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“Everything okay?” he asks, cocking a brow.
My keys dig into my palm as I tell him truthfully. “No. I need to get home to check on Doe.”
“How is she doing?”
I look off to the side when I answer. “She’s getting better, but there’s still a lot of shit she has to work out.”
I look back at Tavers just as he gives a single nod. “That’s to be expected.” He clears his throat and takes a step closer. “Look, I wanted to catch you before you left. Mindy’s been bugging me about having Doe and you over for dinner. I keep telling her she needs to give her time, but you know how she is. She knows part of her story, and you know how big Mindy’s heart is. She really wants to meet her. She cornered me this morning and made me promise to ask you if you both could come over for dinner tonight.”
I blow out a breath and twist my neck to the side, hearing a pop as I do so. Tavers has mentioned having us over for dinner, but I don’t think Doe’s ready for something like that. I feel shitty because Mindy hasn’t even met Doe, yet she’s already done so much for her. Doe knows about Mindy’s generosity, and I’ve told her she wants to meet her. Her expression carried apprehension at the prospect of meeting someone new, but I could tell she wasn’t completely against it.
I bring my gaze back to Tavers.
“Doe’s not ready for something like that.” Tavers nods. I look down at my watch. “How about you and Mindy come to my place around seven or so. That’ll give me a few hours to talk to Doe about it, and it’ll be in an environment she’s familiar with.”
“We can do that.” He pauses. “How are you doing?”
There’s no need for him to clarify. I know exactly what he’s referring to.
I clench my jaw and push back the ever-present anger I feel when I think about our lack of movement on Aislin’s case.
“I’m trying real fucking hard not to let it take me under and having Doe at the house helps. Keeps my mind occupied.”
“It’s not over, Niko,” Tavers says with conviction. “He’s still loose on borrowed time.”
I don’t say anything, just nod in agreement.
“Get to Doe. Check on her and call me if you need anything.”
Giving him a chin lift, I turn on my heel and close the gap between me and my truck.
The drive home isn’t but fifteen minutes, but it feels more like an hour. By the time I pull in the driveway, it feels like lead balls are rolling around in my stomach. There’s really no need for my nerves to be so shot; Doe has a phone, and she would have called if she had any problems, but the thought doesn’t ease my mind.
I shut off the engine and climb from the truck. I force my feet to take me to my place instead of the house next door. It’s not lost on me that this isn’t the first time I’ve had to force myself not to go to the person living in the neighboring house. Hell, it’s not even the twentieth. As a kid, I had that urge more than I didn’t. Any time I wasn’t with Aislin and I knew she was at home, I worried about her. I hated her being there, especially when her mom and one of her men were there. Luckily, Aislin hated it as much as I did and was only there when she had to be.
Although I force myself to go inside to at least drop off my gun, my eyes still stray over to the quiet house. Unlocking and opening my door, I expect Betsy to be on the other side to greet me but then remember that she’s next door. It only makes me feel slightly better knowing Betsy’s there. She’s a trained police dog, but even so, she’s still just a dog. It wouldn’t be so worrisome if the guy who shot up my yard a few weeks ago had been caught. Something tells me it had something to do with Doe. I just don’t know what, and with her memory gone, it doesn’t look like we’ll find answers anytime soon. To say it’s frustrating is an understatement.
I drop my keys on the bar then pull my holster and gun from my hip, setting that beside my keys. My blazer comes off next, and I drape it over the back of the high back stool. As I walk into the kitchen for a bottle of water, I roll the sleeves of my black button-up shirt to my elbows.
I turn toward the window as I guzzle down the water, my eyes landing on the white house through the pane of glass. I crush the empty bottle and toss it in the trash then leave the kitchen and head straight for the door, my impatience getting the best of me.
Just as I reach for the doorknob, I hear a bark on the other side of the wood. Yanking it open, I find a startled Doe with a panting Betsy at her side. As soon as Betsy sees me, she trots inside and throws her paws on my lower stomach.
Keeping my eyes on the woman in front of me, I absently run my hand over the top of Betsy’s head. “Hey, girl.”
Seeing for myself that Doe is fine has the knots in my belly loosening. She looks at me, not saying a word, but from the relieved look in her eye, she’s just as pleased to see me too. We’ve been together nonstop for a week, except for when we sleep. I know her relief stems from her being in a new place. Mine, though, is in part because I know she has no one to worry about her. Everyone should have someone who cares about their well-being, but there’s more. It’s more than just a friend being concerned for another friend. There’s some kind of connection between us that I think is there because her and Aislin’s situations are similar. She needs me like Aislin needed me. I failed the one woman I always swore to protect, so I refuse to fail another. I don’t know. Maybe I’m transferring my need to protect Aislin over to Doe since Aislin is no longer here to be protected.
Doe shifts on her feet and looks at me nervously, reminding me she’s still standing right in front of me.
“Shit,” I mutter, taking a step back for her to enter. “Come in.”
She walks inside, and I’m surprised when her arm brushes against mine when she passes me. The connection lasts less than a second, but she’s never voluntarily been close enough for it to happen, except the two times she took my hand the day I took her to the cemetery.
Betsy trots in behind her, stopping at her feet when Doe turns to face me. I close the door and regard her.
“How was your day?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest.
She bites her lip before she answers. “It was okay.”
