“You…you did destroy the video, right, Ethan?” Her voice shook.
“Yeah, baby, I did.” But he had to be honest with her. “I found out that Daniel got word to the FBI. He wanted to talk to them about Quincy’s disappearance. Lucky for us, Daniel is dead now.” Not even by Ethan’s hands. “So he can’t tell the FBI anything else, but he sure made folks curious about what he knew.”
Like the FBI jerk who’d been outside. That guy had sure closed in fast. As soon as Ethan had learned of the FBI’s new interest in Quincy Atkins, he’d started working to get a new safe place set up for Carly.
“Maybe I should tell the FBI agent the truth,” she said.
What? Ethan shook his head, sure that he’d misheard her.
“I won’t talk about you.” Her shoulders sagged a bit. “I’ll confess that Quincy kidnapped me. I got loose. We fought. And the knife—it went into his chest.”
She was still trying to protect him. After all those years? How could he not be insane for her? “No. That’s not going to happen. The FBI isn’t dragging you down.”
“But—”
“I’ll handle the FBI. And you…” Damn but it was so hard to be this close to her and not kiss her. Her lips were right there. Inches from his. Full and plump and perfect. But when he kissed her, he pretty much ignited.
Beautiful Carly. She’d grown to be even more gorgeous over the years. Her wild child look was gone…no more short shorts and loose t-shirts. Now she was all sleek elegance. Perfectly cut clothes—a fancy blouse made of silk and a pencil skirt that fell just above her knees. Her hair—now shot with red highlights—was pulled back in a slick ponytail, and that style just accentuated her almond-shaped eyes. Big, dark blue eyes. A faint sprinkling of freckles slid across her nose, and he found that little sprinkle freaking delectable.
“What about me?” Carly demanded.
She wasn’t going to like this part. “I think you should start packing.” He’d originally hoped to follow her to New York and do something incredibly normal…like ask the woman out on a date. But with the FBI closing in, hell, no, that wasn’t a good sign. The FBI would come first, and other—more undesirable bastards—would follow in their wake. There were plenty of people out there who would like to know what had happened to Quincy Atkins, and those people wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Carly in order to discover the truth.
Ethan had no intention of allowing her to be hurt. He didn’t want her skin so much as fucking bruised.
“Packing?” She blinked at him, then gave a ragged laugh. “You’re crazy.”
“Perhaps. Probably.” He shrugged, not overly concerned with that bit. “But I’m still going to need you to get your bag ready. Everything you want to take with you. Feel free to leave unnecessary shit behind. I’ll buy you new stuff and you can—”
“No.” Her hands came up and shoved against his chest. He took a step back, mostly because he’d been caught off-guard by the force of her shove. “I’m not leaving,” Carly said adamantly. “Forget that. I have a life here.”
“A life that could end if you aren’t careful.” A life that would be destroyed if she talked to the FBI.
Her chin notched up. “Maybe I’m tired of running from the past.”
“Too bad. Because the past isn’t dead. You aren’t safe, and that’s on me. I’m the one who attracted attention to you when I wouldn’t leave your bedside. I’m the one who put you in the crosshairs, so now I’m the one who will keep you safe.”
She licked her lips. Rather helplessly, his gaze followed that sensual movement and—
“Get out, Ethan.”
He shook his head.
“Out,” Carly enunciated slowly. “Out of my home. Out of my life. You aren’t doing this to me. You aren’t going to appear and—and take me away. This isn’t happening.”
Yes, it was. He’d wanted to ease her into the situation, but the FBI had moved too fast.
“I like things here. I’m safe.” She heaved out a hard sigh. “I need that safety. Being with you—you aren’t safe, Ethan.”
No, he wasn’t.
“I need to think, so I want you gone.”
“We both need to go,” he said, fighting to keep the emotion from his voice. He didn’t want to force her to leave, didn’t want to reveal just how much he’d already been in her life, but…I can’t risk her.
“I’m not leaving. I-I can’t.” She slid a hand over her face, and he noticed the tremble in her fingers. Hell, she was still recovering from the gunshots. She needed to be sleeping right then, not dealing with this mess. “I want you to walk away from me, Ethan. Just like you did before. If the FBI comes at me, I’ll—”