Or that he was allowing it.

And possibly even enjoying it.

10

Lilo felt the air sizzle between them when they were back in the car, heading for Hannah’s apartment. Blake was clearly not used to a woman ignoring his orders.

“I’m not ungrateful, you know,” she started.

He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “I didn’t say you were.”

She scoffed. “You didn’t have to.”

“I’m just trying to protect you. It’s bad enough that Hannah has disappeared. How can I find her, how can I function normally, if I have to worry about you too?

For a moment she was speechless. Blake would find it hard to function if he had to worry about her? Instinctively she shook her head. That was impossible. It would imply that he cared. About her. When he didn’t even know her.

“What?” he barked.

She looked at his profile, and she finally understood. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“You’re as stressed out about this whole thing as I am, and I’m only causing you more grief.” She stared out the side window and watched the lights whizz past it. “You’re used to doing all this without somebody interfering. You don’t need my help to find Hannah.” She sniffled. “It’s just… I want to help. I want to know that I’m doing something to find my friend. I owe her that.” Her voice cracked. Damn it! She wasn’t gonna cry, not now when she’d tried to be so brave all night.

A warm hand clasping hers made her whip her head in Blake’s direction. She found him looking at her, his gaze kind and understanding.

“We both want the same thing: to find Hannah.” He smiled. “And I do need your help. If you hadn’t mentioned that Ronny was a Vüber client, we wouldn’t have any leads.”

He released her hand, making her realize how much the innocent touch had comforted her.

“And you’re right: I’m not used to having my orders ignored. By anyone.” He smirked. “Not just women.”

“Or teenagers?” she teased, his words having put her at ease again.

He grimaced. “Particularly teenagers.”

Once in the apartment, it didn’t take long to find what they were looking for. Lilo pulled a datebook from a shelf. It had a thick, cushioned cover decorated with dried flowers. “Here it is.”

“Let’s see.” Blake reached for it, and together they turned to the week of Hannah’s disappearance. “She abbreviates a lot.”

Lilo nodded. “She’s done that since we were kids.” She pointed to an entry the day before her disappearance. “She took Frankenfurter to the vet here. There’s a telephone number.”

Blake saved it in his cell phone. “I’ll call the clinic as soon as they open in the morning and find out whether Hannah kept the appointment.”

“Maybe Frankenfurter had to stay there overnight. That would explain why he isn’t anywhere to be found.”

“Maybe.” But the doubt in Blake’s voice was audible.

Apart from a few reminders to pay bills, there weren’t many entries for the week in question. The weeks before showed a dentist appointment, a note to fire the dog walker, several movie dates, presumably with Ronny, a hair appointment, and a visit to check out a gym.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Blake said, sounding disappointed. “Let’s take it with us, just in case.”

Lilo slipped the book into her purse just as Blake’s phone rang.

He answered it immediately. “What have you got?”

He listened for a few seconds, then said, “Text me his address. And his photo, too. Thanks, Finn!” He pressed the end button. “There was only one man named Ronald who got rides from Hannah.” His cell phone pinged, indicating the arrival of a text message. Blake pointed to the display. “And now we have his address and what he looks like.”

Lilo tapped on the photo to enlarge it. “That’s not the man who broke in.” She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Maybe he sent a friend. Or maybe the two events aren’t connected after all. Let’s not waste any time. Let’s go to his house. Now,” she demanded, already heading for the door.

Blake caught up with her. “We’re not going without backup. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. He might not be alone.”

“Good idea. Let’s call the police.” She pulled Donnelly’s card from her pocket. He’d handed it to her, telling her to call his direct line if anything else came up.

“No. If the police show up, he’ll run. Besides, they have no probable cause to act. We’ll check it out ourselves first.” He dialed a number on his phone. “I’ll get somebody from the company to help us.”

“But if he’s dangerous, the police are much better equipped to—”

Blake lifted his hand to stop her. “Hey, Wes, I need your help. Can you meet me out in the Excelsior?” He paused for a moment. “Yes, now. I’ll text you the address. And, Wes, we don’t wanna wake anybody up and alert them to our arrival. Bring your bag of tricks, just in case.” He disconnected the call.

“What bag of tricks?” Lilo asked, curious.

“The usual equipment any bodyguard has. Plus, a few extras. In case the guy gives us any trouble.”

“You mean stuff to tie him up with? Or are you talking about something to… make him tell us where Hannah is?”

He took her elbow and ushered her out of the apartment. “We’re not the CIA.”

“Could’ve fooled me, considering all the resources you have at your disposal,” she shot back.

She’d never encountered a law enforcement agency or private security firm that worked as seamlessly and efficiently as the company that employed Blake. And she’d researched the field thoroughly for her mystery series. So why, if Scanguards was so good at what they did, had she never heard of them?

~ ~ ~

Wesley, Scanguards’ resident witch, was already waiting for them, when Blake pulled up in his Aston Martin. Wes had parked his black BMW a block away from Ronny’s house. The license plate, WTW—Wesley, The Witch—was hard to miss.

Blake parked behind Wes and killed the engine.

“I would tell you to stay in the car, but I’m guessing you’d ignore me.” He glanced at Lilo whose hand was already on the door handle.