"Actually I just got a tip from Trey that there's a meeting tomorrow night in San Diego. I'm heading there." He stood and gave her his back. He didn't want her to see the conflict on his face. Did he want her to come with him? Yes and no. Yes because he knew how important it was for her to find Dobson and put some closure to what she felt she owed Jason. No because he didn't want her in any sort of danger.

"Great. I'll come with you."

Yeah, like he didn't see that coming.

It would be futile to try and talk her out of it. Even more useless to mention the danger. Why hadn't he kept his mouth shut? Because he couldn't. Not with her. She was better than truth serum when it came to guarding his thoughts. s.h.i.t. How soon would she know all his feelings for her?

Once he reached the reception desk, he turned around and was surprised to see she'd gotten to her feet to close the gap between them. d.a.m.n, watching her move was better than watching the moon drift across the sky on a star-filled night.

She didn't stop until her hand pressed delicately to his chest. "You know I'm not going to take no for an answer."

"I know."

"The meeting is with Dobson and the Wolf Seekers?"

"Looks like it."

"Then I think we both need to be there."

He'd perfected controlling his heart rate under stressful circ.u.mstances, but nothing had prepared him for the recklessness Tess stirred inside him. He couldn't keep his heart from beating faster, stronger, louder, at her touch, her close proximity. Did she feel it? He couldn't be sure, but the slow tug on the corners of her mouth made him think she did. And the twinkle in her eyes told him she liked the power she had over him.

"Fine." He reached up and took her wrist, moving her palm away from the pounding in his chest. "Do we need to stop by your place to get anything?"

"Nope. I've got a bag in the car."

Convenient. "Did you know I was leaving?" She couldn't possibly, but he wouldn't put anything past her. Maybe she already knew about the meeting and decided to play dumb.

"No. I just thought it might be a good idea, given recent events. Sometimes the job requires it."

"Is this trip part of your job?" Level with me, Tess. He wanted her to trust him. They might be standing beside one another and looking like a team, but he had no delusions that she worked alone.

She took a step away and bit her bottom lip. "In case you're wondering, no, I didn't know you were leaving tonight, and I didn't know about the meeting tomorrow. But being with you does bring my job into it. You're my a.s.signment." She blinked several times, sent her glance away from him. When she returned her gaze, she'd masked any emotion. "I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. All I know is I couldn't stay away from you."

Her honesty hit him in the gut like a two-ton brick. He felt exactly the same way. Granted, there might be some double meaning in her admission, but he chose to believe she was drawn to him as much as he was to her.

"I'm going to get you out of P.I.E.," he said, cupping her cheek in his hand.

"It's not that simple, Hugh."

"Good. I like a challenge." He sensed her pulse speeding up, her temperature rising. The sound of her heartbeat rang in his ears like a drum roll.

"It's not just me..." She spun on her heels and headed toward the hangar. "Come on," she called over her shoulder. "We better get a move on."

Catching her by the arm, he turned her around. "What's not just you? Did you meet with your boss? What did he say?"

The sentient part of him stirred again, begging to be brought to the surface. He didn't fight it. Tess's fear was palpable and knowing she was truly afraid for the first time since he'd met her stoked ferocity inside him. His heart twisted. His jaw tightened.

On the occasions he had no choice, he fed off the fear of others, but this time he had no intention of capitalizing on the emotion that made humans-and Veilers-their weakest. This time he used it to remind himself what he had to lose.

She could blink all she wanted. Hugh saw the tears threatening to slide down her face. "Forget I said anything," she whispered.

"The h.e.l.l I will." He pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

Tess relaxed, wrapped her arms around his lower back. They stayed that way until he felt some tension leave her body, and then he slackened his hold.

She spoke with her cheek pressed into his shoulder. "When and if I'm ready to elaborate, I will. So please leave it alone. I don't owe you any explanations. My business is my business and I need to take care of it. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my own mess."

He let her words sink in. He'd never before wanted to a.s.sume anyone else's problems, and the notion that he gave a s.h.i.t about hers dragged him deeper into complicated emotions that took root in his soul. A Night Runner did whatever it took to protect his mate.

"I know you can take care of yourself," he said, "but know this. I've got your back. And no one is going to lay a hand on you."

The shove she gave him thrust them apart. One look at her tough as nails expression told him she'd gotten over her moment of weakness. She didn't like feeling vulnerable-except when they'd kissed. Then he got a visceral response, a true sense of how powerful their attachment was.

"Who says you'll be around long enough?" There was no real seriousness in her tone.

"Is that a threat?" he teased. She'd thrown a wall up around herself trying to keep the upper hand. He'd be sure to keep chipping away at it.

"No," she relented, turning on her heels and heading into the hangar.

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm the one in charge?" Tess entered the lobby of the US Grant Hotel, trying not to think too hard about the man holding her hand. Just because they were together didn't give him the right to make all the decisions. She wasn't stuck at his house anymore.

"Another thousand?" The little-boy smile he graced her with was anything but innocent.

Truth be told, she didn't want to be alone in this mess, but she'd never say it out loud.

When she'd shown up at the hangar earlier, she'd had no idea what to say or do. She just knew she had to see Hugh. Her insides churned at remembering the slow smile that had spread across his face when he saw her. The look of relief. And joy. Criminy. When had her desire for companionship-that deeply hidden want she'd pushed away for fear of losing another loved one-decided to come to the surface?

The moment she'd arm-wrestled him, that was when.

And now they were about to close in on Dobson, the man she hadn't been able to get out of her head for the past five years. She always thought she'd find him on her own, but Hugh had kept reminding her on the flight to San Diego that he needed to keep his end of the bargain.

Why did that hurt and feel so good at the same time?

What she needed and wanted were very different things. She needed to put the past behind her and get revenge for Jason's death. She needed to spare her friends any pain. She needed to do the job she'd signed up for because it wasn't her own life at stake.

She wanted a new life.

With Hugh.

"You're thinking too hard over there."

"I'm thinking if you don't let up on the death grip, I'm going to lose circulation. You're not worried I'm going to ditch you, are you?"

His hold eased a fraction. "That's the last thing on your mind right now. You're thinking about Dobson. About getting closure and moving on. You might not want me here, but you know you've got a better chance of finding a wolfen with a wolfen."

"You think you know me pretty well, don't you?" She shuddered at his accuracy. No one had ever pegged her thoughts like that.

"Yeah." He cast a quick glance at her as they marched across the hotel's marble-floored lobby to the reception desk.

"So you'll follow my lead? Something tells me there's a connection between Dobson, the Wolf Seekers and you." She took a deep breath and swallowed the sick feeling coming up her throat. "I know your elimination is bogus and something brought all of this together." She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd walked into something bigger than she or Hugh realized.

"You think this is a setup?" He slowed his steps as if wanting to finish their conversation before they checked in.

"I think there's definitely more going on than we realize."

"Agreed. And that's why I won't follow your lead."

She yanked her hand free and stopped walking. "This isn't up to you, Hugh. It's my deal. You aren't going to save me here. You can't make my problems go away by shifting or using your animal instincts. In fact, you should get your a.s.s back on your plane and fly as far away from me as you possibly can."

He crowded her personal s.p.a.ce and whispered, "You relinquished control over me the instant you told me who you were, so don't even think about pulling that c.r.a.p on me. I didn't run then and I'm not running now. I know you haven't told me everything and that's fine. I haven't told you everything either. But I am here to protect you whether you like it or not."

"You're not making this easy on me."

"I'm not trying to make it easy. I'm trying to get through to you." His hands came up and cupped her cheeks. The familiar touch made her ache for more of him.

If he kept looking at her with those sincere eyes of his, she'd crumble. "And I'm trying to tell you to knock it off."

An exhausted sigh sounded before he dropped his hands and answered. "Fine. You win."

They strode to the front desk in silence. A young woman with a perky nose and perfect white teeth smiled from a distance. Her attentive gaze immediately annoyed Tess. The woman practically drooled as her eyes swept over Hugh. What the h.e.l.l kind of professional welcome was that? She reached for his hand and tightened her fingers around his.

"Checking in?" the woman asked.

Tess wanted to answer, "No s.h.i.t, Sherlock," but refrained.

"Yes. Hugh Langston."

"Welcome to the US Grant, Mr. Langston." Her high-pitched voice sounded worse than fingernails on chalkboard. "I've got a suite all ready for you."

A suite? Quivers shot down her arms when Hugh picked up her hand again and led the way to the elevator. She hadn't given any thought to their room arrangements, but now she wished she had. If she let herself tumble into the sheets with him, she'd lose any last thread of resistance. In a very short time he'd been her biggest influence and changed the way she thought.

And she still hadn't figured out how to avoid eliminating him.

She concentrated on controlling the beat of her heart because she did not want him knowing what spending the night in a suite did to her. And because she'd gotten good at reading his body language and surmised he had no plans to sleep. His chest puffed out and his steps hurried while his grip on her hand intensified.

"Do you think Dobson's already here?" Business. She needed to talk about business.

"I don't know. Thought you might want to try and get a line on him when we get to the room."

She dropped her shoulders. "Oh good. We'll get right to work then?"

"Did you have something else is mind?" He raised his eyebrows and nailed her with his distracting cobalt eyes.

Yes. "No. I'm happy you want to get to work. I don't think I could fall asleep right now. I'm too keyed up about finally meeting Dobson. I'll use your laptop to access my email and retrieve the doc.u.mentation I've been acc.u.mulating over the years. It's not much, but maybe you'll see something I haven't now that we know he's connected to the Wolf Seekers."

They reached the tenth floor and Hugh held open the elevator doors. "That sounds like a good place to start."

"I can't help but think he's got some connection to the Night Runners too. I don't know why, besides the fact that he's helping to harm your pack. Something just feels off."

"I agree." He followed her down the hallway.

"And I think this big meeting tomorrow night might be about you." It seemed like more than a coincidence that the day she had to eliminate Hugh corresponded with the day of this big meeting. "And your place as pack leader."

"Hmm."

"I mean besides me, there is that Banoth that tried to kill you."

He led them around a corner, paying little attention to her. "Good point."

"You're not saying much."

As they reached the door of their suite, Hugh stopped and finally looked at her. "You seemed to be on a roll. I didn't want to stop you."

"Since when don't you interrupt me?" She put her hands on her hips and jutted her chin out. The bag on her shoulder slid down to her elbow, but she made no move to right it.

"Since I'm not in charge. I'm biting my tongue here, Tess. And it sure as h.e.l.l isn't easy. I'm about ready to strangle myself with this self control c.r.a.p." A low growl escaped his lips. "I don't like putting our win-lose strategy in your hands."

"What is that supposed to mean? Win or lose what? And I'm perfectly capable of being in charge and succeeding."

He slipped the keycard into the door slot and ushered her inside. "Do you think you're just going to stroll into that meeting and get the answers you want? I've got a lot at stake here too. I'm the alpha and the Night Runners are my responsibility. I don't want harm coming to them."

"Strolling isn't what I had in mind." Truthfully, she had no idea what she had in mind. She hadn't had time to think things through. Not that she ever made a plan, anyway.

Suddenly, she found herself pushed up against the wall by Hugh. Muted light from somewhere behind him illuminated the angle of his jaw, the slope of his nose. His dark eyes were difficult to decipher, but enough heat radiated off him to make her own temperature spike up a notch.

"Crashing through the window isn't the best plan of attack either."

"What makes you think I'd make such a grand entrance? I'll have you know I've got a little more self control than that."

When it came to controlling the desire to kiss him, to wrap her legs around him and spend the night making love rather than strategizing, she hoped she had the strength.

"How much?" He inched a little bit closer.

"How much what?" Her heart pounded in her ears, warmth spread between her legs, and every rational thought flew out of her head.

He slipped a hand around her waist, and with a voice s.e.xy enough to lodge a permanent lump in her throat, said, "How much self control do you really have?"

Once again, confusion swamped her. She wanted nothing more than to tell him to strip her naked and do everything they'd done a few nights ago. But he was her target. She was supposed to eliminate him or harm could come to Kensie and Francesca. As much as she didn't want to, as much as she planned not to, she wasn't sure what to do to get herself out of this predicament and save him. She did know making love to him again would only make her fall harder for him-if that was even possible.

Somewhere between Los Angeles and San Diego during his lecture on saving her from P.I.E., she realized she'd fallen in love with him. Listening to him declare how much he wanted to save her, she discovered he cared more about her than she did herself. No one had ever thought her that special before.

"Well?" he asked when she didn't answer right away.

Maybe it was a defense mechanism because she didn't know if his caring meant love, but either way, something struck her. He was taking control. Manipulating her with his s.e.x appeal. And she didn't like it. Not one little bit. Well, maybe she liked it a tiny bit. Okay, she liked it a lot. But he didn't have to know that.

"More than you, bucko." She pushed him out of the way, hit the light switch and took a good look at the suite.

His laugh drew a smile to her face. Thank G.o.d she had her back to him and he couldn't see it.