Larger Than Life by Alison Kent (read the beginning after the end novel .txt) 📕

can do," he said, feeling much more in his undercover element while his respect for this woman notched upward toward awe. This was one hell of a sophisticated operation she was running.

"Thanks," she said, and smiled, hesitating briefly, as if she had something she wanted to tell him, something she needed to say, before turning and leading Liberty through the kitchen and down the hallway beyond.

Mick crossed the carpeted floor, an obvious soundproofing measure between this apartment and Candy's, and stood in front of the screens, leaning against the love seat where it backed up to the desk. The only movement he saw on any of the feeds came when his dog walked off the patio to sniff around the graveled parking area.

From the far end of the barn's second floor, he heard the murmur of the two female voices, neither loud enough to make out any of what they said. He glanced in that direction, taking in what he could of the utilitarian kitchen. A refrigerator, a microwave, a small stove with a heavy duty vented hood above to keep cooking odors from drifting.

The build-out of this structure had not come cheap. He wondered about the chicken and the egg. Which had come first. The Big Brown Barn's current business success, which he couldn't quite see paying for all of this—or the modifications to the original building, which the business was now supporting. He had a whole lot of questions he wanted to ask Neva Case.

She might be an attorney and an entrepreneur, but there was a hell of a lot more to her than that. Her secrets weren't simple, and he was certain could get her killed. He didn't want to see that happen. He wanted to keep her safe. How the hell he was going to manage that from a state away once he returned to New Mexico was going to require more than pulling a rabbit out of his hat.

He might just have to pull one out of Manhattan.

By the time Neva walked her newest charge through the upstairs rooms of the barn, the girl's exhaustion was evident. Liberty had been sitting on the foot of the bed she'd chosen when Neva left to set out towels and toiletries in the bathroom. Checking back minutes later, she found the events of the past few days had taken their toll. Liberty was fast asleep.

After drawing the chenille coverlet over the teenager's legs, Neva returned to the main room to explain things to Mick. She didn't want to have to answer his questions. But doing so was a much more palatable alternative than having him leave. He'd said he'd stayed to help, and right now she'd take it—even if she wished he was staying for her.

"Anything going on?" she asked, watching him as he watched the feeds from the cameras.

Pushing up and away from the love seat on which he'd been leaning, he shook his head. "Nothing moving but the dog. Restless mutt."

She crossed her arms, smiled. "He's probably anxious to get back to hunting."

He snorted. "He's bloody useless at it. My fault. I don't know a retriever from a shepherd or a hound."

Her grin widened. He was so cute when he was so honestly clueless. "Could be he's the part of your costume that gave you away."

"And here all this time you've been telling me it was the knife and the gun." When she remained silent, he added, "You do still have my gun, don't you?"

"I do," she said with a nod.

He turned to face her, holding a hand to his ribs. "If you really want me to be any help here, you might think about giving it back."

"I don't need you to shoot anybody," she said, thinking as she did how much safer she felt in the dark with her own gun close by. Thinking, too, how having him here added to that sense of security.

"Then cross your fingers no one comes out of the corner swinging. Because I promise you. That happens?" He patted his damaged midsection. "I'm going down."

"I'll think about it." And she would. He was so stoic in the face of his injuries, she'd forgotten how extensive they were. "But I don't think anyone will be coming after you. If anything, they'll come after me."

He huffed, shook his head. "Women."

"What?"

He stepped closer, hovered, forcing her gaze up to meet his, which glittered dangerously. "Someone comes after me, I'll duck as many punches as I can. They come after you, ducking won't make the same dent as my gun."

Her heart beat so hard she couldn't swallow. She could barely even breathe. She hadn't had anyone on her side in so long that she didn't know what to do but say the first thing that popped into her mind. "Then we hope it doesn't come to that. And if we're careful, there's no reason it should."

"Careful?" His lips narrowed. His eyes, too, the corners crinkling from his time in the sun, from his experience in matters illegal that she was sure far surpassed hers. "You've got five people who know about this already. How many more are going to find out before that girl gets to where you're sending her?"

She blew out a long slow breath and walked around to curl up in the corner of the love seat. She could see the four screens just as well from here as she could from where she'd been standing. And right now, keeping the piece of furniture between her and Mick seemed the smart thing to do. Standing out in the open, she too easily broadcast all of her thoughts. And his antennae were too damn strong.

"Neva?" he demanded in a harsh tone that didn't sound a whole lot like her protector, her hero, her crusader of minutes before.

She looked up and into the eyes of the not very nice man who hunted with a SIG Sauer. "I don't know what to do."

He frowned, then came around to sit beside her, perching on the