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Was it? Something about the look they’d exchanged had suggested they weren’t totally surprised. I studied them. “Did something like this happen with the other cars?”
“We don’t know what happened with the other cars, since we didn’t work those cases.” Logan’s tone had turned firm. “Probably some idiot assumed the box was worth more than it looked like or that you had something valuable inside.”
That didn’t explain why they’d kept it after opening it and seeing what it did contain, or why they’d left all the other items behind if they’d been looking to sell off whatever they could, but maybe he was right.
I hugged myself, my nerves jittering. The loss of the car had felt bad enough, but the thought of someone going through the things inside, taking the one object that’d meant so much to me, was even more of an invasion.
“Did you talk to anyone else about that box?” Dexter asked with an analytical glint in his eyes.
“I mean, I might have mentioned it to my roommate, but it’s not like it’s the kind of thing that’d come up in regular conversation.” My gaze slid between the three guys. “Even if I had, why would that make a difference? If someone heard me mention it, they should know it was only important for sentimental reasons."
Dexter gave an awkward shrug. Slade popped another cinnamon candy and clicked it thoughtfully against his teeth. The vibe had definitely changed between the guys. A sense of foreboding I couldn’t totally explain rolled over me.
Logan squared his shoulders. “You don’t have to worry about it. We’ll find it for you just like we found the car. It’ll probably be enough just to go back to the shop and convince the idiots there to cough it up.”
Something about the way he said “convince” combined with his earlier aggressiveness sent an uneasy tingle down my back. “I’ll come with you,” I said. “I’m the only one who knows exactly what it looks like.”
“Your sketch and description got the idea across just fine,” he said, his voice hard as steel. “I don’t want you setting so much as a toe in that place again after what that asshole tried to pull.”
“I’m fine,” I protested.
He grabbed my wrist and held up my arm, putting the scrape below my elbow on full display. “That’s not fine. And he could have done worse.”
The raw skin there still stung, but the little bit of bleeding had already stopped. I motioned to the front of my car. “I’ll clean it up with my first aid kit and be good as new. It’s just a scratch. I did worse to the asshole who attacked me.”
“Yes, indeed, you did,” Slade said with amusement, his gleeful grin only faltering when Logan glared at him, dropping my wrist. I regretted the loss of his warm hand more than I liked.
My stepbrother turned his attention back to me. “You have no idea what you’re getting into, Madelyn. Scuffles like that are only the start. I’m not putting you in danger like that again. And if you’re with us when we go out to handle shit like this, people are going to keep targeting you because you don’t look like a threat. Next time you might not be able to fight your way out so easily.”
“But you’ll still be in danger then.” I set my hands on my hips. “You’re getting into it on my behalf. The least I can do is be there to help.”
“It’s not the same. We’ve gone through this kind of stuff dozens of times. We know how to handle criminals. You don’t, no matter how much big talk you spew out. One wrong step, and you could getreallyinjured. What would actually help the most is if you went back to your studies and pretended nothing’s wrong until we deliver your Dad’s box to you. And then nothing will be wrong.”
I didn’t know how to argue with the unshakeable certainty in his voice. It painted a picture that made me shiver.
Ihadbeen attacked, and I hadn’t been prepared for the assault at all. My self-defense training had kicked in, thank God, but I definitely wasn’t used to getting into fights like that. Would the guys’ search really put them—and me—in that much more danger?
Remembering the situation in the mechanic shop, it wasn’t difficult to believe. The way Logan had reacted to the attack had shownhewas ready for possible violence. He hadn’t hesitated to step in and show the jerk just who he was messing with. And Slade and Dexter had rushed in too.
What had they been through during past investigations that’d made them so confident dealing with that kind of aggression?
For a moment, the thought of doing what Logan asked—walking up to my dorm room, opening up one of my textbooks, and acting like none of this was going on—brought a wave of relief. I didn’twantto be grabbed by strange men growling threats; I didn’t want to be used as some kind of hostage.
But before that fear could fully take hold, my stubbornness kicked in.
I’d come this far. We were only looking for a simple decorative box, not illicit drugs or a weapon or something. The people who’d have taken it couldn’t bethatdangerous, could they?
And if they could be, then I wanted to know. I wanted to be standing right there with the guys like I had at the shop, where Ihadheld my own, thank you very much.
I couldn’t let Logan push me away again—not this time. It wasn’t about him and whatever his reasons were for holding me at a distance. This was about me and something that mattered to me more than almost anything.
I raised my chin, fixing him with my steadiest gaze. “I don’t care how dangerous this gets. I’m not helpless. I took care of myself today, and I can do it again.”
Logan grimaced. “If your dad were here—”
Oh no, he didn’t. I cut him off before he could take that idea any farther. “My dadisn’there. He’s dead, and this box is one of the most important things I have left of him. And you never even knew him, so you have no reason to assume that he wouldn’t agree with my decisions. He believed in me.”
A flash of surprise crossed Logan’s face, and I realized that my voice had risen as I spoke the words.
“Damn,” Slade said with a low whistle, but I ignored him as I stared down Logan with narrowed eyes.
“We made a deal, and I’m not backing out of it, so the deal still stands. I’m staying on this investigation.”
