“Better late than never,” he mumbled.
“What would you have done with that information yesterday?” She arched an eyebrow at him in challenge.
His gaze twitched her way. “Maybe nothing, but it might have been important then.”
“In other words, nothing,” she said, feeling vindicated. “I’m glad we’ve already eaten.”
“Why?”
“Because the proof of life meeting is in Pennsylvania.”
He sat up, his body tensing. She took that as him in mission mode. He asked, “What time?”
“11:20. We can make it without a problem if we don’t hit a bad traffic jam.” She leaned over and input the address into the map system.
Leclair drove for a bit before he asked, “Are you ready to see Phoebe and sit still?”
“No. We’ll follow them.”
“We’ll try, but if I were doing a proof of life, I’d have two cars to keep anyone from following, plus a tracker to take out any car that did follow. Also, if we alert them to being there, whatever your techie is surveilling online will vanish. The first thing they’d do is change how they communicate.”
She dropped her head back, sick at the idea of seeing Phoebe and not being able to get to her. This was where she had to prove she could hold her own. “I hear you. I’ll sit tight.”
His fingers covered her arm on the console, drawing her gaze to him. When he shifted his gaze to her before returning it to the traffic, she flinched at the pain burrowed deep in his blue eyes.
“I know how difficult this is, Hailey. I understand the desire to go running in there and fighting to get her back. If I thought we could do it without getting one of you killed, we would. I’m in this all the way. I just want you to not rush in and lose. You will never forgive yourself for making a mistake on this and losing Phoebe.”
He squeezed her arm before letting go.
She had to work to breathe.
Emotion threatened to strangle her. That’s why some people called her a control freak, but she had to push her feelings aside to keep her head on straight.
With one touch, Leclair brought all her fears to the surface. He knew she was terrified of screwing up and losing Phoebe. He’d spoken from the heart, which meant he’d lost someone too when he said he understood what she was feeling.
No one had offered her the comfort and understanding Leclair just had. She’d been alone for a long time and had forgotten what a simple touch or hug could mean.
She hadn’t known Leclair when this started, but she’d had a peek inside the dangerous operative to the blood and flesh man.
Of the many things she had to worry about on this operation, any chance of Leclair walking away when things got tough was not one. She felt a blanket of calm drape over her, one she hadn’t felt in a long time. Not since Coop would show up to support her with finding a child when he could.
But he’d never been on a mission like this with her.
He wouldn’t agree to her even trying to do this.
Leclair had stated he would be side-by-side with her when it came to saving Phoebe. She believed him and believed they could do this together.
Now she felt even more convinced she’d made the right decision to keep his team out of this.
Strangers might put the high-profile captive above all else, but Leclair would not.
She let the music play to fill the quiet between them during the next two hours. It was a peaceful quiet because Leclair had many more questions, but he probably didn’t want to push her for more until they saw the meeting.
For that reason, she didn’t push him for more on his kidnapped victim either.
Two hours passed quicker than expected when Leclair began hunting the downtown marina.
“It’s supposed to be across the street from the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion ... there! That building.”
