’s way.”
“Don’t worry, you’re not.” Her cell phone rang, and she answered it. “Wei?” She listened for a minute, then said, “We’ll be right down.” She disconnected and told Dirk, “Patrick’s downstairs with the car. We should go. Better to be early than late.”
* * *
Mei-li took the cloth shopping bag with the wrapped package of money from Dirk as they went down in the elevator, telling him, “It will be less noticeable if I carry it than if you do.” Her smile came and went. “Women still do most of the shopping here, and most women carry empty shopping bags with them wherever they go. Plastic bags cost extra, you see, and we’re frugal...at least in the little things.”
Dirk nodded, automatically sliding his camouflaging sunglasses into place. They didn’t speak again until they reached the Rolls parked off to one side of the hotel’s driveway. Dirk held the door for her, but put a hand on her arm just as she was about to get in. “Thank you,” he told her gruffly. “You have no idea how much I—well, anyway, I just wanted you to know.”
Her heart went out to him. Men like Dirk—her father and brother among them—needed to be doing. Needed to feel as if they were in charge of their own destinies. Dirk’s ego had already taken one pummeling with the death of his wife, an event totally outside his control. Something he couldn’t prevent, no matter how valiantly he fought against it. Now, with his daughters kidnapped, it was as if fate was trying to hammer him into the ground.
But he hadn’t given up. He was a fighter, and she admired that about him. But her feelings for Dirk went far beyond admiration, and if she was honest she’d admit it. He’s a client, she tried to tell herself. Problem was, that reminder no longer helped. You barely know him. That reminder carried more weight...but not as much as she’d like. Because she felt as if she’d known him forever.
Dirk was silent at the start of the ride, and so was she. She pulled out her phone and forwarded the latest email attachment Dirk had sent her—she’d already texted the details of where they were headed. Dirk glanced at her from time to time, and though she couldn’t see his eyes through the dark lenses, she figured he was wondering what she was doing. But he didn’t ask, and she didn’t volunteer. She knew she should tell him. Even though she wasn’t putting his daughters at risk with what she was doing, he might not see it that way. He had a right to know...and give it the thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Which was why she couldn’t tell him.
Mei-li gave a tiny sigh, but it wasn’t so tiny Dirk didn’t notice and ask, “You okay?”
She nodded. “You?”
“I’ve had better days.”
She was forced to smile at his acerbic understatement. “Tell me about Linden and Laurel,” she invited. Some people would avoid the topic under the circumstances, but Mei-li wasn’t one of them. She was a firm believer in the therapeutic properties of talking as a way of relieving stress. Dirk was under enormous stress right now. Talking about his daughters wouldn’t hurt him anymore than he was already hurting and might help. “How did they end up with those unusual names?”
He laughed softly, sliding his sunglasses to the top of his head. “Bree picked them. She loved trees—all sorts of trees. When we found out she was carrying twin girls, she wanted names that would somehow go together without being too cutesy—you know what I mean—and her imagination was captivated with the idea of naming the girls after some of her favorite trees. She wanted names that were feminine...yet projected quiet strength.” A reminiscent smile curved his lips, and Mei-li knew these were good memories for him.
“When Bree told me the names she’d picked for our daughters—how could I argue with her? They seemed so perfect.” He laughed suddenly. “Bree also made me promise never to use nicknames for the girls. Bree’s real name was Sabrina—not very common—and she loved it. But most everyone, me included, called her Bree for short. She didn’t want that for her daughters, didn’t want Linden and Laurel to be Lindy and Laurie.”
Dirk glanced sideways at her. “So, what about you? How’d you end up with the name Mei-li?”
