“Yep,” Winters said tersely.“Figured as much.”
“Kate, you should take it,” Marcus said.“You need to keep yourself safe.”
“I’ll never be safe as long as Cox is alive,” Kate said, “and I’m not going to hide while he and his disciples perpetrate more murders.”
Winters sighed and got to her feet.She clearly disagreed with Kate’s choice to decline the protective detail, but she’d had this argument before and knew better than to keep pushing at Kate’s stone wall.“You’re dismissed, both of you.I’ll contact you when I have more information.”
Kate stood and left the room.Marcus followed her, his brow furrowed.
When they were outside, he said, “At least come stay with me.I’ve got room.I don’t want you by yourself.”
“I won’t be.I’ll be staying with my mom.”She didn’t add that part of her reason for doing so was to make sure Catherine wasn’t vulnerable if Cox chose to go after her again.
He frowned again.“I’m willing to stay with you if you need me to.”
Kate took a breath.“No, thank you.I think you and I need a little time apart.We… had a rough go of it.We should take some time to recover.”
“What if that’s what Cox wants, though?”Marcus insisted.“What if he wants distance between us so I can’t protect you?”
Then it worked.
“We’re only a few minutes from you,” Kate said.“I’ll call you if I need you.In the meantime, I would really like to remain your partner, and that means we both take time to heal from the wounds of the relationship that never was.Please respect that and respect me.”
Marcus didn’t meet her eyes.His shoulders were bunched, his arms stiff.“Kate, I get that you and I fell flat on our faces, but I still care about you.You’re my friend.Let me protect you.Or at least help—"
She turned to him and pulled him close.He fell silent and wrapped his arms around her.She closed her eyes and drunk in the feel of him—strong and warm and safe, the musk of his cologne, the slightly rough timbre of his voice, the even rougher texture of his skin.She pressed her lips to his neck, not quite a kiss, just contact.
When she pulled away, Marcus’s eyes were moist.She lifted a hand to his cheek, smiling at the stubble tickling her palm.“We’ll be okay,” she promised.
He met her eyes, and it was all she could do not to throw caution to the wind and kiss him.But she wasn’t a child, and no matter how much she wanted it, the fairytale romance wasn’t waiting for her.If she and Marcus worked out, it would be a long, slow crawl with a lot of fighting and struggling, and the finish line would be peace, not passion.
But for the moment, neither of them could run that race.Kate pulled her hand away, and after another smile, she turned and walked to her car.
She didn’t look back.She couldn’t.Not with Cox out there lurking, scheming, anticipating the moment when he and Kate would be together again.
That was all right.Kate would be waiting for him.
