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women like you aren’t prepared to deal with them.”
    â€œI don’t think Valente poses that big of a threat to me.”
    Anger burned in Cole’s hazel stare as he nodded. “Sweetheart, I wouldn’t trust him any farther than I could pick the bastard up and throw him.”
    She stared at Cole for several long seconds. He was too close for her to ignore how sexy he was, or how handsome.
    â€œFor your information, my training at the academy in Quantico covers most of your concerns,” she said, finally finding her voice. “But let me give you a run-down, in order to put your mind at ease, Caveman. I’ve been trained in both psychological and physical defensive tactics, as well as marksmanship. I was at the top of my class, and I think I can handle Valente just as well as you can.”
    When she started to walk away, Cole caught her by the shoulder. “It doesn’t hurt to have a little insurance, sweetheart.”
    She stepped back. “I do appreciate your concern,Caveman. But I can take care of myself. I don’t need a pretend lover to protect me.”
    His anger and frustration close to the boiling point, Cole watched Campbell disappear through the entrance to the inn. This was what he got for trying to be a gentleman and protect the woman from the dangers she was too hardheaded to see for herself.
    Shaking his head, he got back in the SUV and spun gravel as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. Not only did he need to cool off, he needed to make arrangements to get her rental car back to the inn.
    As he drove through town, he thought about how he was going to juggle following his leads, while protecting her at the same time. What he should do is just back off, conduct his own investigation and let her find out for herself just how devious Valente really was.
    But even as the thought was forming, Cole shook his head. That would be like throwing a lamb to the wolves. And whether he liked it or not, that was something he just couldn’t do.
    Whether Special Agent Campbell of the FBI liked it or not, for all intents and purposes, ATF Special Agent Cole Yardley was her boyfriend for as long as they were in Mission Creek conducting their investigations of Ricky Mercado and the infamous Mercado crime family.
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    The next morning, Elise sat in the lobby of the Mission Creek First Federal Bank, waiting to present the new bank president with a court order seizing the banking records of the late Carmine Mercado and thelate Frank Del Brio. As soon as she concluded her business here, she’d serve a similar document on the very much alive Ricky Mercado. Once she’d collected everything, she’d go back to the inn and spend the rest of the day comparing figures to the Mercado trucking and produce business accounts. And if there was even a hint of a link between them, she’d find it.
    Checking her watch, she wondered what could possibly be taking the bank president so long. It had been a good half hour since one of the tellers had informed him that she was waiting to see him.
    Just as Elise was about to get up to ask the woman to remind the man that she was waiting, the door to his office opened and out strolled Caveman Cole. She could have bitten nails in two. What was he doing here? His investigation certainly didn’t include reviewing financial records.
    As he walked up to her, her pulse fluttered. Now why on earth had that happened? And why was his smile so…friendly? But more importantly, why was she smiling back?
    â€œGood morning, Elise,” he said pleasantly. “I see you found your car.”
    She nodded cautiously. What was he up to this time? He’d used her first name. He’d never done that before. “I assume you were responsible for seeing that it was returned to the inn last night?”
    He grinned and her temperature rose a good ten degrees. “I figured you’d need it today.”
    â€œAgent Campbell,