twenty-four hours. Slade had made the arrangements to open the house in River Run and had the corporate jet fueled. Not once had they discussed how long they’d be gone. There had been an unspoken agreement that they would be gone for as long as it took.
“A few days,” Gavin said with the smooth tones of a man who knew how to massage the truth. “You should be home on Sunday night at the latest.”
Once they had her in Alaska and Burke had useful information, they could admit to Hannah why they’d really spirited her away. Until then, he didn’t want her to worry.
She shook her head, blonde hair swinging. “I am so sorry. I can’t be gone that long. I have a bunch of obligations. I’m supposed to have someone over this evening. My laptop is giving me hell.”
“I’ll have IT give you a new one.” Gavin could solve that problem easily.
“I don’t want a new one. I’m used to this one. Lyle said he can fix it, but he’s only free tonight. And I’m supposed to go home this weekend to see my grandma. I’ll tell Wendy to get ready. She would love to go.”
Gavin didn’t like to think about Hannah driving all the way to West Texas in her beat-up Chevy. That car was on its last leg, and most of the road between Dallas and Two Trees consisted of mile after mile of nothing. If she broke down—and the way her car sputtered, that was almost a given—she would be all alone. And it would be easy for her stalker to follow her and possibly drive her off the road.
Gavin’s blood pressure rose with each potential hazard he imagined.
“We don’t need Wendy,” Slade insisted. “We need you.”
She shook that off with a wave of her hand. “Trust me, Wendy has ten years’ seniority on me. She’ll be great. And she loves to travel. I’ll give her a call. How long does she have before the plane leaves? She’ll want to pack a bag.”
“Hannah.” Gavin tried to hold his temper in check. “The plane leaves in less than an hour.
We’ve already placed your name on the passenger list with the FAA. And don’t worry about packing a bag. We’ve taken care of everything.”
Slade’s hand came out to cover hers. “It’s going to be fine. Your grandmother will understand. You can call her when we get there.”
Hannah pulled back. “I can’t just up and leave.”
Gavin forced a placid smile on his face. “It’s going to be all right. Let’s talk about your other responsibilities, and we’ll make sure they’re handled.”
The door to his office came open with a crash. Gavin looked up, ready to yell at the intruder.
“Dex?” Slade stood, staring with his mouth open. “Dude, what the hell happened to you?” Dex was carrying a battered pink suitcase, but that was the most normal thing about him. His dress shirt was shredded and his arms covered in scratches, as though he’d gotten into a fight with a chipper-shredder and taken the worst end of it.
Hannah stood, and her notepad fell to the floor. “Oh, my…Dex, you’re hurt! We need to clean you up. Do you need to go to a hospital?” She frowned. “Is that my suitcase?” Dex set the luggage down and turned to Hannah, his dark eyes laser-focused on his target.
“Maybe a mental hospital, darlin’. As for the damages, well, let’s say I got into a little tussle with your pussy. I discovered that it has claws, rather like her owner. But I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
“You found my cat?” Hannah’s voice was a hopeful whisper.
“Found, fought with, and saved,” Dex confirmed. “She’s at the vet being taken care of. Now it’s time for round two.”
Dex strode up to Hannah and didn’t hesitate. He bent and shoved his shoulder in her midsection, his bulky arm curling behind her knees. She was over his shoulder in an instant. Her blonde head came up, and she looked at Gavin.
“This isn’t company protocol, Mr. James.” She said it so primly. Gavin would have laughed if he wasn’t so perplexed by his youngest