“Don’t,” he snapped.
“Zack, we’ve come this far—”
“And this is as far as you’re going to go, Emily. It’s over.”
She blinked. “What are you saying?”
“I’m going to drive you to the next county and turn you over to the police. You’ll probably be arrested, but at least you’ll be safe.”
Anger surged inside her. “Like hell you are.”
“If you stay with me, you’re going to get hurt, damn it. I’m not willing to risk that.”
“The decision is not yours to make.”
“I’m not taking you with me.”
She wanted to know where he was going and what he had planned next but couldn’t ask the question. Not until she’d convinced him she would be going with him. “You are not in charge of my life. You’re sure as hell not in charge of what I do.”
“I’m in charge of this mission.”
“I am not going to walk away from this, Zack.”
“I can’t take you with me!” he shouted.
“I’m not Alisa!” she shouted back.
For several long seconds he stared at her as if she’d slapped him.
“Don’t shut me out,” she whispered. “I need to do this. I need to help you. I need to help myself. Please don’t take that away from me.”
The next thing she knew, his arms were around her and he was crushing her body to his. His mouth sought hers. She tasted desperation and lust and a hundred other emotions she couldn’t name.
And then she couldn’t think of anything except kissing him.
ZACK COULD FEEL THE KISS pulling him in a direction he didn’t want to go. But he was tired of fighting it. He was tired of fighting his attraction to her. He kissed her hard, keenly aware that she was kissing him back, that her body was flush against his, that he was hard, his body aching to get inside her.
Growling low in his throat, he shoved her to arm’s length. She stared at him, her eyes huge, her lips wet and kiss-bruised. And the only thought his brain could manage was that he wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to do a hell of a lot more than that.
“This is bloody crazy,” he said gruffly, not sure if he was referring to the situation or the powerful attraction between them.
Emily assumed he was referring to the latter. “What’s crazy is the fact that you won’t let me help you because you’re hung up on something that happened in the past.”
“Or maybe I’m one of those smart people who learn from their mistakes.”
“You’re not going to change my mind,” she said breathlessly. “I’m going to see this through with or without you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked, grinding out the words.
She put her hands on her hips. “That means if you cut me loose, I’ll do this on my own.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Where are we going?” Emily asked.
They had been in the Jeep for half an hour, heading south, as best she could tell. Because of the snow, they seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace, and it was maddening.
Zack looked over at her, his expression tense. He’d been silent and brooding since leaving the cabin. Emily knew he wasn’t happy with her. But there was no way she was going to let him take her to the local sheriff’s office to be arrested and detained while he risked his life to finish this alone.
“I thought we’d drive by Clay Carpenter’s house,” he said after a moment. “If the house is dark, I’ll slip inside and see if I can find something that will connect him to Signal Research and Development.”
Denial rose swiftly inside Emily. She’d known Warden Carpenter for fifteen years. Her father had worked for him. He’d helped her land the corrections officer position with Lockdown, Inc. He was a good man, a fair man.
“Zack, I’ve known Warden Carpenter most of my life. I don’t think he’s involved.”
“Two days ago you thought the same thing about Marcus Underwood.”
“Maybe Underwood is running the show and Warden Carpenter doesn’t know anything about it.”
“If that’s the case, he doesn’t have anything to worry about, does he?”
She was about to continue her defense when Zack punched off the headlights. She glanced through the thick trees and lightly falling snow to see Clay Carpenter’s house. The place was lit up like a football stadium. Four pricey SUVs were sitting in the driveway. Normally Emily wouldn’t have questioned so much activity; Clay and his wife, Jessica, frequently entertained. Emily had been there herself. But it was three o’clock in the morning. At least two of the SUVs were from Lockdown, Inc.’s fleet….
“There’s something going on,” Zack said.
“Maybe he’s entertaining a few colleagues.”
“Yeah, and maybe that red SUV parked behind the Chevy isn’t the one we saw at Signal Research and Development.”
“What?” Emily squinted out the window. Astonishment shot through her when she realized the red SUV was the same one they’d seen back at Signal Research and Development. The one with the dented fender.