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“No. Of course not. I asked her where you fell in the family tree. I’d never heard of you until I saw you in court. I knew of Chief Melissa Colton, of course, and Detective Troy Colton, who’s your cousin...and that you have other cousins who work in the GGPD...”
“I’m the oldest of four siblings. Three boys and a girl. Melissa is the only one of us who actually works for the GGPD. Travis is the founder and CEO of Colton Plastics, and Stanton is a bodyguard. Dad’s Frank Colton, a shipping executive and a really nice guy, by the way, and Mom’s the artist he fell in love with while he was on vacation in Italy. I have a number of Colton cousins, many of whom work at the GGPD. And I don’t see how any of this leads to conversations about my love life.”
He wasn’t going to let it go.
She didn’t blame him. She’d been out of line, bringing it up.
“I... Just so you know...I don’t blame your family for what happened. They were just doing their jobs...”
“Not well enough, if no one had noticed the discrepancies in detective reports and the information coming from forensics,” he said. “And I still don’t see what any of it has to do with who I’ve dated...”
“I only asked the guard if you were married. And I asked if Melissa was, too, and Troy. Trying to get a feel for what I was up against in terms of understanding how a spouse would lie about another spouse’s infidelity. The guard took it from there.” She hadn’t been sure if the woman had been trying to warn her off getting any ideas about Clarke Colton—not that Everleigh had been at all interested—or if she had merely been engaging in a bit of gossip.
His expression changed, the interest diminishing a bit...which was fine by her.
But.
She was staying at his house. Was probably going to be in his company, almost exclusively, until they caught whoever had tried to kill her. She had to know who and what he was. Who and what she had to guard against.
She’d fallen for a charmer once. She was apparently susceptible to them. And had to fight off any danger in that area before it had a chance to infiltrate her system.
“I can’t help it if women are drawn to me,” he said, pulling a little notepad from beneath the laptop and grabbing a pen, as though the subject was done.
“You can help how you react around them,” she said. “You don’t have to flirt with them just because they’re there.”
He frowned. “I don’t flirt with anyone if they’re not receptive to it. And this isn’t really any of your business, by the way.”
“At least answer me this, since I’m staying here... Is there anyone who’s going to take exception to me being here? I don’t need any more enemies right now.”
“No. And I don’t have a girlfriend.” His tone had an edge to it. “Now, do you have any idea who any of the women were with whom your husband was having affairs? I think we need to start with them.”
Yeah, she thought so, too. And... “I feel so stupid, but no, I truly have no idea. I was still reeling from the fact that he’d seen an attorney and was complaining about the paperwork involved in filing for divorce to even think about putting names to the nebulous factors out there. Maybe one of his girlfriends wasn’t happy with the fact that he hadn’t officially filed the papers yet. If he’d told her he was dumping me for her...” She’d seen it happen that way on television. Had read about it in books.
Clarke wrote in his notebook. No longer frowning, but his expression was not really friendly anymore, either. Which was just fine. She had been prying into his personal life, after all. And couldn’t deny she was interested in his answer, despite herself.
“I hate all of this...hate that for the past three months it’s all I can think about...and I still don’t have the answers. I wish to God I’d gotten a better look at who tried to run me down this morning, but with that ski mask and the gloves and coat...”
It was like she was being made helpless at every turn, and she’d never been a helpless woman. She was the one who helped others. Always.
“I just don’t get why, if this is an ex-lover, someone who felt he’d jilted her, she would be looking for something at your house?”
“I don’t know.” Everleigh shook her head. “I’ve been trying to figure that out myself. What anyone could have been looking for. But then, Fritz was apparently able to keep a multitude of secrets from me, so what do I really know? It’s anybody’s guess...”
“If it’s okay with you, I plan to ask around about who Fritz has been seen with. And to follow credit-card receipts for out-of-town trips to see if we can pinpoint who he was with.”
He looked over at her, his gaze humanizing again, as though he saw her as an individual, not a job, and she was glad. Whether she liked it or not, she was.
She gave him permission to do whatever he needed to do to keep her safe. And hoped to God that the only safety in jeopardy was physical. Because she wasn’t at all confident that when it came to her emotional safety, Clarke Colton was the man for the job.
Chapter 5
Everleigh was just getting up to leave Clarke’s office when her phone rang. The s
ound drew his attention to her just in time for him to notice the mixed expression that crossed her face. Dread. But not fear. Resignation. She caught him watching her and his gaze dropped immediately.
Landing on the lovely curves of breasts completely filling out the black sweater she’d had on under her coat. With the tight-fitting jeans and black boots, that tousled blond hair, this woman could have walked out of any fancy lunch place where people went to see and be seen.
And yet...there was nothing flashy about her. The snow on the ground required boots, and jeans and a sweater were pretty much the go-to for winters in their small Michigan town. Not everyone filled out a sweater as she did, however...
