The heat of three sets of eyes singed the back of his neck, but he didn’t care as he pulled out a chair and helped Katherine sit. He was serious earlier. He liked her family, and if anything was ever destined to happen between them, he wanted them to accept him, but their opinions were not his priority.
Katherine and her safety were.
“I…I don’t understand. Time’s up? What the hell does that mean?” She threw her hands in the air before dropping her head to rest in her palms. “I mean, I know what itmeans, but why? I’ve racked my brain, searching for anyone I could have wronged or upset. Nobody comes to mind. How could I have pissed off someone so bad they’d try to kill me? And now they’ve come to my private space, the home where my son rests his head, and threatened me.”
Owen, Tommy, and Mike stood around the table, flanking her from all sides like a human shield.
“What about a pissed off patient?” Mike asked. “We had a case not too long ago where a disgruntled family member came back and took his anger out on a doctor.”
Cody recalled the case Mike spoke about. Dr. Jenna Simon had been caught in the middle of a widower who needed to blame his wife’s death on someone, and she’d been the unlucky target. It wasn’t far-fetched to believe something similar could happen again.
Katherine shook her head. “Nothing that comes to mind, but I can call my boss and have him pull up recent records.”
“You should do that now,” Owen said. “And while you’re on the phone, see if you can take some time off work. This guyknows your routine. Where you work and live. You can’t just go back to your job like nothing’s happened. I’m sure your boss will understand.”
She let out a long breath. “I don’t have much personal time. I took off a lot after Theo died.”
“It’s not like you’re asking to take a vacation for the hell of it,” Cody said, hating she found herself in this position. “The only other option is to have someone with you the entire time you work. Something tells me that wouldn’t fly at a hospital.”
That coaxed a bit of a smile from her. “Probably not.”
“Then it’s settled,” Mike said. “You take a few days off. You and Ollie will stay with me.”
A tiny bit of tension stiffened Katherine’s neck. She kept her head down, eyes on the table.
His blood pressure spiked. The idea of her being away from him, entrusted to a good man like her father, made his nerves go haywire. Not to mention he could read her like a damn book. She didn’t like the idea of staying with her dad. She’d told him earlier she had to temper her own emotions to make sure her family was okay. She shouldn’t have to worry about anyone else right now.
Katherine finally glanced up and aimed a tight smile at her dad. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Mike asked.
“Because if this guy has followed Katherine long enough to know her patterns, he’s probably aware of where her family lives,” Cody said.
If looks could kill, the expression on Mike’s face would have sent Cody to the morgue. “And if he does, then we’ll handle him. Hell, I’ll have Tommy and Owen stay and we’ll all keep guard twenty-four damn hours a day until this bastard is found.”
Katherine sighed. “You can’t do that. The sheriff’s department is small enough as it is. The sheriff and one deputycan’t both protect me. There will be no one around to catch the guy who wants me dead.”
Owen winced. “I’m the sheriff. I can decide what the department can handle. Besides, Cody wants to make himself useful. He can head up the investigation while we keep you safe.”
He might appreciate his boss’ confidence in him, but deep down he understood it had more to do with keeping him away from Katherine than wanting him to be the one who made the arrest.
A familiar feeling of being shoved aside, looked down on for reasons beyond his control, fisted his hands at his side. He wasn’t a kid anymore. Wasn’t afraid to stand up for himself and go after what he wanted—what he deserved.
“She should stay with me,” he said.
Mike’s stare hardened to stone. “Excuse me?”
Cody struggled not to squirm, but standing in front of Katherine’s overprotective family while claiming she should stay with him was tougher than staring down an armed robber. “I live out of town and no way this guy knows where my house is. Why would he? I’ve never spent time with Katherine. She’s never been to my home. I can stick close to her and Ollie, keeping them both safe, while the rest of the department nails this guy’s ass to the wall.”
Tommy snorted. “You think my sister would just take her kid and stay with you?”
“Maybe you should direct that question at me,” Katherine snapped, raising to her feet. “Because, honestly, that sounds like a better idea then you all standing over me every day until this is over.”
Owen scuffed. “Seriously? What will you tell Ollie?”
“As much as we have to in order to let him know he needs to be careful, but not too much to scare him.” The words were out of Cody’s mouth before he could stop them. Hell, Ollie wasn’t hiskid. He had no right to say what Katherine should or shouldn’t tell her child. But he’d spent a lifetime battling against lies and manipulation, and if he had any influence over how this played out, he opted to be as honest as possible.
And the curve of Katherine’s lips told him he’d said the right thing.
