visit Sellars paid you in the hospital, you’ve got to realize you’re a target. He wants to talk to you. He wants to observe you. Study you. Maybe even abduct you. If we can catch him, we can end this a lot sooner. So I’m moving in.”
“Just like that?” She leaned back against her doorjamb, bone weary…and unwilling to concede his very valid points.
“Just like that,” he agreed. “Come on, you have to see it. If I’m miles away at a hotel with the cleanup team, I can’t help you if Sellars finds out where you live. Hell, even if I’m parked outside on a stakeout of your house, I’d be of little use while you’re behind closed doors. I’d have to sweep through your yard every few minutes to be sure nobody has gained entry from the back and I’d never sleep. Do you want that?” He gave her his most hangdog look, and despite herself, she was charmed. “It’ll be easier for all of us if I’m camped out on your couch. It’ll also save time when we’re ready to work. I have an expense account and will gladly pay for any expense having me around might incur. Scout’s honor.”
Damn, he really was charming when he tried. He also had made some good points, and she was now willing to admit it. It didn’t make sense for him to run back and forth to the hotel—miles away—every day. She also knew it would take manpower her department didn’t have to put a watch on her house on the off chance that Sellars would come here. Xavier didn’t have that kind of manpower at his disposal, either. Despite the army’s support in sending him here to solve the zombie problem, they’d sent only him and a small team of techs to clean up the kill sites, and a few other Green Berets.
So far, Xavier had seemed unwilling to put the other soldiers in direct contact with the zombies. They weren’t immune like he and Sarah were. So their roles were more in a support capacity, running interference with the locals and keeping the work sites secure. They couldn’t be spared to babysit her.
Sellars didn’t appear to have her address or phone number. Both were unlisted and protected since she was an officer of the law. Still, there were ways he might be able to find out. She felt safe enough to stay in her home for now, but she admitted to herself that she’d feel a lot safer with backup on the premises.
The fact that she wanted to jump Xavier’s bones didn’t help her internal debate, though. Having him in her house would be a huge temptation. Of course, they were both adults and capable of refraining from acting on their impulses.
She hoped.
“You can have the guest room,” she relented reluctantly. “It isn’t much, and you’ll have to clean up after yourself. I’m not the maid.”
“I promise to be the perfect houseguest.” He solemnly crossed his heart, a twinkle of devilry in his eyes.
She pushed open the front door, muttering, “I know I’m going to regret this.”
She entered and he followed obediently behind. The obedience was all an act, she knew, but she didn’t really fear him. He wouldn’t try to push too far beyond her boundaries. Having worked with him over the past day, she’d already made up her mind that she liked him. More than that, she trusted him.
It wasn’t normal for her to trust someone on such short acquaintance, but there was something about Xavier that invited that kind of confidence. He was so sure of every move he made, so nonchalantly observant of everything around him, so careful of her—both physically and emotionally.
He’d been a rock of support when she’d had to face the scene where she’d been attacked. He’d prepared her to go over the details with his team, never letting on how he was rehearsing her to deaden the pain of having to relive those horrific moments. He’d also been a solid pillar of strength when they’d faced that creature in the basement. She had faced the enemy with him now and knew he could be counted on to back her up as well as let her do her job.
A lot of her fellow cops tried to protect her from the hazards of their line of work because she was female. They didn’t even do it consciously. It was an instinct in them to protect the female, but they had to overcome it