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whenever she was driving.
    She knew Luc was only doing what he thought was best for her where
this stalker was concerned, but it didn’t make the pill any easier to take.
“Why can’t we just find another cop with his credentials... someone with the
same kind of experience?”
    “We don’t have time for that. We hit the road on Wednesday. Besides,
Josh just texted me to tell me that Mike’s agreed to do it. It’s a done deal.”
    “I can’t believe he’s doin’ this.” She knew Mike was callous and
insensitive, but she’d never imagined he could be so vindictive. He was just
taking this case to punish her. In her mind, there couldn’t be another reason.
“Why him?” She started pacing across the limestone floor, wishing she could say
or do something to change Luc’s mind. “Why the hell does it have to be him?”
    “Listen, I don’t have time to debate this anymore. I’ve got work to
do. It is what it is. You’re just gonna have to deal with it.”
    She recognized that tone of voice. Luc was warning her not to push
him any further. “Fine.” She raised her chin, hoping he couldn’t read the fear
in her eyes. “I hope he’s as good as you think he is. I just want my life
back.”
    Luc gripped her head between his hands and leaned down to kiss her
forehead. “You’ll get your life back. Just give Mike everything he needs to
find that S.O.B., okay?”
    Oh God, she hadn’t considered how much personal information she
would have to divulge. Mike would want to know the intimate details of her sex
life, every man she’d slept with... Her stomach roiled in protest. She couldn’t
imagine having that conversation with him. “This isn’t gonna work.”
    Luc scowled as he let his hands fall to his sides. “It has to. I
don’t intend to go to your funeral if and when that bastard snaps.”
    Tori felt a shudder move through her as she watched Luc walk down
the hall to his office. She wanted to believe Luc was just blowing smoke to
scare her, but that was a risk she couldn’t afford to take. She had to assume
the worst. If she let her guard down for even a second, it could cost her her
life.
    The cellphone in her pocket buzzed and she quickly retrieved it. One
glance at the screen had her gripping the counter for support. Mike .
Damn, she thought she’d have a little more time to prepare herself before she
had to deal with him. “What do you want?”
    “Well, hello to you too, princess. Long time, no talk.”
    “Yeah, and that’s just the way I like it.”
    “Too bad. Since we’re gonna be workin’ together now, you best get
used to havin’ me around.”
    She would never get used to the idea of seeing that smug face every
day. It was bad enough his image still appeared in her dreams far too often. “I’ll
ask again... What the hell do you want?”
    “I need to see you.”
    “No.”
    “Look, I’m not playin’ around. I need to get all of the info I can get
on this dirtbag if I’m gonna catch him. Where do you want to meet?”
    Even after all this time, she still didn’t trust herself to be alone
with him. “Jimmy’s. Half an hour.”
    “You really think meetin’ in a noisy, crowded bar is a good idea?
Why don’t we just meet at my place?”
    “Are you crazy?” She took a deep breath and counted backward from
ten. If she overreacted, he’d know that her memories of their night together
held more weight than they should. She just had to keep reminding herself it
was a casual one-night stand. It meant nothing. That was the only way she could
get through the next weeks or months. “Look, I’m goin’ to Jimmy’s. If you want to
meet me there, be my guest.”
    “Do you have a goddamn death wish? There’s some twisted loser out to
get you, and you wanna walk into Jimmy’s like you don’t have a care in the
world?”
    “It beats the alternative,” she muttered. “You carry a gun, don’t
you?”
    “Yeah, but—”
    “Good, then I have nothin’ to worry about. I’ll be there