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She grabbed her purse from the table next to her, opened the door, and hurried out before locking it as Johnny headed for the automatic doors

"Crista" He stopped and blinked quickly as she isters and called out his naers to the upstairs office "New job" Or soive me a ride?"

He was maybe a quarter inch taller than she was, but she wasn’t betting on it He glanced to the door, then sive you a ride? Dawg and I aren’t on the best of ter here, then he’s liable to be a tad upset if you go anywhere with ht

"Dawg is always upset over soht

"And I promise, I won’t tell hie of desperation

Johnny chuckled in a his head at her, his dark blond curls tu about his face He really should have been born a woht He had a soft, feentle dehts with her on her off days when the store beloas closed and he was alone putting together the next week’s confections And it wasn’t as though Dawg could be jealous

"Coive you a lift Are you colected tohoet into just now

Following Johnny through the doors, she glanced around quickly, expecting any el

Yes, he had told her to stay put, but he was late, and the precautions made no sense By his own report, the man who saw her was dead, and the other suspects had been arrested or were dead No one else but Dawg and Natches could know she was there No one was going to step out fro anyway

Were they?

"When did you start working for Dawg?" Johnny drew her attention away frolanced behind his shoulder to show her a war around in front of her "How far away did you park?"

Johnny laughed "The far end This is hoork off all those calories I add intolot was no joke

The early June heat was bearing down on the a fine film of perspiration to break out on Crista’s face as they reached the late-model Taurus Johnny drove

He unlocked her door with a florish "Roll down the ," he advised "The air conditioner went out last week, and I haven’t had a chance to get it fixed yet"

She rolled down thebefore closing the door and snapped her seat belt in place

Still no Dawg

She was tired of waiting for Dawg The danger he kept harping on couldn’t be too high, or he wouldn’t have left her alone for hours at the luer and blacker wasn’t ’sher into his bed After all, they had arrested those guys at the warehouse And whoever got aith the ht now in the Bahaht of that one before now? she asked herself as Johnny moved into the driver’s seat and started his car

"Where were you the other night?" he asked, startling her out of her thoughts "I was at the store until late, and you still weren’t holanced at hi"

And Daasher paranoid, because suddenly she felt nervous, uncertain Why would Johnny care where she was? Why would he check to see that she wasn’t home?

Johnny faced forward as he started the car and brushed back a curl fro, huh?" he asked curiously

Technically For a little while "Yes," she answered carefully

His lips turned up into a grin as he glanced over her and put the car in gear Driving fro lot, he turned onto the interstate that led back to theher another look

"Be careful, Crista" He finally sighed "You knoe call hientleness in his voice had her hackles rising She could feel the judgment in his tone and she didn’t like it She wasn’t a child anyht years before She didn’t need any more

"Because he’s stubborn?" she batted at hiirl here I can handle Dawg"

She heard lightning struck in cases of whopper lies like that one She looked up at the clear blue sky Not a cloud in sight, thank God