Not a Moment Too Soon

“Just answer, please.” Shauna could hardly say it was a clue that came to her out of the blue, or Banger would demand to know what she meant. And Shauna and Hunter had already agreed to avoid mentioning her story to the official investigators.

Looking at Hunter with exaggerated tolerance, Margo said, “No, I don’t know anyone who uses initials for their nicknames.”

“How about friends or acquaintances whose names—first or last—begin with the letter T?”

“What—?” Banger began.

“Just humor her,” Hunter said. He jotted down the few names Margo mentioned, but they were mostly women. Shauna hadn’t specified men, but her story, and Margo, had indicated that the kidnapper was male. A couple of the men Margo named were clearly name-dropping—big Hollywood celebrities whom his ex might have met at large industry parties.

When Margo threw up her hands and proclaimed she couldn’t think of anyone else, Hunter suggested that they map out investigation tactics.

They continued their discussion until it became clear they could accomplish no more that night. Though what he wanted to do was to start pounding on doors right now, Hunter knew he’d only freak people out. He’d do what he could tonight on his computer, mapping out strategy, doing what research he could, directing Simon on the rest. Time for Shauna and him to leave.

Once they were in his car, Hunter headed for the San Diego Freeway, which he would take south toward his home. And his personal computer, which would serve him just as well, for now, as his office computer.

Then there was the other thing he intended to do. Or, rather, he intended Shauna to do.

“Are you okay?” Shauna asked.

“No. Are you? You should be pretty pleased with yourself. Everything’s following your story so far, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she said quietly. “Andee disappeared, and the kidnapper called her mother. Her father did the right thing and told the authorities, and enlisted their cooperation while he starts the search for his missing daughter.”

“I’ll change things—the outcome, at least,” Hunter insisted. “Everything that’s come true did so without my input, or I did it because it made sense.”

“Don’t blame yourself for mostly following the story,” Shauna said. “Though I can’t tell you why, I don’t think you have much choice. And I can say from experience that even if you do things differently, it doesn’t change anything.”

“So you said.” He knew he sounded irritable, but, hell, he believed in free will. No damned story was going to be so engraved in stone that real life would follow it.

His daughter would be fine.

“I’m still changing your story, Shauna,” he finished. Fortunately, they were stopped at a red light near the freeway entrance. He looked at her.

The time was close to midnight, but they were under a streetlight. Shauna’s brown eyes were wide and puzzled and even a little irritated. “Hunter, I’ve already explained—”

“Yeah, I know you think that changing something won’t make a damned bit of difference. And even if I alter events and you enter the changes onto the computer, it won’t save them. But I won’t give up before I’ve even tried. Got it? And you’ve got to work with me, like it or not. That’s why you came, isn’t it—to help me?”

She was silent, biting her bottom lip as she obviously thought how to respond.

He once had nibbled on that same full, sexy lip. The top one, too.

And other places on her silky, sexy body—

But that was before. He’d keep his hands off her now, even if it killed him.

Because if he didn’t, if he upset Shauna enough to make her leave, it might imperil his daughter’s life even more.

Of course, that gave credence to the credibility of her damned story. But like it or not, he’d already given it credence. Ignoring it wasn’t an option.

He’d learned his lesson the hard way before.

“Okay, Hunter,” she said quietly. “I’ll stay, at least for a while. If I can do anything at all to help Andee, you know I will. And if the best I can do is to help you accept—”

“I’ll never accept that,” he retorted, his voice raised. “Don’t play shrink with me.” He noticed that the light had turned green. Fortunately, there was no one behind them.

“All right,” Shauna said sadly. Her hand touched his cheek. His eyes closed as his senses drank in the contact—the softness of her skin, her unique scent, which was neither too sweet nor too spicy. His entire body responded with awareness of Shauna and her touch, her closeness to him after so many long years. Good thing they were still stopped.

His eyes popped open, and he turned to look at her. She withdrew her hand, but it still hovered between them. He’d have shoved it away if all he’d seen was sympathy on her face. It wasn’t. Yet…was it desire darkening the brown of her eyes?

Did she feel it, too?

Lord, how he wanted to take her into his arms, the way he once did. Make love with her, to forget all that was happening, if only for a few, wonderful minutes.

She looked away first. “You missed the light.”

He glanced in that direction. “Yeah.”

“I don’t have reservations, but are there any hotels around here?” She swiveled in her seat. They’d driven a ways from Margo’s into a rougher area of town. There was no way he would leave Shauna here.

“You’re staying with me,” he said.

“I can’t, Hunter.” Her voice was low, husky, but this time, as the light changed, he didn’t look at her.

“Yeah, you can. I’ll keep my hands off you, don’t worry.”

He had to.

“Like I said, I’m changing your story, Shauna. And for that you need to hang around. You’ll come with me when I ask questions. Help me brainstorm what else to do. You can gather new and different stuff to type in while you’re along for the ride. In the story, I investigate alone. Now, I’ll have an assistant along. If enough is thrown into your story that’s different, maybe the ending will change. And having you with me, when in the story I go it alone, will be a good start. Deal?”

They were on the freeway, and the best he could do in the silence was to glance momentarily at her. She was staring straight ahead. Her upper teeth were again worrying her lower lip in that same, sexy manner.

He wouldn’t let it affect him.

“Well?” he prompted.

“Okay, Hunter,” she finally said. “Deal.”

Chapter 5

Though Hunter’s house was in Brentwood, an area on the west side of Los Angeles that Shauna knew was upscale, it seemed even more low-key for its area than Margo’s.

She could see in the lights along the wide street that his place was the smallest on the block, not the largest—white stucco and boxy looking, a modest, well-tended yard around it. Hunter drove his GTO down the driveway to the back of the house. The door inside the attached garage opened right into the kitchen, which was compact, outdated and cluttered.

A cookie jar shaped like a smiling pig sat on the counter beside the side-by-side refrigerator. On top of the butcher-block table was a box of sweetened kiddy cereal and under it was a bright plastic child’s step stool.

All signs that a child lived here, and was loved. The little everyday items left in homey disarray nearly broke Shauna’s heart.

Hunter had insisted on bringing in both her small suitcase and his, though she toted her own laptop. “I’ll show you to the guest room.” He led her through the kitchen and down a narrow hall decorated with framed pictures of Andee alone, Andee and Elayne, and Andee with Hunter. But none with Andee and her mother. Not a surprise, since Hunter and Margo had been divorced two years or more, but recognizing that fact helped Shauna relax a little. Not that it should matter.