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Gabe flinched. “That makes sense.”
“I’m also going to need access to your father’s financial accounts.”
He frowned at that, visibly bristling. “What do you expect to find?”
“I don’t know. But we say ‘follow the money’ for a reason.”
His jaw went rigid. “You think my dad was on the take?”
“Nope. But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t check.”
“I understand,” he said stiffly. “And I’ll come with you when you do these checks. No more trying to shove me in a half-assed kitchen so I can make your dinner.”
“Burke says you can come, so yes. I’d prefer you choose another bodyguard, but if you don’t get in my way, we can make this work. But,” she added as gently as she could, “I may find things that you don’t want to see. That happens sometimes when someone dies suddenly.”
His jaw was still square, his eyes now cold. “Did you find anything weird when your father died?”
“Well... We found out that he had quite a collection of porn. That was uncomfortable, to say the least. It was all pretty vanilla, and the activity was recent. Mom had died years before. She had an aneurysm and Dad missed her so much. We didn’t find any lady friends. Just the... you know.”
He grimaced. “If you find something like that, I really don’t want to know.”
“I don’t blame you.” She injected lightness into her tone. “I needed brain bleach after that.”
He smiled and seemed to relax. “Thank you. I do want to accompany you. It’s my responsibility. He was my father.”
“I get that.” She hoped his responsibility wouldn’t get him hurt. Or worse. Which was her responsibility to prevent. “Do you have any self-defense training?”
“Some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.”
She was impressed. One of her black belts was in BJJ. “How much is some?”
“Brown belt.”
She was even more impressed. “All right, then, that’s more than I was expecting. Are you proficient with any weapons?”
He made a face. “My dad was a cop. He took me to the range for the first time when I was ten years old. It was our bonding time.”
“Did you hate it?”
“So freaking much.” He shuddered. “But I can shoot okay. My knife skills are very good.”
“If we get attacked by an onion, I’ll hide behind you. Otherwise, you hide wherever you can. If bad shit goes down, I want you safe. He was your dad, but this is my job, therefore this investigation is my responsibility. Are we clear?”
He huffed an annoyed breath. “Yes, ma’am.”
She grinned. “I like being called ‘ma’am.’ ” She pointed to the bowl of untouched shrimp and grits. “Can you eat now?”
“I’ll try.”
“Good. You eat while I run background checks. I want to check out your father’s house next. I don’t imagine we’ll find anything since you searched already, but you never know. Then we’ll head for your place.”
“I can make up the guest room for you.”
“Actually, I’ll probably just sleep on the sofa so that I’m near the front door. Do you have a security system?”
He rolled his eyes. “My dad gave one to me as a housewarming present.”
“Any weapons in your house?”
“My Wüsthof knife set. And the damn dog.”
She’d forgotten about the dog. “Why didn’t you say something about the dog? You’ve been gone all day.”
“I had a doggy door put in the week after Dad passed. Shoe’s got access to food, water, and a half acre of grass to sniff and pee on. He’ll be okay.”
She lifted her brows. “You have a doggy door? There goes your security system.”
He winced. “I didn’t think about that.”
She started packing her things. “I can do the background checks once we’ve secured your house. We can go to your father’s house tomorrow. Grab your dinner and let’s go.”
