Free One Night More by Mandy Baxter Page B

that didn’t make him feel like crowing.
    “. . . Harper knows what’s expected of her in this situation, and though we understand the inconvenience this is causing her, she’s agreed to work from home for the time being . . .”
    Don’t forget, as far as you know, she still has a boyfriend, dumbass . Aaaaand, just like that, the spell was broken. Jesus, what was wrong with him? He needed to speak up, right now. Tell Monroe that he couldn’t work this detail because he knew the witness. Get his ass out of this office and the hell away from her.
    Despite the fact that he tried to keep his eyes forward, they seemed to move on their own and he caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye. The past year melted away, rocketing him back to that night. Her wit, her smile, her scent, her warmth. He should say something. Do something. Put as much distance between them as possible. But when he thought about walking out the door, walking away from her, something inside of him locked down. Maybe it was curiosity. Or maybe, deep down, he was a sadist. Either way, he knew that there was no fucking way he was going to tuck tail and run out like he was guilty of anything. She’d used him. Not the other way around. This was his assignment. Period. And if she had a problem with that, then too damn bad.
    “Excuse me, Curt.” Galen leaned back, crossed his arms over his chest. “But, with the high-profile nature of this investigation, and Miss Allen’s visibility, wouldn’t it be better to move her to a safe house outside of Portland. Temporarily, of course.” Harper stiffened beside him and took a deep breath. He had a feeling she was about to object so he cut her off before she could speak. “We’re dealing with a highly sensitive case. One that’s going to be in the media spotlight for a while. Not to mention the fact that the FBI will be under pressure to produce a suspect. If Senator Ellis’s murderer has an ounce of sense, he’ll want to eliminate the witness sooner rather than later. Don’t you agree?” Damn, he’d pulled that out of his ass. As it was, Galen found it too damned hard to focus with Harper so close. But seriously, since when did protocol allow for a witness to remain in her home? Especially when her face was plastered all over the evening news.
    “First of all,” Harper jumped in, “I have a name. It’s not Miss Allen, and it sure as hell isn’t ‘the witness.’ I’m not a cup you guys can pass around from one location to the next. I have a job, responsibilities. I’ve already told Curt and I’ll tell you, Deputy Kelly. I’m not going anywhere .”
    Funny, she forgot to mention the boyfriend in that short list of excuses.
    “Harper, I think what Galen is trying to say—”
    “Is that you have no choice in the matter,” Galen spoke over Monroe. Jesus, had no one explained to her the danger she was in? “It’s my job to protect you in any way I see fit. If that means moving you out of the city, that’s what I’m going to do.”
    “Curt, did you or did you not tell me that until the FBI concluded its investigation, witness protection was off the table?” Though the question was directed at his superior officer, Harper’s gaze landed on Galen, challenging him to disagree.
    Monroe cleared his throat. “Well, yes—”
    “And Chief Deputy Monroe has put me in charge of your protective detail, making you my responsibility now. By all rights, you should have been relocated the night of Senator Ellis’s murder. Curt, she should be placed in WITSEC and we should be in the process of assigning her a new identity, setting her up in a new town. Since when do we let witnesses make the rules?”
    “I told you, my name is not ‘ the witness .’ And I didn’t ask for the Marshals Service to insert itself into my life. I don’t need a babysitter.”
    Galen snorted. Debatable . “Why don’t you let me decide—”
    “Okay, okay. I think everyone needs to settle down.” Monroe looked