Trace of Fever - Lori Foster [111]
“Believe me, I know.” Growing somber, Trace opened the sheet and looked at her body. “I’d have been a whole hell of a lot happier if no other man had seen you like this.”
Her heart started tripping in double time. “Why?”
“Because you’re mine.” He stepped back from her. “And I’m starting to realize that I’m a territorial bastard.”
On that note he walked out the door. Leaving her for Jackson, going to deal with Murray himself…
Trusting her to do as he asked.
Poor Trace. She loved him, she really did. But she wasn’t a person to consign responsibility, to sit idle while others were at risk, or to take orders from anyone.
Even from a man who now meant the world to her.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
AFTER ARRANGING TO meet up with Murray at the offices, Trace called Dare.
He answered with, “What’s up?”
“I’m cutting things short. Murray has to go. The sooner the better.”
“Okay.” Dare fell quiet a second. “Why the change in plans?”
“I know where the women will be taken. The deal is happening any day now. There’s no reason to wait. I can round up the major players in one net, and then when they talk, we can get the rest.”
“If they talk.”
“They will.” He’d see to it.
“And the sudden turnaround has nothing to do with Priss?”
Trace squeezed the steering wheel. “Actually, it has a lot do with her.”
“I figured.”
He owed Dare the truth. “I slept with her.”
“So, you got carried away.” Dare sounded unconcerned. “It happens.”
“Not just once, Dare. All night long.” And it had been amazing, so amazing that he knew he couldn’t give it up. He couldn’t give her up. “I know damn good and well I’m going to sleep with her again.”
“It’s like that, huh?” As usual, Dare stayed calm in every situation. “So I take it that we need to remove her from the picture?”
Out of harm’s way. “Absolutely.”
Without hesitation, Dare said, “If you can convince her, she can stay here.”
“Thank you.” He’d known that Dare would offer, but having it confirmed put him at ease. “I already talked to Priss. Jackson can drive her down today. I want her out of the area completely.”
“Today?” Dare hesitated. “You sure you know what you’re doing, Trace? How are you going to explain her sudden disappearance to Murray? He’s always suspicious, so he’s not going to be real accepting that a daughter presented herself one day only to take off the next.”
That was the first thing Trace had figured out. “He’ll believe she bolted after Helene went after her.”
“Hmm.” Dare considered the theory. “Yeah, that might be a good enough reason. God knows Hell is enough to scare most normal people into bolting.”
“It’ll have to do, because I’m not letting her within a hundred miles of Murray. Never again.”
“I take it Priss agreed with this decision?”
Not really, but she wasn’t irresponsible, so he had to believe that she’d play along. “She’ll be all right. I’ll see to it.”
Dare didn’t push the issue. “Chris can get the guest room ready. If you need anything else, let me know.”
Half an hour later, Trace got to the offices. He tried to ignore the prickling of unease that seeped into his every pore, but his instincts had never let him down. Something wasn’t right; he felt it even in the air he breathed into his lungs.
Was Murray onto him? Was he walking into a trap?
A guard at the parking garage door greeted him. “The boss man is waiting for you.”
Trace gave him an icy stare. “Since when do I need you to tell me that?”
The guy, a new recruit lacking smarts, quailed. “I—I dunno. Just saying.”
“You think I don’t know what Murray is doing at all times?”
“I guess you do.”
Deciding the comment had been offhand, and not a warning, Trace wrote it off. “Next time, try keeping your mouth shut.”
“Yes, sir.”
Idiot. And here he was, taking his bad temper out on someone who, for all intents and purposes, was defenseless against him. Disgusted, Trace took the elevator to Murray’s floor. Not knowing how Murray might react to Hell’s perfidy, he was anxious to get the confrontation over with.
For once it was nice not to get sideswiped by Helene. Of course, she was probably