The drive took an hour and Joe spent that time dividing his attention between watching the road and Kylie, who stared out the window for a long time, lost in her thoughts. Then she unexpectedly turned to him and out of the blue asked, “Have you never been in love, not even once?”

He glanced over at her in surprise. “So now you want to talk about feelings?”

“Do you ever just answer a question?”

He used the excuse of going around a slower vehicle to give himself a moment. “I’ve been in lust,” he said carefully. “I’ve been in like. And maybe a few of those might’ve eventually led to love, but I bailed before they could.”

“Why?”

“Because loving someone comes with a price.”

“One that you’re not willing to pay?” she asked.

“One that I’m not willing to let someone else pay,” he corrected her. It began to rain and he flicked on the windshield wipers. The rhythmic swooshing back and forth was the only sound in the truck for a long moment. “And you?” he asked against his better judgment.

“Me what?”

“You know what,” he said. “You ever been in love?”

She was quiet so long that he wasn’t sure if she planned on answering or not. Then she finally said very softly, “I’m not real good at love.”

Because her mom had always put men before her? Because her dad didn’t appear to care enough to check in with any regularity? Because her first crush/love had been oblivious for too long?

The insane thing was, she deserved love more than anyone he knew. “You don’t have to be good at it but the one time,” he said.

She laughed. Laughed.

He glanced over again. “What’s so funny?”

“You,” she said, shaking her head. “Giving me love advice.”

He thought about it and had to laugh as well. “Okay, so that was a definite stretch for me.” But it’d been nice to hear her laugh.

“My mom once told me to fall for someone who makes me feel like I do when my phone’s at three percent and I just found a charger.” She paused. “But my problem is that I never let my phone get to three percent.”

He smiled. She matched it, but then sighed. “We’re both pretty messed up. You realize that, right?”

“In a very large way,” he agreed.

They were silent for a minute. “I never got to ask you,” he said. “What happened with Gib after I left the other night?”

She paused. “Does this pertain to the case?”

“No,” he said honestly.

She absorbed that for a moment. “Interesting,” she said. “Given your relationship stance of not liking anything too relationship-y.”

“It’s not that I don’t want a relationship,” he said. “It’s that I can’t be serious with anyone right now.” Or ever . . .

“Also interesting, given the intensity of the kisses you’ve laid on me.”

He let out a breath. “I never said I didn’t want you.”

She bit her lower lip. She wanted him too, something he already knew but didn’t mind being reminded of.

“So if we gave in to that wanting, this would be what?” she asked quietly. “Just a physical relationship?”

“We’re also friends. And at the moment, coworkers.” He paused, knowing damn well that no matter what he might want, she couldn’t agree to just a physical relationship. She was a woman who needed—and deserved—more, the very least of which was an emotional connection. Something he couldn’t afford. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But that’s all I’ve got to offer.”

Joe would’ve sworn there was nothing that could surprise or shock him, not anymore. Not when he’d seen or done it all, which had left him jaded and cynical to say the least.

But Kylie had managed to put him off his axis more than once and she scored again.

Staring out the front windshield, she said, “I’m okay with that.”

They drove in silence for a few minutes, him because he was stunned and turned on and also wishing she’d said so before they’d left her place so they might have been able to get started on that physical relationship. He had no idea why she was so unusually quiet though.

She didn’t say anything else as they drove into Santa Cruz. “Almost there,” he said.

Kylie took a wig from her bag and set about putting on her disguise, God help him.

“I know you think the disguises are silly,” she said quietly, seriously. “I guess I just get into the excitement of it.”

Here he’d been planning his route to getting her naked and she was thinking about the job. How times have changed, he thought ruefully and ordered himself to get his head in the game. “This isn’t exciting,” he said. “It’s dangerous.”

She nodded, though he was pretty sure she didn’t get it. And why should she? She didn’t wade knee-deep through the scum of the population for a living.

“So . . . a redhead?” he finally asked.

“You’ve got a problem with that?”

“No.” She looked sexy as hell. He parked and got out of the truck. “Let’s do this, Red.”

She rolled her eyes, but followed him toward a gallery on a small narrow street with a bunch of other galleries and shops designed for foot traffic. It was a mix of business and residential, but at this time of year, the sidewalks rolled up early.

Everything was closed including the shades on the windows, so there was no checking out the interior. Joe led the way around back and down the alley, standing a few doors away behind an electrical unit so he could get a feel for things. But all he was getting a feeling for was Kylie in that pixie wig, which in the dark was like a beacon, both to anyone passing by and to his own libido.

“We going to break in and take a look at the inventory?” she whispered, staring at the gallery’s back door.

“That’s illegal.”

She snorted. “Since when have you let that stop you?”

Good point. But they were more out in the open here and the buildings were all close together, the ones on either side of the gallery lit up. Which meant people were nearby. “I can’t break in here with you. If we got caught—”

“You don’t get caught. You’re too good.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” He pulled out his tool kit. “You’re going to do exactly as I say.”

She nodded eagerly.

He didn’t buy it. “If I say move,” he told her, “you put it in high gear without question. You get the hell out of here and don’t look back. You got me?”

She stopped nodding eagerly and changed to shaking her head. “I’m not going to leave you behind, Joe.”

He looked down into her determined, fierce face and . . . felt his heart slowly roll over in his chest and expose its underbelly. “Yes, you will,” he said. “You’re going to have to trust me that I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not leaving you,” she repeated in that firm rhino-tone that told him he’d have better luck shifting the moon out of its orbit.

He pulled her back into the shadows and did some recognizance, searching for cameras. There weren’t any so he moved back to the door and . . . found it unlocked.

Kylie was right at his side. “That’s never good when it happens on TV,” she whispered.

“Stick to me,” he said.

She nodded earnestly, her red bangs in her eyes.

“Like glue, Kylie.”

She held up two fingers like she was making a Boy Scout oath, which cracked him up in spite of himself. He nudged the back door open and they looked into a very tiny kitchen. “Hello?” he called out, stepping inside—with Kylie right on his ass.

No one answered.

They moved to the interior door and found themselves in a hallway with several doors.

“That one goes to the retail area,” he said, flicking his penlight directly in front of them. He opened that door and found . . . “Stained glass,” he said in surprise.

The entire shop was stained glass. Doors, windows . . . everything was stained glass, including the furniture. This guy isn’t our guy.

“It’s not him,” Kylie whispered just as he thought it. He started to tell her to turn around and go, but a sound came from behind them.

Someone was coming in the back door.

Adrenaline was second nature to Joe, but she had no training for this, no experience to get her through, and why would she? Criminal behavior wasn’t exactly a skill that normal people acquired.

Oh my God, she mouthed to him, eyes wide.

Only one thing went through his mind. She trusted him. She probably wouldn’t admit that, but she did. It was in the way she looked at him. It was in her kiss, and how she touched him. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was depending on him to keep her safe and there was no way in hell he was going to let her down. He opened one of the hallway doors to the left, hoping . . . Yes. A closet, although a very small one. He shoved Kylie into it ahead of him, followed her in and shut the door.

The space was small and messy, lined in the back with boxes. Clothing hung haphazardly down over the top of them, leaving just enough room to stand up against each other. Considering what their limited options had been and the far worse situations he’d found himself in over the years given his career choice, he couldn’t have asked for much more.

But Kylie was making small, panicked noises in her throat and that’s when he remembered—she was claustrophobic. “It’s okay,” he murmured, reaching for her. Not that he had far to reach.

“It’s not okay!” she whispered. “I’m going to puke!”