Page 16 of Too Broken to Love

She didn’t miss how he catalogued every detail of the half-dozen cars in the parking lot. The pine trees that created a natural fence around the property. The traffic on the street.

Malcolm positioned himself on her other side like a sentry. The sun-drenched hair brushing his collar did nothing to soften his rigid posture. “It’s standard procedure to separate the two of you so you tell your versions of the story and not let the other distort it.”

Hudson nodded. “Copy that.”

The pulsing in Tessa’s stomach ratcheted up. She whipped her head to Hudson. “I can’t be alone in there.”

“You won’t.” He looked past her to Malcolm. “Stay with her.”

Malcolm squared his tie and his shoulders. “Got it.”

Hudson pressed his hand into her lower back as she climbed the steps. “Do you mind if I hold onto the ruby for a little while longer?”

Warmth from his hand seeped into her skin. Her nerves settled a bit as she embraced his heat and waited for an explanation she sensed was coming.

“There’s something in my pocket that reminds me of Pop, and it feels right next to his ring. It sounds strange, but…”

A single tear shimmered in the corner of his eye. He blinked it back before it escaped, but she’d seen it. “Take all the time you need.”

“Thank you.”

Her heart broke as his shoulders sagged and his voice caught on his words. Both were slight, like the tears he controlled, but she’d caught the vulnerability. As she looked away from him, the door loomed in front of her like a portal to her past. It didn’t matter if it led her to the guidance counselor’s office where she’d been called in for questioning about her living situation, or an emergency room where a caseworker wanted to know if she felt safe at home.

It didn’t matter what lay beyond those doors. Her brain signaled danger. Her body reacted.

Hudson pressed his fingertips into her back. “You can do this. I won’t be far.”

She didn’t bother denying her fears. She may not have answered his question about who’d hurt her, but he was too smart not to figure out her trauma stemmed from a run-in with the police.

At least he didn’t know why, and she didn’t plan to tell him.

Hudson’s mood rivaled the starless sky as he stepped out of the police station. “What do you mean Tessa’s gone?”

He stood from the low wall at the top of the steps. “Her paramedic friend picked her up while I was on the phone with the private investigator Pop hired.” Malcolm pulled his tie free as he headed down the stairs. “Has the department started anything formal yet?”

“Yeah.” Hudson shot past him. “They’re opening an investigation.”

The police weren’t the only ones who needed answers. He needed answers from the pretty little thief who’d been present for everything he’d missed with Pop this past year—and everything he’d never get back. Hell, even the detective had stories about Pop he’d never heard. As they’d moved on to the crash itself, worries about how Tessa was holding up kept breaking his focus, and now she was his responsibility to…to do what?

Make sure Pop’s trust in her wasn’t a mistake?

Protect her from Frank?

What the fuck, Pop?

He paused at the bottom of the steps and pressed his hand to his ribs. Adrenaline had masked the ache, but now it roared like a beast again. “What did the private investigator say?”

Malcolm laced his hands behind his head and stretched. “Pop hired him to keep track of Frank’s travel. That’s it. His sources haven’t flagged any movement in or out of Belize in the past six years.”

Damn. Hudson was hoping for more information. He strode toward the parking lot. “Did Pop revise his will to include Tessa?”

Malcolm yawned. “I wondered the same thing. I have a call in to my dad. He’s in Iceland with my mom for the next two weeks.”

“Ask if the firm’s network has suffered any breaches.”

“Already inquired, and no.”

“Okay.” Hudson climbed into the SUV and slumped into the seat.