And if I do go the cops, what happens to you? You going to try and stop me?
Youll tie me up in bureaucratic red tape, thats what. Then itll be too late.
For what?
He dragged his hands through his hair and blew out a stream of frustration. Christ, Hannah, whyd you have to walk into this?
What, exactly, have I walked in to, Dr. Logan? Who the hell are you?
He stared at her, assessing.
Look, either you tell me what the hell is going on or I go to the RCMP detachment right now.
He stood up, paced, turned to face her. I cant tell you. Its classified.
She pushed herself to her feet. What do you mean you cant tell me? What do you mean classified?
He stepped forward, taking her hands in his. Hannah, work with me on this. Trust me.
Work with you? Trust you? You wont tell me what the hell is going on. You wont tell me who you are, why youre sneaking around like a thief and you expect me to work with you?
You shouldnt have come here.
Screw you, Logan. I had every right to come here. She pushed past him and stalked from the apartment, slammed the door behind her.
Hannah stepped out onto the pedestrian walkway into the clean night air still
shaking with adrenaline. Shed done it again. Fled. Damn him. She looked back up at the second floor. Amys apartment was once again in darkness.
Rex lifted the blind slightly with the back of his hand and looked down into the street to watch her go. He saw her stop, turn and look back up at the window. Instinctively he shifted farther back into the dark shadows. Her hair shimmered pale gold in the lamplight, like an angels.
Blast.
Hannah was not working her way into his investigation, she had crashed slap-bang into the middle of it. So much for trying to stay out of her way while he was in White River.
And after finding what he had in Amys apartment, Hannah could be at risk if she insisted on digging. If his suspicions were correct, Hannahs curiosity may already have landed her in hot water. Very hot water.
Oh, the bittersweet irony.
Hed walked out of her life six years ago to keep her safe.
Now he could not walk from her. This time he would have to stay close to keep her from harm.
She was sticking her nose into the business of people who played for keeps. She had no idea what she was up against. She would need his help. She would need his protection. And he needed to make sure she didnt blow his cover by going to the cops.
He watched her turn and stride down the dimly lit street. He watched the sway of her hips.
It was that same purposeful stride that had caught his attention in Marumba. The same sway that had sparked fire in his groin.
Yes, she needed his protection, but who would protect him from her?
Hed made a mistake falling for her once. He wasnt doing much better the second time around. The woman was a drug. Hed already let himself slip.
This must be his retribution.
Then his pulse quickened.
Rex saw a hooded figure step out from under the cover of the dark portico across the walkway. Whoever it was began following Hannah toward the festive heart of White River village.
Chapter 4
Hannah knew it would be a glorious August Saturday. It made the bizarre and sinister events of last night all the more incongruous. Was it really possible Amy had been murdered? What did Rex Logan have to do with it? What did he find in Amys apartment that theyd all missed? What was he really doing in White River?
She couldnt go and talk to Staff Sgt. Fred LeFevre. Not yet. Hed laugh her out of the office. She needed to learn more from Rex.
But right now, this time was hers. She crouched down to tighten the laces of her runners. She would do hills today. She needed a good workout to clear the scuzz from her sleep-deprived brain and ease the kinks from her body.
Hannah broke into a slow run, rhythmically sucking the cool air down into her lungs and blowing it out into crisp clouds of vapor. She followed the trail from her condo down around the lakeshore to the point where White River flowed under the Callaghan Road bridge.
She jogged under the bridge, picking up one of the gravel trails that snaked through the park and up into the Moonstone foothills.
Her breathing was hard, deep and rhythmic now. She felt strong, in control. She found her pace as the sun peeked over the ridge and spilled suddenly into the valley, its warmth immediately noticeable on her back.
She had the trails to herself this morning. She could feel her body working, smooth, like an engine, warmth pulsing with each heartbeat through her limbs. The cold air was rough against the back of her throat. It felt good.
She slowed slightly, her body switching gears as the trail climbed into the trees. Her feet were cushioned as gravel gave way to spongy pine needles and fallen leaves. As she entered the woods, the trees strangled the morning sunshine off into cool dank shadows.
All Hannah could hear now was the sound of her own hard, steady breathing and White River, swollen and raging in the distance.
A crash in the undergrowth stopped her dead.