Her eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly. “Ah,” she said under her breath. “Now that makes sense. Detail number one. Hand on the lower back. It’s giving protective with a side of she’s mine now, back off.”
Before I could respond, the bell above the door jingled again.
Matt walked in.
He took one look at the scene—me standing close to Levi, Levi’s hand at my back—and visibly relaxed. The tension that had been riding his shoulders since yesterday eased in a way that was almost comical.
“Well,” he said, folding his arms. “This makes me feel significantly better.”
“About what?” I asked.
“Everything. You good?” Matt asked me, softer now.
“I’m good.”
He studied my face for a beat, like he was making sure I was telling the truth. Whatever he found must’ve satisfied him.
“Car’s fine,” Matt added. “I’ll swing by after my shift and check again.” He paused, then glanced toward Elizabeth. “If that’s okay with you.”
Elizabeth blinked at him once, slow and deliberate, as if she’d just been handed a stage cue. “Oh,” she said, pressing a hand to her chest. “Officer Hartford, asking permission? This is new.”
Matt rolled his eyes. “It’s your store.”
“It is my store,” she agreed, leaning one hip against the counter. “And I do appreciate a man who respects my jurisdiction.”
Levi’s mouth twitched.
Matt crossed his arms, but there was a faint pink rising in his ears. “I just don’t want to overstep.”
“Overstep?” Elizabeth repeated, amused. “You’re offering to review security footage in a potential stalking situation—is that it? Stalking? Is it Dipshit Travis? Anyway. That’s not overstepping. That’s proactive.” She tilted her head slightly. “Also heroic. Which is an excellent look on you, by the way. I approve.”
I closed my eyes briefly. “Elizabeth.”
“What?” she asked innocently. “I’m encouraging law enforcement.”
“You run the plate?” I interrupted. “From the sedan yesterday?”
Matt nodded once. Registered with a company. Pacifica Valley Holdings.”
The name meant nothing to me and everything at the same time.
“Holdings,” Elizabeth repeated, already intrigued. “This is getting good. Like, what do they hold?”
The words settled wrong in my stomach. A company name should have been harder to trace than a person. Which was probably the point.
Matt shook his head, but he was smiling now despite himself. “I’ll stop by later.”
“You do that,” she said smoothly. “I’ll have coffee ready. Maybe something sweet, too. For morale.”
“For morale,” he repeated dryly.
“For morale,” she confirmed.
Matt’s gaze flicked once toward Levi, assessing but no longer tense.
Levi met it evenly
Matt gave a small nod, satisfied. “Try not to get kidnapped before lunch,” he added, almost cheerfully.
