Chapter Seventy-Eight

Colton looked down at their dripping, naked bodies, and realized they’d committed an agent’s cardinal sin. Not the sex, but they’d not taken time to consider an escape plan. They were three stories up with only one door that led to an exit.

And now the police were standing outside, blocking that sole exit.

They were trapped.

Angel turned her large blue eyes on him and swallowed.

She looked ready to give up, but he wasn’t willing to let her go. Not without trying everything. They didn’t yet know what the police wanted. Maybe they still had a chance.

“Hide,” he whispered.

She pulled on her clothes even faster than he’d taken them off. But there was nowhere to hide—only a small closet and the bathroom. If the police were looking for a fugitive those would be the first places they checked.

“In case this doesn’t work,” Angel said before she kissed him quick. “I l—”

She was interrupted by more pounding at the door.

She gasped, rushed over to open the sliding door to the balcony, and went out.

“Shit,” he murmured, locked the glass door, and quickly wiped off the fingerprints. He draped his towel around his waist and ran a hand through his wet hair.

The police banged again and he opened the door, hoping this worked. He smiled, ready to charm them, but one of the officers stepped immediately into the room, his gun drawn.

“Step out in the hall,” he ordered as Pudge growled and barked.

“What’s going on?” Colton asked the officer in the hall who had his weapon trained on him.

Pudge growled again, and pranced around the first cop.

“Tell your dog to settle,” the cop ordered.

He told Pudge to quiet down. After a final bark of protest, he came and sat at Colton’s bare feet.

Colton crossed his arms and watched through the open door while the other officer, as expected, inspected the closet, the bathroom, and also looked under the bed.

As if Angel would have hidden there after her anxiety about the cleanliness of the bedspread. He would have laughed at the thought if he weren’t so worried about her.

The officer then unlocked the door to the balcony and went out. Colton had to fight every instinct not to react. He concentrated on staying calm and waited until the man was done and came back out in the hall.

“Where’s the woman?”

“What woman?” He knew if they were asking about a woman, it was because they were sure one existed. But he’d come up with a plan.

“Someone reported seeing a woman with you.”

He raised his brows. “Since when is that illegal?”

“Where is she?” the cop demanded again.

Colton narrowed his eyes. “She told me she was of age.”

The officer looked briefly confused.

“I didn’t have any reason to doubt her,” Colton continued, holding up one hand. The other was still keeping the towel securely closed. “Though, admittedly, I didn’t ask for ID.”

The officers exchanged a look. “We were told the woman in question was Angel Larson.”

Colton gave them his best look of bewilderment, and then enlightenment. “Wait. The woman wanted for murder?” He pretended to think, then shook his head. “The chick on TV had blond hair. The girl I was with had brown.”

Officer Kirkwood—according to his name badge—looked annoyed. “People dye their hair when they’re on the run.”

“If you say so.” Colton pursed his lips. “But I don’t think it was her. That Angel chick is hot. This girl was only so-so.”

Pudge whined at his lie.

“Where did she go?”

He shrugged. “No idea. She left when we, uh, finished.”

“She was a prostitute?”

“No!” Colton said, straightening with feigned offense. “I don’t need to pay for sex, thank you very much. I can still get women the old-fashioned way.”

“And where did you come by this one?”

The guy was not giving up. Colton had to check his annoyance.

“A bar down the street. We walked back here.” God, he hoped there was a bar down the street, and that it was busy enough that no one would remember if he’d been there. “Is this going to be a big deal? Because”—he looked around him and dropped his voice—“I have a girlfriend back in Crystal Grove.”

The officer frowned at him. “Get dressed, and come with us.”

Hell.