“Do you think I’ll need a suit?” he asks.
I dump the stuff in my arms into my bag before moving to the closet for my shoes. “I need to do this alone.” I can’t look at him.
“I understand you think you need to do this alone, but you’re not alone anymore.” His gaze catches mine from across the bed. “I’m coming with you.”
I match his stare. “But you would miss work on Thursday and I know how important the appointments on Thursday are for you.” I’m pushing right now to see what I can shake loose.
His head tilts to the side, his eyes narrowing. “I’m willing to tell you my secrets if you’re willing to tell me yours.” His voice is deep and a bit unsettling. “You go first.” There’s a glimpse of the guy who ruled that warehouse yard.
I just cross my arms and look at him.
Ryan throws his hands in the air when I don’t take him up on his offer. “I’m not asking any questions. I don’t scare easily. And I really don’t want you doing whatever it is that you think you need to do alone.” We continue to stare at one another until he finally adds, “Plus, my skill set may come in handy in a pinch.” And there’s that smile. The one that makes him utterly charming.
And as much as I thought smiling was impossible right now, I give him one right back. “And what skill set is that?”
He shrugs and continues packing. “Take me along and find out.”
I’m torn on what to do about Ryan. Mr. Smith decided this was the job to put me in while we played this macabre game, and I need to know why.
Mr. Smith will expect me to go alone. Until this point, I wanted to be 100 percent predictable, and now I need to be the exact opposite. Plus, Ryan’s arguing pretty hard to come along even though he’ll miss James’s funeral and a week of work. Very curious.
Forcing out a deep breath, I make a show of giving in. “I make all the decisions. If I need to slip off to handle something by myself, there is no argument from you. Not a single word.”
He nods. “Don’t even think about ditching me along the way,” he says with a smirk. “I can see it all over your face.”
We both know that option is always on the table.
* * *
Rachel is pissed Ryan is going with me but she isn’t.
I load our bags into the back of my 4Runner, while closer to the house Ryan is squaring off with Rachel in a heated conversation. I shut the back hatch and turn toward the street, committing it to memory. I will miss it more than I want to admit.
Slipping into the driver’s seat, I wait for Ryan. When he hears the engine turn over, he looks at me over his shoulder. Rachel reaches for him when he moves toward the car. She knows things about me that he does not, things she can’t tell him since I’m protected by client-attorney privilege, and she’s frantic to stop him from coming with me.
He’s not having it.
Ryan slips into the passenger seat, then rolls down the window as Rachel approaches his side. He wanted us to take his Tahoe, but this is my show, and if I do decide to leave him somewhere along the way, I’m going to need my own car.
Rachel gives me a look I don’t particularly like, then focuses on him. “I’m not joking, Ryan. No later than eight thirty on Friday morning in Atlanta. I’m working on the detectives meeting us in a location other than the precinct, so as soon as that is finalized, I’ll let you know where.”
“You’ve mentioned all of this a number of times,” he answers. His head drops back against the headrest, his gaze fixed on the windshield. Her hands grip the open window as if she’s physically trying to stop us from driving away.
I fidget around in my seat, ready to go. I don’t do good-byes. At all.
Ryan must feel my unease because he gives me a nod and I put the car in reverse, letting off the brake enough that Rachel has to pull her hands free and take a step back. “I’ll call you,” he says to her as we start inching backward. “And don’t be surprised if you have to pick me up after she’s abandoned me somewhere.”
She clearly doesn’t think his joke is funny.
Once the window is rolled up and we’re on the street in front of his house, he asks, “Do you need me to book a hotel in Atlanta? I mean, I assume that’s where we’re heading.”
“I’ve got it handled,” I answer.
I pull out of the neighborhood onto one of the busy streets that runs through town, then turn in to a gas station. “Can you fill us up while I go in for a few snacks for the road?”