Cartel. She was involved with a cartel. Julie sat back. “I’m suddenly not hungry. I don’t know how I got in the middle of this. I’ve always tried to stay out of the way of trouble.”

“More importantly is how we get you out of it,” he said. “And the best way to do that is to get me inside this thing and back you out.”

“How?”

“I’ll go as your date,” he said. “You introduce me and I’ll pull him aside, make it clear you don’t know what he has going on or what I have going on. Then, I’ll make sure he, and his connections, know I can get those elusive pieces of art their hearts desire, for a price.”

She felt outright sick now. “You’re going to put yourself in the center of a cartel to get me out of it.” She’d been around the Walker brothers enough to know how they operated. They were protectors. So much so that she wondered if that wasn’t what was really drawing Luke to her now. Maybe this was sex, and some manly duty. He’d already given her the ‘we’ll stay friends no matter what’ lecture. And with any other man, she would have said, ‘perfect’. A sexy affair and no strings, no emotional bonds. And no chance of getting hurt.She swallowed hard.

“Julie,” Luke said, drawing her gaze from where it had settled on her slice of pizza.

She nodded. “Yes?”

“I’m getting you out of this, yes, and I won’t pretend that isn’t a huge motivator to me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know,” she said, her throat threatening to close. God, who was she? Nothing used to rattle her. Nothing but...Luke.

His eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’m glad you’re involved,” she said, and she meant that. He might break her heart in the end, but she’d be alive to feel the pain. That beat dead any day of the week. “You said cartel. Are we talking drugs? Weapons?”

“Yes to both, but the part of this equation that makes this bigger than usual is that not only are they selling illegal drugs, and targeting teens, those drugs are tainted.”

“I’ve seen a few news pieces on teens dying,” she said. “This cartel is responsible?”

“The drugs are tainted.”

Julie drew in a breath that rasped through her lungs like acid. Kids were her soft spot. They always had been. Kids who wanted to believe in the adults around them, and often did so with trust that wasn’t deserved. “Then consider me in for the count. Whatever I have to do, I’ll do it without hesitation.”

“You just have to get me to the judge and play the role of my unsuspecting, trusting love.” He glanced at her pizza. “And eat.” The strong line of his always sexy mouth curved, “You’ll need your strength to practice that role later.”

At that moment, getting lost in Luke sounded pretty darn good, and maybe she’d even let herself play the role of the blind, smitten lover. Playing the role, whatever it might be, had gotten her through a lot in life. In fact, maybe she simply needed to stop thinking so much with Luke.

“A few games with you might be just what I need,” she said, leaning forward and picking up her pizza, and glancing at his. “But I suggest you eat, too. I’m not going to be easy on you.”

They finished up their pizza, and stepped into the chilly night air, walking back toward her building where Luke had parted, and a chill slid down Julie’s spine that had nothing to do with the temperature. Suddenly, she was more than a little aware of how that area of town, while highly populated during the day, was almost empty at night. So much for not thinking too much.

Luke seemed to sense her unease, pulling her under his strong arm, his big body warming her. “Nice to walk these streets when you aren’t getting pushed and shoved, now isn’t it?”

She slid her arm under his leather jacket, craving the feel of his hard body, his strength, next to hers. “Tonight, I think a crowd and some pushing and shoving might feel good.”

“Crowds give a false sense of security,” he said. “You never know what’s hiding in a crowd.”

“If you were a doctor you’d have a horrible bedside manner.”

He smiled down at her. “I did pretty good with your cut,” he reminded her, and boy did he. She barely remembered it an hour later. “How’s it doing?”

She lifted her band-aid. “Other than the really lousy style statement, better.”

“Maybe we should stick to takeout,” he said. “No cleanup.” He motioned to a side street by her building. “The garage was full. I had to snag a meter.”

“There are a lot of medical offices in the building and it gets busy on Mondays,” she said. ”I should have told you to park in my spot that I never use.” The hair on the nape of her neck stood up, and she could feel the slight, barely there stiffening of Luke’s spine beneath her palm.

“I never mind a walk,” he said, but his tone had changed, tightened. He lifted a hand to indicate the truck. “There we are.” He clicked the locks open as they approached, and she was aware of the full paid-parking area they were passing, that sense of something being under the bed, or in this case, the cars, making her want to run. And her imagination was exactly why she didn’t watch scary movies.

Luke opened the door for her and helped her inside, his voice low as he handed her his phone. “Blake’s on speed dial. Tell him we have an unwelcome visitor and keep him on the line.” He started to hand her the keys. “Don’t turn anything on. In fact, don’t touch anything. Just call Blake after you lock the doors.” He shut the door.