Page 92 of Tracking Safety

Dale found Luke and Jenna in the hallway after the hearing. Naomi and Caleb were talking to Kori.

When Luke saw him coming, every muscle in his back went tight.

Dale stopped a polite distance away, his hands in his pockets and a mild smile in place.

“Luke.” He nodded. “Sorry it’s got to be this way. Family’s family. I just want what’s best for my brother’s little girl.”

Then his gaze slid to Jenna, and his smile warmed. “Jenna! Good to see you again. How’s that tire holding up?”

Beside him, Jenna went still.

She’d mentioned in passing that Dale had helped her with her tire.

Luke had known from the moment he’d heard the story that Dale’s actions hadn’t been a kindness, and their encounter hadn’t been chance.

The whole thing had all been calculated to send a message.

“It’s holding fine.” Jenna’s voice came out level.

“Glad to hear it.” Dale’s eyes stayed on her, warm on the surface and flat beneath. “A single woman can’t be too careful. You never know who’s out there . . .”

Luke’s jaw locked so hard it ached.

Dale’s smile deepened by a fraction. He leaned in, just slightly, and dropped his voice so it carried no further than the three of them. “You take care of yourself . . . Ellie.”

CHAPTER 38

The name hit her like a slap.

Ellie.

Dale said the name as if he’d known who she really was all along.

Maybe he had. Richard had probably told him. Still, hearing him say her real name aloud made her feel off-balance.

Jenna held perfectly still. She’d learned how to do that—how to keep her face smooth while everything underneath came apart. She didn’t let her expression shift. She didn’t look at Luke.

If she looked at Luke, she’d give it away.

He went rigid beside her.

She didn’t have to see his face to sense the anger coming off him in waves. He was holding back his fury by sheer will. His hands had curled at his sides. His breathing had gone slow and deliberate.

He didn’t move. He didn’t say a word.

She understood why. There were cameras in the corners of the ceiling. A bailiff stood near the courtroom doors. And Dale would love nothing more than for Luke to do something foolish in a building full of witnesses.

Dale had said her name to get a reaction, to watch one of them crack.

Neither of them gave it to him.

Something shifted behind Dale’s eyes. Disappointment, maybe, that the scene he’d come for hadn’t played out.

“Well.” He straightened and stepped back, easy as ever. “I’ll see you in two weeks.”

He turned and sauntered down the hall.

As Jenna watched him go, cold settled into her bones.