cases that would get her six feet under.
Her one hand resting on the railing, she plowed the fingers of the other through her hair as if her patience had thinned. “I told you—”
“I know what you told me,” he cut in. “Don’t play games with me, Detective. Give it to me straight. If I’m going back to L.A. with you, I at least need to know you’re not a head case. I have no desire to go dark with a cop who’s suicidal.”
Well, hell, he’d really messed up now. He’d given her that inch she wanted so desperately. He’d admitted that he was going back to L.A. It wasn’t as if he had a choice. When had his brain staged a mutiny and decided he was going with her?
This time when she met his eyes there was no trepidation. That unyielding determination was back, full force. Maybe even had a little anger in the mix. “I want to help you get your life back…for real.”
That tug he hadn’t felt in months—not since the last time they’d stood this close—had him fighting the need to lean closer…to taste the grim line of those lush lips. Oh, yeah. Ten minutes around her and he’d already lost his grip on reality. He had to be out of his mind to even consider what she was proposing.
He was a fool, that was for sure.
Sam drew back a step, mentally shook off the too-intense moment. There wasn’t any going back now. “We should go back to Victoria’s office and work out the particulars.”
“Does this mean you’re going back to L.A. with me?”
If she was surprised at his decision, she kept the reaction carefully concealed behind that inflexible cop demeanor she’d yanked back into place.
“It means I’m going back. Whether I go with you or not is yet to be seen.”
He walked around her and headed up the stairwell.
It wasn’t like he had a choice. He couldn’t let Watts carry out his vengeance on his family.
Going back to L.A. was the last thing he’d ever expected to do.
Ironically it probably would be the last thing he ever did.
LISA SMITH couldn’t take the first step upward. Not yet. His answer had shocked her. She hadn’t expected him to agree to go back to L.A. quite so easily. Not in a million years, actually.
A dozen steps up he abruptly stopped and turned to her. “You coming?”
Heat rushed up her neck and across her cheeks. If he noted her hesitation, thought for one second she couldn’t handle this, he would refuse to cooperate. She knew the kind of man she was dealing with here. “Yeah. I’m right behind you.” She took the steps two at a time until she’d reached the one just below him.
Instead of giving her his back and resuming his climb upward, he studied her…too close. She banished all emotion. Stared right back at him. Whatever he was thinking, she wouldn’t have him reading her. She remembered all too well just how good he was at that particular skill.
When he decided the intimidation wasn’t going to work, he turned forward and headed back up to Victoria Colby-Camp’s office. Lisa didn’t draw a deep breath until they were inside that neutral territory. Victoria had agreed to help her. That put her on Lisa’s side. Strange, that decision also seemed to pit her directly against her own son. Lisa wasn’t sure of the story there.
Jim Colby still stood in front of his mother’s desk, looking annoyed at the whole situation. Victoria remained calm and as regal-looking as when Lisa had first met her yesterday afternoon.
“I have to go back to L.A. and handle this,” Sam said to Jim Colby. “There really isn’t any other way.”
“I can send Anders with you,” Jim suggested. “You’ll need backup.”
Sam shook his head. Lisa had known he would do that.
“I have to do this alone.”
Lisa held up both hands stop-sign fashion. “We do this my way, Johnson. I’m the one with the badge.” No way was she going to have him going vigilante. Again. He had to understand who was in charge, here and now. Now that she knew he was going back, she could afford to push the boundaries a little. The glare he pointed in her direction told her what he thought of that idea.
“I would much prefer,” Victoria interrupted, maneuvering easily through the thick tension radiating between Lisa and Johnson, “sending one of my investigators at least in a support capacity.”
“Support would be helpful, as long as there’s no question who’s in charge.” Lisa looked from Victoria to her son, Jim Colby. Both were determined to help, but she needed him to be onboard with her. Jim Colby kept whatever he was thinking to himself.
Johnson, however, did not. He moved his head firmly from side to side. “No one else gets involved. The only way to do this is by slipping into that world, the less fanfare the better. It’s too risky to drag anyone else into the situation.”
Lisa couldn’t argue the validity of that particular point, but backup could make the difference between success and failure. She couldn’t call on anyone in Homicide for support of any nature. If they figured out what she was up to, the chief would have her shield. Not to mention that Chuck would probably request a new partner.
“We’ll need logistical support,” Lisa argued, infusing as much logic into her tone as possible. “We can’t go under deep cover and handle any necessary logistics at the same time.”
Johnson appeared to consider her assertion. Good. She’d made him think. The operation they were talking about was extremely dicey at best. Any and all help behind the scenes that didn’t come from LAPD would be beneficial.
“All right. Logistical support and that’s it. No one goes in except me.”
There he went again. “And me,” she reminded, setting him straight.
He looked away, gave his attention to his boss. “I need to make arrangements for my family.” His sister was ten years his junior. She still lived with his parents while she completed her doctorate at UCLA.
“I’ll send two of my investigators to serve as security,” Victoria offered. “I have several who are the absolute best to be found.”
“Anders will provide logistical support,” Jim Colby said to Sam, choosing not to comment on his mother’s offer. “Anything you need, you let him know. He’s been in far worse places than L.A.’s gang world.”
Johnson said to Lisa, “Spencer Anders is former Special Forces. He spent most of his time in the Middle East. He could handle this with his eyes closed.”
“Good.” She didn’t mention that she already knew Anders was former military. She’d run a complete background check on the Equalizers the day Johnson went to work there. “There’s a flight that leaves at three this afternoon. We could be on it,” Lisa suggested. The sooner they were on their way the better, in fact. She didn’t want him having any extra time to reconsider.
“That’ll work,” he agreed, though it didn’t sound as if his heart was in the decision.
“Let’s use the agency jet,” Victoria offered as she pushed out of her chair. “That way the two of you can brief the others en route, and equipment transport won’t be a problem. Airport security makes getting across country with the necessities for an assignment like this nearly impossible.”
Victoria was right. A private aircraft would make travel considerably less complicated for all involved. Excellent idea or not, Lisa couldn’t help noticing the increasing tension in Jim Colby. His posture grew even more rigid and his jaw tightened to the point that a muscle repeatedly contracted there. Apparently, he was not pleased with what he presumed to be Victoria’s interference. When running that background check, Lisa had learned that Jim Colby was Victoria’s son. Evidently, Victoria had remarried since her surname was now Colby-Camp. Maybe that was part of the