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were in danger. It didn't hurt to have an extra pair
of eyes and ears working on her behalf for the night,
either.
    “ Just find out what you
can. All right.” He snapped the phone closed and turned to face
her. “Feeling better? There's coffee or tea if you want
some.”
    Evelyn stood at the counter
separating the kitchen from the living room. The addition of a
shoulder holster and another gun kept her attention on his torso
even after he asked his question. He looked ready for action. She
wasn't sure whether to be relieved or unnerved. At least her mood
had improved and she replied without sounding annoyed.
    “ I can't stand tea, but
coffee sounds divine. I'll make it.” Evelyn, far from helpless,
wanted to be busy. Stepping behind the counter, she fished around
for supplies, taking care not to bump her hands. “And you can tell
me how you found me while I do it.”
    “ We were staking out
another situation, actually, when my partner and I heard screaming
further along the parking lot,” he said, coming into the
kitchen.
    “ So you were there by
accident?” She fumbled the box of instant coffee when he invaded
her personal space and plucked up one of her hands.
    “ A stakeout isn't an
accident. We just weren't there for you.” He assessed the wounds to the
ends of her fingers like a field doctor. Clinical and
experienced.
    “ If you were already in
the parking lot, then how did they get away with me?” She had to
set down the instant coffee and fill a mug all with her other hand.
“What are you doing?”
    “ Well, since I didn't see
the whole thing, I can't answer that. What we saw from our vantage
was what looked like a kidnapping in progress, so we ran back to
get our car. I managed to get the numbers off the plates of the van
before we lost it. We tracked it down and discovered where they
were keeping you.” He let go and cupped her chin, turning it an
inch one way and an inch the other. Looking right at her
mouth.
    Evelyn, disconcerted by the
warmth of his skin and his size, sloshed water onto the counter.
She managed to get the mug into the microwave and remove her chin
from his grip. “But if you knew they'd kidnapped me, then why
didn't you arrest them? We wouldn't be on the run right now—do you
mind? My lip is fine.”
    “ Because, Miss Grant, we
didn't get the information until right before I grabbed you. I was
alone, we didn't know how many of them there were, or even who they were, or what
kind of weapons they might have. I heard shouting and didn't want
to wait to extract you. Might have been too late if we'd pulled
back and come in a few hours later, armed with warrants.” He spoke
matter-of-factly, and added, “It's bleeding.”
    Evelyn didn't want to think
what shape she might be in if they'd waited. Her initial
disappointment in what she considered a flaw in their strategy
vanished. Desperate for information about her sisters, and to
distract him from his concern over her well being, she asked, “I'll
live. What about...the girl they killed?”
    Rhett arched his brows. He
leaned against the counter right next to her and crossed his arms
over his chest. “We're trying to identify her. She didn't have any
identification at the scene, although we did find a small purse
that apparently belonged to you.”
    Discussing Galiana's death
was surreal. Unbelievable. Painful. After adding a scoop of
hazelnut crystals, she stirred and took a cautious sip to steady
herself. “She was a friend of mine. Galiana Jenkins. We were
supposed to meet her there but she never showed up.” As an
afterthought, she added, “I'd really like my things
back.”
    “ Sure, sure. You'll get
your belongings. Who is 'we'?”
    “ My other friends and I.
We all met here to vacation together. I'm not sure what happened to
the other three.” Evelyn watched his expression to see if he knew
more than he was telling about the fate of her sisters. He looked
perplexed.
    “ There weren't any other
bodies. Forensics hasn't