Free Ransom by Terri Reed Page B

guaranteed. And that he couldn’t abide.
    But the guilt riding on his back told him he should never have let her get that close to danger. He should put her on the next plane back to her island home where she would be safe and out of his hair. For both their sakes.
    Yet, he admitted to himself, he’d do just about anything to bring down Santini, including saddling himself with this headstrong, attractive, maddening woman. He owed Liam that. The sting of remorse was never far from the surface, reminding Blake of the debt he must pay.
    â€œFine,” he ground out. “But no matter what, you aren’t leaving the car.”
    â€œOkay, I won’t get in the way.” She turned on her heel to march to his sedan and slid into the passenger seat.
    Shaking his head and holding on to his patience, Blake climbed behind the steering wheel. With the heater on full blast, he followed the Kellys’ SUV, stopping a few cars back as they let Travis out. Blake kept an eye on the man in case he tried to run with the necklace as they slowly trailed him.
    Liz had handed over the paper bag easily enough, much to Blake’s surprise. He had figured she’d want to keep control of the necklace. He hoped it was a sign that she trusted him. Trust meant she’d act when he told her to, which could be the difference between life and death. That she’d understood that he was the professional and allowed him to do what he needed to in order to get the job done.
    He found a parking spot with an unobstructed view of the diner’s front door as Travis entered the eatery carrying the bag. Nathanial was already inside and would have eyes on Travis. Blake turned up the volume on the receiver that permitted them to hear when Santini contacted Travis. Normal sounds of silverware clanking on dishes and the hum of conversations filled the interior of the sedan.
    Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Blake ignored the floral scent of Liz’s shampoo that scented the enclosed space. He’d noticed it this morning as well, but now it was softer, more alluring.
    The sound of a cell phone ringing made Blake’s shoulders tense. “Here we go,” he murmured.
    Travis’s voice came over the receiver. “Yes. I have it. Where’s Jillian? No, I want to talk to Jillian. Where is she? Fine. I’ll bring the necklace.” Travis repeated the address aloud. “Please don’t hurt Jillian.” The pleading tone in Travis’s voice sounded genuine before he ended the call. Then he groaned. “Did you hear that?” His question was obviously aimed at Blake and Liz. “They’re holding her at some warehouse.”
    Blake dialed Travis’s number and got him on the line. “Stay put. We’ll come to you.”
    â€œSantini said within the hour,” Travis complained. “I need to take the necklace to him. Now.”
    â€œUnderstood,” Blake said. He needed to buy some time for Nathanial to coordinate with local law enforcement to take Travis into custody.
    Blake opened his tablet and quickly typed in the street name on a map of Niagara and found the building, a sixteen-thousand-square-foot structure off Highway 420 near the Niagara Centre for the Arts. Liz leaned over to see the screen, bringing with her another wave of her captivating scent to tease his nose and fire his senses.
    â€œIs that far?” she asked.
    He realized he was staring at her well-formed mouth, on the little freckle near the corner of her upper lip. Whoa. Not okay. He forced his attention away from her pretty face and back to the tablet screen. “Not far. A few miles.”
    She nodded and straightened, giving him much-needed space to clear his head. A total distraction. One he didn’t need. He couldn’t let her affect him. It could be dangerous for all of them. Bolstering his resolve, he squared his shoulders and got back to business.
    He called Drew and relayed the