were a kaleidoscope of crazy? Snatching a pen from the drawer, she cleared her mind and just wrote the first thing that popped in her head. She'd written two pages, hardly noticing what she'd penned, when the doorbell rang.
She whipped her glance to the alarm clock. It was almost seven.
"Shit." Running to the door, she carelessly tossed the book on the coffee table before turning the knob. "Max?"
He smiled. "Don't be too disappointed. I've been instructed to deliver you to dinner with Mr. Caldwell."
"Oh. I'm running behind. Give me a few minutes to change. Come in."
"I'll wait here for you."
"You will not. It's freezing." She grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him inside, though she suspected he let her. She'd never budge a man his size.
She shut the door and went down the hall. "Be right back."
He cleared his throat. "No rush, ma'am."
"Max," she said in a warning tone, shrugging out of her work suit.
"Sorry, Miss Crowne." His voice was deep and loud as it traveled to her.
Setting the clothes on her bed, she unzipped the dress. "I can hear you smiling." She stepped into the dress and twisted to zip the back.
"I can't help it, Miss Crowne. You're a very likable person."
Aw. Hell. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
She rushed into the bathroom, brushed her hair, decided she didn't have time to putz with it, and spritzed her neck with perfume. Her makeup had survived the workday, but she touched up her lipstick and made her way to the living room.
Max gave an appreciative nod, holding out her long, black peacoat. "Very lovely, Miss Crowne."
"Thanks, Max. You're full of sweetness today." She placed her arms in the coat he held and turned to button it. His face was scarlet, but she didn't call him out. Chances were, he didn't get to converse with many people. If he stayed on her detail, she'd like to at least be able to talk to him. "Are you still my bodyguard?"
"Yes, ma'am??iss Crowne."
"You should call me Raven, then."
Flustered, he opened the door. "After you."
They wove through the dark, icy streets of Tartok Crest in the opposite direction of Anchorage with the Northern Lights as a backdrop against a starry night. The moon was full and clear, illuminating the snow and storefronts. There wasn't much down this way except The Sound, and no restaurants were this far south.
"Where are we going?"
"I've been instructed not to say." He glanced at her in the rearview and then back to the road.
"Do you always do as instructed?"
"Most of the time."
Ha. Humor. "I instruct you to tell me where we're going."
He didn't laugh as she'd hoped, or even crack a smile. His jaw hardened and his gaze kept shifting from the rearview to the road. His entire demeanor changed from jovially reserved to alert and tense. Very calmly, he said, "Miss Crowne, please lie down in the seat and make sure your seatbelt is buckled."
Her heart stopped. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing I can't handle. Please do as I said."
Suddenly shaking, she lay down crossways on the seat and tightened her belt, cold sweat lacing her skin.
He pushed a button on the console to activate Bluetooth and, a second later, someone by the name of Hintz answered. Max shoved an earpiece into his ear. "We have a tail." He gave a handful of one word answers and disconnected.
The car changed lanes and Raven tried to swallow through her fear. What the heck was going on? And why was someone following them? For the entire three weeks Max had been her shadow, nothing even close to worrisome had occurred. The car swerved back again and picked up speed. She bit back a cry and dug her fingernails into her palms. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing to avoid a panic attack.
In, out. In, out.
"You can sit up now, Miss Crowne."
Blowing out a breath, she straightened in the seat and smoothed her hair. She shifted to look out the back window, but there were no headlights. "Max--"
He tapped his earpiece and said, "It's gone. Yes, I'm sure. No, sir. We're heading to you now. We had to circle around off route." There was a lengthy pause in which Max regarded her in the rearview before answering. "She's quite calm, sir."
She fisted her shaking hands in her lap. Calm, her ass. Fighting back tears, she glared out the window toward Prince William Sound. Ships, docked at the harbor, bobbed and swayed in the frigid wind. Some crab boats dotted the horizon. The Northern