She…actually was. The throbbing in his temples and the fierce constriction in his chest had eased a little.
“You’re very strong. Though I did notice some of the scars on your arms. Knife wounds?”
He wasn’t replying.
Her sigh blew over him. “Fine. We’ll talk about the scars another time.”
No, they would not. There would not be another time for them. After he walked out of the bank, he planned to never, ever see her again.
“Who do you think the accomplice is?” Chloe pushed. “Come on, tell me.”
“The guy came in alone.”
“Because his partner was already here.”
Their gazes held.
Her eyes widened. “You have gold in your eyes. I thought your eyes were just brown, but they’re not. I don’t usually miss details like that on the first glance.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Joel muttered, “we all make mistakes.”
Her lips parted. Red and slick and why was he thinking about kissing her? No, no, very much no.
Her smile became smug. “You don’t know who the accomplice is.”
Because there wasn’t an accomplice—
“Fine. I’ll tell you. This time. But I expect you to do better in the future.”
They had no future together.
“It was the bank teller. The one with red hair. She dropped down too fast. I knew it had to be an inside man, so I was watching. As soon as Harry walked in the door, before he even flashed his gun, she was hitting the floor.”
Was that…right? Huh. It might just be. Joel tried to replay the scene in his head.
Her tone turned slightly musing as she continued, “I’ll have to get the cops to go back and talk to all the tellers involved in the previous robberies. I’m betting Harry gave a teller at each bank a slice of his haul as payment for services rendered. You know, they tell him the layout of the bank, the best time to come in, how to catch the security officer off-guard…”
“The redhead,” Joel heard himself say because this was making sense to him. “She called out to the security guard right before Harry knocked the guy out with his gun. She had ducked behind the counter, but she screamed for security.” And had he just called the robber Harry? Like it was a thing now? What was Chloe doing to him?
But he could have sworn her blue eyes were gleaming with approval.
“Exactly. Her scream distracted the guard so that Harry could have his perfect hit.” A nod. “And this is why I had to bust Harry in the act. So much easier for the cops to come in when he’s working with his latest partner…”
And this was why he was about to bust out of the closet. “The cops aren’t coming. No one had a chance to sound the alarm. If the redhead is working with him, you can bet she made sure the authorities weren’t alerted.”
Her hand curled around his neck. He felt her lean up against him. He bent toward her. Chloe’s lips feathered over his ear as she whispered, “I sounded the alarm. I called the cops.”
Why was her voice so much lower now? But, did it even matter why? Because he sure loved the feel of her mouth on his ear. So wrong. So right.
“They’ll be here in five, four, three…”
She was doing a countdown. That was why she’d gotten so quiet. The cops were about to burst in and she was—
He heard an explosion. His body hurtled against hers, and they slammed into one of the shelves in the closet. Cleaning solution hit the floor. Paper towels rained down on his head. And he held her as tightly as he could.
“You okay?” Joel demanded.
“Of course.”
Of—jeez. He freed her. Spun away. Kicked at the lock on the closet door. The lock and doorknob shattered, and the door flew open. He ran out and headed straight for the chaos. At least half a dozen uniformed cops swarmed the scene.
Had they blown open the entrance to the bank? SWAT members were there, wearing their distinct tactical gear, and it sure as hell looked like they’d set off a mini-bomb at the entrance. Harry was on the floor, being cuffed as he snarled and shouted. The bank manager was still sobbing near his desk. The young kid was helping the older lady rise to her feet. And the bank tellers were all being ushered toward the door by concerned cops.
“Stop the redhead!” Chloe called out as she rushed to Joel’s side. “She’s his accomplice!”