Free Worth the Risk by Melinda Di Lorenzo Page B

them sealed as they moved stealthily from the building back up the street to the car. She even stayed silent until they’d both buckled their seat belts and Sam had put the car into Drive and pulled out onto the road. Then she couldn’t hold it in anymore.
    “I want you to promise me you won’t leave me alone ever again!” she blurted, then colored as she realized how it sounded. “Not like that.”
    Sam’s mouth was turned up on one side. “Like what then?”
    Meredith refused to give in to that sexily crooked smile.
    “I’m serious. This is my sister we’re looking for. From now on, whatever you’re doing, I want to be there. And before you say it’s not safe, let me remind you that you’re the one who just about got killed and I was the one who saved you. Then, to top it off, you left me alone with a crazy woman, who—” She cut herself off abruptly.
    “Who what?”
    “Nothing.”
    His smile grew wider. “Eileen isn’t so bad. She’s not nearly unpleasant enough that it’s fair to compare her to being shot at, beaten and partially strangled.”
    Meredith’s throat constricted at the remembered fear that Sam was dead or dying. It had been a terrifying few moments. But she knew he was using it to try and distract her.
    “You wouldn’t be so amused if you knew what she’d said to me.”
    At her tone, Sam’s cool blue gaze slipped to her for an appraising second before turning back to the road. “What did she say?”
    “Never mind.”
    “But now I’m intrigued.”
    “We have more important things to talk about. Like what you were doing in the bathroom.”
    Sam’s gaze found her again. Dammit. Why did he have to have that stare down to an art? The one that said, I’ll figure it out anyway, so you might as well just tell me now. And he was so damn efficient with it that his eyes were already back on the road.
    Probably a cop thing, Meredith thought.
    But that didn’t mean she had to like it.
    When she didn’t reply, Sam raised an eyebrow, lifted a hand from the steering wheel, reached into his pocket and pulled out a memory stick. He held it out for a moment, then shoved it back into his pocket.
    “I can’t do anything with this until we get back to Worm and his little slice of tech heaven. And I think you have time between here and there to divulge a few of Eileen’s words of wisdom,” he said.
    Meredith tossed her gaze to the roof of the car. Why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut?
    “You aren’t going to let it go, are you?” she asked.
    “Nope.”
    “Fine. She said that by the end of today, you’d have put a ring on my finger.”
    The car jerked underneath them, giving away Sam’s reaction, even though his face remained impassive and his gaze stayed on the road. And Meredith had to admit she’d felt just about the same way when Eileen had said it. The old woman had sounded utterly confident that she was correct. Okay, maybe it couldn’t be compared to Sam’s ordeal, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t scared the heck out of Meredith. In fact, both things scared her. Nearly as much as not knowing what Tamara had gotten herself involved in.
    “So I guess your request is a little redundant anyway, then,” Sam stated, interrupting the remarkably thick silence.
    Meredith frowned. “What?”
    “If I’m putting a ring on your finger today, it’s probably fair to say that I won’t ever be leaving you again. I think I’d be a very dedicated husband. Although I might demand a third kiss before I decide for sure.”
    An immediate lick of desire danced through Meredith. He was kidding. He had to be. But his tone was serious. And the thought of kissing him again gave her an all-over tingle. And hearing him use the word husband made her heart do a peculiar flop in her chest. She was so busy listening to the erratic thud that she almost missed Sam’s next question.
    “Have you ever been married before?”
    Meredith shook her head. “No.”
    “Engaged?”
    “No. And before you ask,