She knew Tyler . . . and she didn’t. He’d definitely seemed to have changed. He’d always been funny and on the protective side, but now defending her was like a code to him. A mantra. He meant every word he said, obviously committed in a way she hadn’t seen before.

With watery vision, Del sent a grateful glance to Tyler. “Thanks.”

“I don’t want you to thank me. I want you to live.” He wiped away the tears on her cheek. “Jack and Deke did some prodding and got ahold of the police report detailing your car bomb. It was definitely Semtex, a quarter-pound directional charge, under the dash. So Carlson has connections to some bad people. Angel, you shouldn’t be involved in this.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Xander is flying to L.A tomorrow. I want you to go back to Lafayette with him. Take care of Seth. I’ll deal with this.”

“I can’t. I think Carlson has a lot of dirty cops in his pocket. So I’m not expecting any help from that end. Carlson won’t go away without public exposure. My editor at the paper is just waiting for this story. I have to do the legwork and write it.”

“But Seth needs you.”

“He needs to be safe even more. You can’t write this story, only I can. So I’m going to do it, then go back to my son. Besides, I’m not leaving you to clean up my mess and risk yourself.”

“You are one hardheaded woman. Jack swears that a good spanking is one hell of an attitude adjuster. I’m beginning to see his point.”

“You’re not touching my ass—or any other part of me.”

He sent her a lazy smile that did crazy things to her pulse. “Angel, I wouldn’t take that bet if I were you.”

Del swallowed. Yeah, she wasn’t sure that was a wise bet at all. Within a few short days, she’d gone from being certain that temptation was the very last thing on her mind to almost craving the feel of Tyler’s skin on hers, his lips demanding her surrender, as he drove deep inside her. How long could she really resist? And did she genuinely want to?

She cleared her throat. “So what’s the plan? Are we rolling into L.A. tonight?”

“No. We’d get there late. You’re tired, I’m tired, and I’ll bet Carlson has a whole network of people on the lookout for us. The closer we are to his turf, the more dangerous it is. We need to rest and have a solid plan. You’ve got to get in touch with Eric, too. We need that evidence you stashed at his house.”

And that fact really pissed Tyler off. Unfortunately, he was right.

It was early evening when they pulled into a little motel just inside Palm Springs that had seen its heyday forty years ago. They exited the air-conditioned SUV under a sign that advertised COLOR TV and SWIMMING POOL, then approached the sprawling blue-stucco structure surrounded by desert and palm trees. Tyler pulled a baseball cap low over his face.

Del frowned. “Why here?”

“It’s off the beaten path. It’s not a chain, so I can pay cash. There’s parking around back, but no road behind us. Someone would have to be deliberately looking for us here to find us. And I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

No, it didn’t look like anyone would come here voluntarily.

Tyler opened the door and stepped inside, body taut, eyes watchful. He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Wait by the vending machine. Keep your back to the guy behind the counter. We don’t need witnesses or security cameras.”

She didn’t argue, just filed in behind him, head down, and made her way to the soda machine humming in the corner. Within a few minutes, Tyler had secured them a room. He grabbed her arm and led her back to the car.

“Good news. Our room is upstairs. There are two nearby stairwells that lead to the parking lot, a service elevator next door, along with roof access from the balcony. If Carlson is coming, I don’t think he’ll be able to muster enough guys to block four escape routes before we can blow this joint.”

Del nodded gratefully. She would have chosen a nice hotel in the middle of a tourist area, hoping to blend in. She would have never considered where the parking lot was situated in relation to the road or how many escape routes the room might have.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You’re not going to like our accommodations.” With a nod, he ushered her inside, then locked the door behind him.

As she looked around, her stomach tightened. “There’s only one bed.”

One lumpy, king-sized bed decorated with a vinyl tufted headboard, cracked with age, and a turquoise bedspread with bright yellow flowers. Cheap wicker furniture that had seen better days, a fading mural of palm trees along the bathroom wall, and cracked off-white tile flooring rounded out the look.

“To get the bonus safety features I mentioned, we had to compromise.”

She scowled. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Yeah, you are, at least next to me, where I can keep you safe. We’ll decide about sex later. My vote is yes because I’m done tiptoeing around the fact that I want you damn bad. I’m pretty sure this is the only chance I’ll have to convince you that something about us works, so if I have to be ruthless . . .” He shrugged. “I have no problem with that.”

Del’s jaw dropped. She should be pissed off. And she was trying to be. But she found something so compelling about Tyler’s desire. He wanted her and he refused to deny it. She couldn’t refute the ache flaring in her again. She hadn’t missed sex in almost two years, and here he was, making her need and want it in a way she never had.

“For now, I’m going to take a quick shower. Call to check on Seth, if you’d like.” He tossed her his phone. “When I get done, we need to find some dinner, buy a few supplies, and exchange our car again. Xander will call to set it up.”

With that, he disappeared into the bathroom. Del sank onto the bed, disquiet dawning. Tyler had never come after her with all his seductive prowess. For years, she’d watched him turn it on other women, always somewhere between envious and grateful. As much as she wanted him now, resistance was going to be brutally difficult.

Was it worth the effort when they’d only be together for a few days? Whatever he said, Tyler would likely go his separate way when this mess was over. Instead of pushing him away, maybe she should seize the opportunity to feel like a woman again, to feel loved, put closure to this chapter of her life.

Biting her lip as she considered the question, she turned Tyler’s phone over in her hands and opened his contact list. She scrolled and scrolled and scrolled. Lots of females, first name that usually sounded artificial and overtly sexual with a phone number only. Jazmine, Krystal, Angelique, Chastity—yeah, right—and even a Lexxxie. Del rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the jealousy blazing through her. Tyler wasn’t hers, and he never would be. She couldn’t afford to lose sight of that fact.

Finally, she came across Alyssa’s contact info and dialed. The woman answered almost right away. “Hey, Ty. Figure your shit out yet?”

“It’s not Tyler.”

“Delaney? Hi.”

“Hi.” She didn’t want to resent the woman he called friend, that he’d clearly wanted—and slept with?—at some point. The woman now watching over her son. But she couldn’t help it. “How’s Seth?”

“Great. Kimber brought Caleb over to play with Chloe and Seth. They are having a great time. Magically, she’s keeping the boys from fighting. He seems really happy. He misses you at bedtime, but we’ve all done our best to comfort him.”

Tears speared her eyes again. She’d been strong for so long, but one thought of Seth sad or in need brought her to the brink. That’s one thing she hadn’t seen coming before giving birth, the power of a mother’s love for her child. She’d never known anything so pure and unconditional. For that alone, she was so grateful to Tyler.

After they chatted for a minute, Delaney ended the call. If she and Tyler were going to have a plan before they reached their destination tomorrow, she needed up-to-date information.

Digging through her purse, she found the disposable phone she’d bought on the road and dialed Lisa, one of the paper’s investigative reporters. They’d been working together for just over a year. Lisa was wicked funny, but more importantly, she was razor sharp when it came to digging for dirt. That’s exactly what Delaney needed right now.

“Del, is that really you?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I should be back in L.A. by tomorrow.”

“And Seth?” Lisa sounded all kinds of worried.

“Fine. I miss him, but he’s better off being out of town with friends. Tell me what I’ve missed.”

Lisa’s voice dropped. “The lid is about to blow here. If you have any intention of stopping Carlson, you better do it quickly. Rumor is, he’s got some shit on the DA. Apparently, the esteemed Mr. Reed likes to swing both ways, and Carlson is threatening to publish pictures of him and a barely legal boy together in a park. And they aren’t throwing a Frisbee.”

Shock doused Del. “Seriously? Mr. Family Values and Church?”

“Isn’t it always the ones you least suspect? But you haven’t heard the worst. It’s likely that Carlson will be appointed to replace him until the next election.”

Del nearly dropped the phone. “As sneaky as he is about getting positive press, it’s unlikely he wouldn’t be elected.”

“Bingo.”

“Oh my God.”

This changed everything. If she couldn’t get this story published before he became the district attorney, she feared he’d have too much power for her to take him down via a mere newspaper article. Hell, for all she knew, he could have her thrown in jail and Seth taken away.

Fear lashed her.

“How much time do I have?” Del whispered.

“A few days, maybe. A week at most. I’ve been staying on top of this for you, just like you asked. Sorry I don’t have better news.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” she said woodenly.

But Del’s thoughts raced. If she didn’t succeed, what would happen to her and Seth? Every time she turned around, Carlson proved all over again how ruthless he was. He’d already tried to have her killed more than once. She was the only one standing between him and power. He wasn’t going to stop.

“You sound rattled.”

To say the least. “Don’t worry about me. Just keep your ear to the ground.”

“What’s your next move?”

Del sighed. “I’ll have to try calling Eric again. I tried while I was heading out east. Somehow, I’ll have to explain that I hid part of my evidence on a flash drive and stashed it at his house.”

She hoped that conversation didn’t go badly. They’d managed some civil conversations since their divorce. If he had a new girlfriend and was getting laid, he enjoyed rubbing it in her face. If he wasn’t, well, Eric had proven during the divorce that he was fabulous at serving up a cocktail of acid and guilt. She’d known when she hid the flash drive at his house that she’d have to retrieve it sooner or later. She’d simply hoped that time would continue healing him, and they’d be on better speaking terms.

“Keep me posted. I think he’s been out of town. Newspapers are stacked in front of his house, at least when I drove by there on my way to work this morning to check for you.”

Maybe that explained why he hadn’t been answering when she called the house. At least she hoped that was all. She had to get back in the little Craftsman quickly. She’d simply sneak in again, but with everything going on, Eric had a right to know that someone might hit his house. But she also had to keep him and Tyler from coming to blows. Hmm. Maybe she should meet Eric by herself . . .

“Please let me know if you hear anything else.”

Lisa agreed, and they hung up.

And Del saw her future teetering on extinction. So much was riding on these next few days, her ability to navigate Eric, get this story written, and dodge killers. She thanked God that Seth was safe and away from the danger, but every moment she couldn’t talk to him, she worried something terrible was happening to him. If someone hurt him because of her . . . Guilt choked her.

Tears began to flow. God, she hated being weepy, but fear did that to her.

Del wished she could undo the day she’d confronted Carlson with everything she knew. She’d wanted to provoke him into admitting something. Be a hard-hitting investigative journalist. She’d been determined to show the world what ruthless scum he was.

Naïvely, she hadn’t counted on him being this violent, and now she and Seth might pay with their lives.

***

TYLER emerged from the bathroom to see her set her phone aside. Then she dropped her face to her hands. Her shoulders shook with sobs. She was dead silent. Her pain was a blow to his gut.

“What’s wrong, angel? Is Seth all right?” He put a hand on her shoulder.