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She blinked, her hand tightening around the bottle. Now she was the one who needed distracting. “Tell you what. If I guess your nickname, you have to tell me something about yourself absolutely no one else knows.”
He moved closer, lowered his voice. “And what do you give me when you guess wrong?”
Allie shrugged, refusing to be put off. “Name it.” Her eyes went wide as she realized her mistake. “I mean, um.”
He grinned. Not in a flirtatious or playful way as she might have expected or wanted. Instead she suddenly felt trapped in one of those crime novels she was so fond of—caught by someone with a nefarious if not alluring agenda.
“I wouldn’t have thought a smart woman like you would be into dangerous games, Doc. Making an offer like that? It’s asking for trouble.”
Allie cleared her throat. Was it just her or was it hot in this room? “Maybe I like trouble.”
“Or maybe you’re just looking for any means to distract me from what’s really going on.” He put his hands on his hips and stared at her intently. “I’ll settle for you answering any question I ask you honestly.” He stressed the last word. “You were right. I don’t trust doctors. Even pretty ones with big brown eyes and a tough attitude. But I do appreciate your efforts, Doc.”
Darn. Was that a smirk on his face as he stepped away? She couldn’t tell. Allie pressed her lips tight and took a long breath. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.” She shrugged and played the “aw shucks” card. She twisted the lid on the bottle, lifted it to her nose and breathed deeply. She gagged and covered her mouth.
“What?” Max was at her side in an instant. “What’s wrong?”
Allie shook her head, her eyes watering as she tried to breathe around the suffocating, familiar aroma. “Just that smell.” The perfume she, Eden and Simone had given Chloe for her birthday a few weeks before Chloe disappeared. What was it doing here? Allie’s hand trembled. How had Hope gotten it? “I’ve always hated it.” Her head spun and she swayed, her knuckles turning white around the bottle.
Max moved in, his hands poised to catch her. She held out her arms, shifted her stance as if preparing to defend herself.
He looked startled for a moment, whether at his own instinctual reaction or at her immediate defensive posture, she couldn’t tell. Then his expression hardened and he glared, examining her as if she was now the one pinned under a microscope—what Max had accused Allie of doing to him earlier.
“I don’t believe you.”
That Max spoke so succinctly, so firmly, left Allie even more determined not to let too much slip about the possible connection between Hope and Chloe. “That’s not my fau—”
“I don’t believe a lot of what’s been going on today. There’s too much whispering, too much secrecy. You and MacTavish know a lot more than you’re saying and I’m betting the FBI isn’t too far behind on the information train. Everyone I’ve run into so far is walking around like they’re about to break something and I refuse to let that something be Hope. What’s going on, Doc?”
Allie couldn’t find the words.
“This is my niece’s life we’re talking about.”
The desperate plea in his voice had her swallowing a softball-sized lump of guilt. He was right. This was his niece’s life. Who was she to blame him for reacting like this? Why would he believe her when she said she was going to do whatever it took to bring Hope home? Why would he trust her? Why would he trust anyone? But she needed him to. “For the record, I’m well aware of what’s at stake, Max. Don’t believe for one second that I’m not.”
“Something else is happening here, Doc. Something you’re not telling me. Are you going to come clean or not?”
“There’s nothing to come clean about,” she lied. Would there come a time when she could be honest with him? Why did it matter? “Have you seen this perfume before?” She recapped the bottle and wished she hadn’t handled it so much.
“No. But I don’t keep up on my nine-year-old niece’s perfume habits.”
Maybe someone should have. Allie picked up the jewelry box. “I need to get an update from Jack. He should have spoken to his partner by now. Keep searching for anything you think might help.”
“I meant what I said before, Doc.” Max’s voice had her stopping at the door, but she didn’t face him. Not again. Not when she wasn’t sure she could continue the façade. “I don’t trust you. Whatever it is you’re hiding, I promise you, I’m going to find out. And I always keep my promises.”
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