B.J. Daniels - Hotshot P.i.

Having to deal with this man on top of everything else was too much, she told herself. She didn’t have the time or energy for this. Nor did she need the constant reminder of what she’d lost ten years ago—or how much more she had to lose now.

“Where are you going so early in the morning?” he asked as he stalked toward her, backing her against the edge of the dock, trapping her.

Clancy had to tilt her chin back to meet his gaze. He’d cornered her in more ways than one. And she acknowledged that it wasn’t going to be easy to get rid of him. But getting rid of him was exactly what she had to do if she held any hope of clearing herself.

“If you must know,” she said, coming up with the first plausible explanation that popped into her head, “I’m going to see my lawyer.”

Jake pushed back his baseball cap. “Good, I need to see your lawyer, too.”

She shot him a look. “You’re going like that?”

He glanced down at his rumpled.chinos and T-shirt, then looked up at her as he rubbed his blond, stubbled jaw. “It kind of makes me look dangerous, don’t you think? Like a man who has nothing to lose?” He gave her a slow, almost calculated smile. “And anyway, what choice do I have? If I were to shower, I’d barely have the water turned on before you’d be hightailing it to wherever you’re in such a hurry to get to.”

That was exactly what she had in mind. She wished he didn’t know her so well.

He stepped back to allow her room to get into the boat. “But I’m a reasonable man. I’ll even let you drive your boat.”

“You’re so thoughtful,” she said, but didn’t move. Outwardly, she gritted her teeth and fumed. Inwardly, she plotted. She would dump Jake. And soon. She had to. She just didn’t know how yet.

* * *

WHEN CLANCY DIFN’T make a move to get into the boat, Jake swung back in and offered her a hand. He’d hoped his disposition would improve with daylight. It hadn’t. If anything, the late-night adventure, his phone conversation with Kiki and trying to sleep in the bottom of a cold boat with his clothes on had left him even more irascible. Add to that, the gall of Clancy thinking she could get away from him this morning.

He’d been on this case less than twenty-four hours, and he felt as if he’d been beaten up by somebody twice his size. He didn’t like the feeling he was being manipulated by not one, but two females. Kiki had hired him for reasons he could no more fathom than he could walk on water. And Clancy. At one time he thought he’d known her better than he knew himself. But that was years ago and a lot of water under the bridge. For all he knew, she was a killer. Let her rot in prison for all he cared.

You’ve become a cold-hearted bastard, haven’t you, Hawkins. Reluctantly, he admitted it was true. Something had died inside him that day at the trial. He’d lost Clancy, and he’d lost his father. Only, Clancy had voluntarily chosen to leave; his father hadn’t.

He watched her flick a glance at his outstretched hand but make no move toward it or the boat. Instead, she brushed her hair back with her fingers and looked toward shore as if she were thinking of making a break for it. Silently, he dared her to try. So help him, he’d take her over his knee and”Clancy,” Jake said softly. “There’re a few things you should know. One, I hate being lied to. Two, these dirty little secrets of yours? I’m going to know them all before I catch a plane back to Texas, and you can bet the farm on that.” He extended his hand again. “And three, if you try to run again, I’ll track you down no matter where you go, and you won’t like it when I find you.”

He flashed her a smile. But to his surprise, she took his hand, stepped into the boat and came right up to him. If he’d thought he could intimidate her, he’d been wrong. Her gaze met his, challenging him, daring him to take her on.

“Jake, there’re a few things you should know,” she said as softly as he had. “One, I don’t have the time or energy to lie to you. Two, I have no intention of helping you send me to prison. And three—” her smile deepened “—I’m going to ditch you just as soon as I possibly can.” She moved past him to slide behind the wheel. An instant later she started the boat.

Jake smiled to himself as he took a seat next to her. He’d forgotten how much he’d liked Clancy Jones’s spunk as a kid. He was glad to see it was one of the things that hadn’t changed about her. Unfortunately, it didn’t alter the fact that she’d lied about his father or that she was lying to him right now about not jumping bail. If she wanted to play hard ball, he’d play, too. But he doubted she was going to like his rules.

* * *

THEY PICKED UP the expensive bright red Mustang convertible he’d rented with Kiki’s money at the mainland marina. The marina was one of several his father and Clancy’s had owned as partners. Jake saw Clancy raise an eyebrow as she climbed into the car’s leather seat and realized he’d dropped another notch or two in her estimation.

“Doesn’t it bother you to take my aunt’s money on the pretense of helping me?” Clancy asked.

“No,” Jake replied, angry to discover that what she thought of him mattered.

“I thought you hate being lied to,” she said. “Or do you overlook it when you’re lying to yourself?”

He floored the gas pedal, sending gravel flying as he headed into town. Beside him, Clancy smiled. Jake cursed. What an impossible woman! He’d expected her to still be that cute little tomboy he’d grown up with, someone he thought he could handle—not some beautiful woman who knew how to push all his buttons. He swore to himself. What had made him think this job was going to be easy?

She smiled, seemingly amused. “You’re certainly wide awake this morning. I don’t remember you being such a morning person.”

He didn’t want to be reminded of their past or of the foolish, love-struck nineteen-year-old he’d been. Not that he was about to let that past distract or dissuade him from what he’d come to Montana to do. He’d come to settle an old score, and he had no intention of taking any trips down memory lane along the way.

“I’m forced to be wide awake at all hours around you,” he said as he pulled out into the traffic and headed for the office complex. “Want to tell me why you were about to jump bail? Or do you want me to guess?”

“Guess,” she said, looking out the side window.

“Look, why don’t you just level with me. I’m going to find out, anyway.”

She glanced over at him, and to his surprise, her eyes glistened with tears. “What if you’re wrong, Hawkins? What if I didn’t lie about your father?”

He felt a sharp stab at his heart, followed instantly by an unexpected desire to take her in his arms and comfort her. What was it about this woman that made him feel protective? Had always made him feel that way?

He shoved away the desire, the same way he’d shoved her away ten years ago. “You lied and we both know why.”

She shook her head and looked away.

“You could tell me the truth now and save us both a lot of grief,” he said, letting the old rancor replace any warmer feelings he might have had for her.

“And save you the satisfaction of blackmailing it out of me?” She shook her head. “Not a chance, Hawkins. Let’s find out just how good a private eye you really are.”

Jake drove toward Kalispell, furious that she could still get to him. He blamed it on that silly childhood crush he’d had on her. He’d opened up, letting her get closer than any other person in his life. Now he bitterly regretted having done that. It made him vulnerable. And it gave her the upper hand.