Roland glanced at Lennox. “We need to leave now,” he said, taking her hand and leading her over to the SUV.
He opened the door to the vehicle and she slid into the seat. “What about my things, Roland?”
“Your luggage is already in the back. We’re good to go.”
“Go where?”
He smiled over at her. “We’re taking a road trip.”
LENNOX WISHED ROLAND WOULDN’Tsmile at her like that. Ever since last night’s shooting, his features had been tight and hard, but seeing those make-your-panties-wet lips curve into a slow, sexy smile made her glad she was sitting down. Otherwise, she would have lost her balance on her suddenly weak knees.
She watched him walk around the SUV, as if checking the tires, before finally getting in. When he did, she couldn’t help but notice the way the denim of his jeans stretched across his thighs as he slid beneath the steering wheel. And just looking at his hands--those strong, capable hands--made her breasts tingle.
Before he started the vehicle, he took the fob he’d shown her earlier and held it in front of the radio dial. Curiosity got the best of her and she asked, “What are you doing?”
He glanced over at her and the minute their gazes met, she felt the connection in every fiber of her being. This was the person she would be spending the next week with. Her stomach quivered, just at the thought of it. How on earth was she going to handle being alone with him for so long?
She’d been so concerned about him putting himself in danger on her behalf that she’d overlooked another type of danger altogether--what Roland could do to her peace of mind.
“I’m programming this vehicle to my specifications. I’ll do this to every vehicle we use during our little adventure.”
Their little adventure? Was that the way he saw this? “Just how many vehicles do you anticipate us using?”
He shrugged. “Not sure yet. As long as it’s the same make as this one, we’re good. Right now, Dak is only working with this particular auto maker.”
“Well, I can testify that the fob works.”
He chuckled. “You’d be amazed at all the other things this fob can make a car do. You’ve heard of a smart phone? Well, get ready for the smart car.”
Lennox nodded. “I heard about Dak’s drones.”
“I think anyone who’s talked to Mellie has. She’s told everyone how Dak saved her life.”
Just like when all this is over, I’ll tell others how you saved mine, Lennox thought. The media was calling the incident at her condo a home-invasion. That’s the way the FBI wanted it while they flushed out the corruption within their own agency.
When she had called her boss this morning, he had no problem with her taking some time off. He’d already heard about the incident and was glad she was okay.
“What about your car?” she asked, referring to the vehicle she’d tried to hijack a few moments ago.
“Striker will take it to my brother’s place. Frazier has plenty of room in his garages. He’s already got a dozen or so there already.”
She heard about Roland’s half-brother, the wealthy industrialist. “Your brother is Frazier Connelly, right?”
He glanced over at her. “That’s right.”
As Roland pulled the SUV out of the parking lot, she looked back at the three men. Neither Striker, Quasar or Stonewall had moved to get into their cars until they were certain she and Roland were on their way.
The interior of the vehicle was quiet, except for the soft instrumentals coming from the radio. Lennox stared out of the car’s passenger window, half-listening to the music. Beethoven? That wasn’t what she’d have expected from an ex-cop, a bodyguard who lived life on the edge. But she decided not to say anything. The last thing she needed was to hear his deep, husky voice.
Just the sound of it was enough to make a shiver go through her. Heck, even thinking about it now brought on a physical reaction. She felt her cheeks flush and was glad her face was turned away from him.
“We’re going to be traveling for a while, so let me know when you need a potty break or feel the need to stretch your legs.”
His statement necessitated a response from her. “Okay.”
The interior of the car got quiet again and the sound of the classical music soothed her, lulled her into considering things that could happen between two people while such music was playing. Some people might not consider classical pieces romantic…unless it was Beethoven.
“Before we go too far, we need to make a pit stop and put on our disguises.”