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more thing—what’s the name of your friend?”
    Her mouth began to form a little O ,but she stopped it by pressing her teeth into her bottom lip. The action made his cock swell against his pants. He resisted linking his hands in front of his crotch, because that would draw her attention there. He cursed silently.
    “Jason Kelso,” she finally muttered.
    His eyebrow quirked. “Kelso—the vampire rights activist?”
    She cleared her throat. “Yes.”
    Dex suppressed a groan. Damn. This new fact didn’t bode well. If VCI pursued the trail to her, it would interfere with his plans.
    “Bounty hunters, a vampire rights activist…I have to take you in for further questioning,” he announced, snapping the notepad shut.
    Her jaw dropped. “What? Now?” She glanced at the digital clock of her entertainment system. “Can’t I come in tomorrow morning?”
    “Standard procedure, Ms. Dubois. This is serious, you know. You could be facing charges of obstructing justice.” The scare tactic was a bit cruel, but he told her the truth.
    She stood and jutted her chin up. “Fine. Can I at least change into something else? I was at the gym.”
    Dex yanked his gaze away from her before it went wayward again. “Of course.”
    * * * *
    Stephanie hastened to her bedroom, glad for the temporary reprieve, despite the panic pressing down on her lungs. Mechanically, she removed all her clothes and pulled on fresh underwear, a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved top. A shower was out of the question, but at least her workout hadn’t been intense. All the while, defensive scenarios raced through her head and she wasn’t sure which would be the most plausible. This was bad. Real bad. Besides the interrogation to come, her brothers would eventually find out she was at the scene of their bounty operation because of those damn pictures. How the hell was she supposed to explain herself? They’d probably never speak to her again…and Mom…God. Her heart constricted.
    This agent was a hound dog. Lying would only get her into deeper shit. A wave of dizziness washed through her. She leaned against the closet door and dragged in several long breaths until the objects in the room stopped spinning. Then she walked the short distance to the bathroom where she splashed water on her face and released her hair from the elastic band. There were equal amounts of anger and anxiety in the reflection that stared back at her from the mirror.
    When she returned to the living room, the agent was standing by the window, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his dark pants. She thought there was a hint of broodiness in his profile, but his expression was composed and formal when he turned to her.
    “I’m ready,” she said, and crossed to the small foyer to get her jacket and her bag.

Chapter Four
    He led her to a black, unmarked SUV and motioned for her to get into the back seat. Stephanie fumed in silence as the large engine purred to life. If it weren’t for her pigheaded brothers, she wouldn’t be in this nasty jam. No matter, she didn’t regret trying to help Jason. She let out a weary breath and leaned back in the seat. Her gaze swept over the inside of the vehicle. Part of the dashboard and the middle console were equipped with an assortment of technical devices such as a GPS and a laptop, and a few others she didn’t recognize.
    Inevitably, her attention shifted to him . Agent Dex Mason. He had good hair, thick and short with neat sideburns. His profile was in shadow, but she could still follow the defined cheekbone, the straight nose and the square angle of his jaw, which set off a warm flutter low in her belly. For the second time in about thirty minutes. Actually, when she’d first seen him, a shockwave had gone through her. Unsettling but not unpleasant. She hadn’t been prepared for the impact of those unusual, smoky eyes, the rugged face and tall, muscled build. Her fingers curled in her lap. He had a sexy voice to boot…deep