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The limo purred to life.
She wouldn’t get a better shot. She gave him a tremuloussmile and started to hold her hand out like she was falling for his bullshit.At the last minute, she pushed out, catching him off guard, and took off downthe alley.
“Help!” she screamed. “Help me!”
They were in broad daylight right off a busy street. Someonewould be here. Someone would hear her.
If she could get to the street, he couldn’t manhandle herback into the limo. He would be forced to retreat. And if someone shot her,then at least she wouldn’t get taken away and tortured.
She ran, but she’d chosen poorly because of course today wasthe day she’d decided to wear heels. She wasn’t a heel person, but she’d wantedto feel sexy and confident. Now she wanted to feel capable of saving herself.She stumbled, her knees banging against the concrete. How did Kala and Kenz runin those things?
Lou screamed again as she started to rise, but an arm wentaround her waist, hauling her back.
“Hush or I’ll have to tell my partner that the woman youwork for is actually two women. If you don’t shut up and get in that limo rightnow, the fact that Ms. Magenta is twins gets out to the entirety of theintelligence community.”
Her heart sank. The twins. He knew about Kala and Kenz? Inthe intelligence world there was only one Miss Magenta. The twins shared asingle persona. They worked hard to never let the truth that there were two ofthem get out. But this man knew. How the hell did he know? And who was heworking with?
“Are you going to force me to make that call?” The questionwas whispered against her ear.
She shook her head.
He hauled her back to the limo and gently forced her in.
Lou took a long breath and hoped she got out of this alive.
* * * *
“It’s up ahead. You don’t have to park,” TJ said.
“Oh, do you not want Lou’s date to know you had to call yourmom because you don’t have a car?” His mother was way too perky this morning.She had a bright look in her eyes she got when she was working a particularlygood case.
His case. His mom was working his case, and it was makinghim grumpy because she was right. He didn’t want whichever successful dude AuntCharlotte had set Lou up with to know he had to call his mom for a ride.
It was also good to know his kidnapping had put a light inhis mom’s eyes.
“The boy’s right, Erin. Slow the car down and let him jump.”His mom wasn’t the only OG he was dealing with this morning. Liam O’Donnell hadbeen sitting in the passenger seat when she’d driven up. He’d explained that hewas riding into the office with Erin for the week because his saint of adaughter Daisy needed to use his car.
Those words. Those exact words had come out of the man’smouth.
He wasn’t sure Uncle Li had met his daughter. Daisy was aball of chaos and nowhere close to a saint. It wasn’t that Daisy was awful. Shewas lovely, but crazy shit seemed to follow her, and according to her father,she was responsible for nothing.
Liam had been his mom’s partner for…well, as long as TJ hadbeen alive. They’d been paired up when his mom had joined McKay-Taggart, and Lireferred to his mom as his work husband ever since. Yep, husband not wife. Itfelt almost right to have the man witness his humiliation.
Because Lou had to have known walking out the way she didwould hurt him.
“What are you going to do if Lou won’t drive you back to theoffice?” his mom asked as she stopped at a red light.
Liam briefly put his newspaper down. Where did the man finda physical newspaper? He always seemed to have one. “That’s a good question.Are you going to rent one of those scooter things?”
Excellent. He had two sarcastic parental figures to dealwith. At least if his dad had been in the car, he would have gotten somesympathy.
And likely more advice. Was he dressed for this? He neededto get V-necks because he couldn’t show off any male cleavage in this crewneck.
He thought about getting out and walking the block and ahalf. “She won’t leave me. I’m her bodyguard. I called Zach, and he told me heinformed her that she now has a bodyguard. Either she hasn’t read his reportyet or she’s being mean. As Lou is the least mean person I know, I’m going withshe hasn’t opened her email yet.”
Because she was too busy getting ready for her date with anaccountant. During the wait for his mom, he’d looked up Miguel Garza, the dudehis aunt thought would be a good fit with Lou. According to his socials, he wasat least ten years older than Lou and thought pickleball was a real sport. Hesupposed the guy was attractive in a nerdy way, and he was way invested in StarTrek. Which would be a point in his favor when it came to Lou.
It wasn’t happening. He knew he’d said it was fine, but sheshouldn’t be dating while they were working a dangerous case. He was puttinghis foot down.
