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What was so wrong with her that even Kane felt he had to pull away?
Lost in her thoughts, she jolted when her father spoke again.
“It’s been a long day. Why don’t we leave my daughter so she can get some rest? If there’s anything else, we can discuss it in my office.”
“I’ll take my leave too if you don’t mind, early call in the morning,” Mandy yawned, looking suddenly exhausted. Stonewall planted a kiss on Lexi’s head as the trio left the room.
“Get some sleep,” Stonewall told his daughter, shutting her door. Mandy kissed him on the cheek, tossed Kane a small wave then padded off to sleep leaving the two men alone. As soon as she was out of earshot, Kane spoke up.
“We’ve had two incidents in two days. The perp is obviously not quitting. We need to tell Lexi about the threats. It’s ridiculous not to.”
Stonewall’s expression turned hard.
“Let me make this clear to you. Lexi stays out of this. She is not to be told anything. She has enough on her plate worrying about the State going up in flames and feeling as if she has to personally save everyone affected by the fires. You’ve just spent the day with her, can’t you see that she’s a sensitive girl? She takes things to heart. I am not going to give her more to worry about, so we are not going to have this conversation again. If this is a problem for you, maybe I should speak with your superior?”
This was one of those moments he would have told his client where he could shove his demands, but for the promise he had made to Wilson. He couldn’t drag his buddy’s good name through the mud, which would be exactly what happened if he said what was on his mind. Instead, he swallowed his retort and took one for the team.
Bud made a sound that showed how unimpressed he was with Stonewall’s treatment of him. Picking up on the antagonism in the air, he’d planted himself between the two, ready to defend his master should anything kick off.
“I’ll keep our deal… for now,” he made it seem as if he had a choice in the matter.
Stonewall fixed him with steely eyes which probably intimidated lesser men, but Kane had been down the pits of hell and clawed his way out on a nightly basis.
He stared right back at him.
Stonewall’s gaze went past Kane to Lexi’s door. As if he could picture his daughter on the other side of it, his expression suddenly softened.
For the briefest moment, Kane caught a glimpse of the anguish any caring father would feel in the same situation… but it was gone in a flash.
“See that you do.” With that remark, Stonewall spun on his heel and left.
15
The crisp night air was a welcome to the fog inside his brain.
Driving to that same spot he had investigated before, Kane welcomed the fresh air pouring through the open windows, knowing it would keep his mind alert and his body awake. There was also the added bonus that Bud might be able to pick up on a clue left behind.
He breathed in a deep breath that cleared his head, though it did nothing to erase the look Lexi had given him when he’d first arrived.
He recognized the look, had felt it keenly himself at times. A part of him thought he should apologize, but the fact of the matter was, it was better for her to be angry at him. If she was angry at him, she would stay away.
And they wouldn’t have the chance to cross that line again.
If they kept their distance, kept their relationship professional, he was sure the two of them would be able to co-exist without issue.
There was sure to be some iciness tossed his way: he had no doubt about that, after all, egos were such fragile little things, but they were both adults and from what he’d learned of her so far, she wasn’t the petty type.
He nodded to himself, happy with his decision.
All he had to do was to ignore what had happened between them until she eventually grew bored with the lack of drama and moved on.
Arriving at the spot, he parked nearby and got out. His men had set up a couple of floodlights in the area. Stan greeted him with a nod. “We left the climbing gear for Bud, haven’t touched it so it won’t be tainted with our scent.”
“Thanks,” Kane replied.
A quick examination and Kane could see that they weren’t just cheap but brand new. There were several ropes that looked as if they were in the process of being turned into a homemade rope ladder, a box of carabiners (light but strong metal rings with spring-loaded gates), a harness and other odd bits and pieces — none of which made much sense. Try as he might, Kane couldn’t quite see what it was their perp was attempting to do.
One thing was becoming clear, however: their intruder was likely working on their own and wasn’t part of a wider network. Networks were usually financed productions, and this looked like a very confused one-man band.
