Page 100 of No Headlines Please

I'd found the business card about halfway down. Unfortunately, I'd also encountered a stupid iced latte that I managed to spill down the front of my shirt and leggings. Okay, yes, the latte was mostly ice, but that didn't change the fact that I'd been forced to change my clothes for the third time today, which really sucked, because I was down to nearly nothing clean in my suitcase.

But to be fair, the suitcase had contained more computer stuff than actual clothes.

Sure, I had a second suitcase, but that was still trapped in the trunk of my Ford Focus.

In the end, I'd been forced to choose between the pink sundress, a slightly obscene Bigfoot T-shirt, and the yellow bikini I'd packed just in case Tessa and I ended up on the beach.

As if.

And speaking of Tessa, there was no way I'd borrow anything more from her – not when I seemed determined to stain whatever I was wearing.

Finally, I'd settled on the pink sundress instead of the battle gear I needed.

As I relayed all of this to Walt, I finished by saying, "But I did put all the trash back, so I wasn't technically stealing it, see?"

No lie. I'd returned the bag of trash to the same exact bin before taking yet another shower and changing into the sundress so I wouldn't be confronting What's-His-Name in dirty clothes.

And yet, even now, I still felt grubby.

As far as the business card, it had been mostly useless. Cal's last name was Smith of all things, which did nothing to narrow him down. Even worse, there was no company name, no mailing address, and no email either.

All it had was his name and phone number, which I didn't dare call – not from my own phone, at least.

But maybe if I bought a burner?

I almost rolled my eyes. Yeah, right.

With what money?

I was still searching for a solution when Walt said, "Cal Smith, huh? No wonder I forgot it."

"No kidding." I made a face. "If only it were something more unique…like Hornswaggle."

Walt gave a slow nod. "Now that I would've remembered." But then, his expression turned serious. "That guy – he didn't hurt you or anything, did he?"

"No." But even as I said it, a slow ache squeezed at my heart. "It's just that…it was all so sneaky. And he seemed so nice, I guess I forgot to be careful." My face warmed as I recalled that one incredible kiss.

If things had played out differently, who knows what I might've done?

Nakedness wasn't exactly out of the question.

Walt asked, "So why was he looking for you? Do you know?"

The question was the cold slap of reality I needed, and I spoke without thinking. "I used to work for this lawyer, and I think he was involved in some shady stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Walt frowned. "You're not in any trouble, are you?"

Damn it. To think, I'd kept everything to myself for months and months, only to start blabbing to a near stranger.

I needed to get a grip. "No, nothing like that." I prayed it was true. And probably it was. Whoever the guy was, he'd had me alone for hours in that penthouse. If he'd wanted to hurt me, it wouldn't have been hard.

Plus, he did tell me those troubles were over. That should bring me some comfort, right?

Abruptly, Walt stood. "You said he's in that other penthouse, right?"

I nodded.

"Tell ya what." He flicked his head toward the door. "Let's go see him."