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the same thing as de tachment,” she said, “and I don’t claim to have reached that perfected state of being.”
    “You could consider this an exercise to bring you a little closer.”
    “I could,” she admitted, “but I’m not currently feeling all that motivated in my spiritual quest and would rather have a little sympathy.”
    “I like a girl who knows how to ask for what she wants.”
    I’ll bet you do. “Why do I get the feeling that this little excursion is more about what you want?”
    “It’s not a zero-sum game,” he told her. She peeked from under narrowed lids to see the late afternoon light trace his face in an enticing contour running from well-defined cheekbones to squared jaw to throat.
    “And what does that mean?”
    “It means we can both get what we want out of this.” His lips quirked at the corners.
    “So where’s my sympathy?”
    “Poor baby.” He spoke deadpan. “Having to spend a couple days in a luxury hotel suite where you’ll be pampered day and night.”
    “You don’t sound very sincere.” But now a grin colored her tone. Why be a stick? This expedition could prove fun, if the effort to ignore his considerable charm didn’t kill her first. “What makes you think a casino is such a great place to hide out?” Rachel watched the cars falling behind to her right as Fluke overtook them one by one. It was a testament to her abilities that she could remain calm, riding with such a speed demon.
    “Leading Johnson away from our other people and drawing him into the open? Two reasons. One: there’s got to be a limit to how many people he can control at one time. If he comes after you at the casino, where it’s crowded day and night, we can make sure he’s outnumbered, overwhelm him.”
    “And the second reason? I know you discussed this with my brother while I packed, but I’ve got an interest here too.”
    “I gave him Reason One. Reason Two is that we can enjoy ourselves —and each other —while we’re there.”
    His words sent a frisson through her, but she ignored it, even knowing he probably hadn’t.
    “I’m not into gambling.”
    “You don’t have to be—besides the spa, they’ve got live entertainment every night, a world class buffet, and I’ve reserved the top three floors of the hotel—there won’t be anyone else close enough to be affected if you let yourself go.”
    He had to have felt the spike of excitement thrill through her at these words—even if his control of the car never wavered. She focused again on her breath.
    She had no idea how to respond to the prospect he presented. Even thinking about it at eighty miles per hour seemed like a bad idea. “Um. Do they have a pool and gym?”
    “Sure do.”
    Eyes on the road, he still grinned, damn it.
    “Aren’t you being just a bit presumptuous?”
    “How so? With all those rooms you can have a suite to yourself—if that’s what you want—you don’t have to include me in your fun.”
    “I should hope not.” And she should feel a lot more sincere in saying it than she actually did.
    After miles of idle chat while suburbs turned increasingly rural, Fluke tossed out a question in casual tones, “Can you tell if someone is following us?”
    “I haven’t been paying that much attention to what’s behind us.”
    “Me either, but I’d swear I’ve seen that same blue Toyota behind us—a few cars back—since we got on the highway.”
    Rachel turned sideways in her seat, checking the road behind them.
    “Could be he’s just another gambler heading for the casinos.”
    “Could be, but I’ve been changing my speed over the last few miles, slowing down, then speeding up, slowing down again and switching lanes—and that car always stays about the same distance back.”
    “Sounds suspicious.” She focused inward to soothe her rising sense of anxiety. “What should we do about it?”
    “Just keep an eye on it for now. Let’s see how long it stays with us. Better the devil we