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“Are you okay?”
He shook his head. “No. Not really. Are you?”
“Not even a little. I think we underestimated the threat here, Cole.”
He’d been thinking the same thing. Talking with the police, he hadn’t disclosed much about the research, but whoever had killed Laura knew intimate details about the project and either worked at Zia or was able to gain access.
He laid his head back and stared at the ceiling of the car. “Someone killed her, Joey. This is my fault, isn’t it?” He felt Joey shake her head. “I brought her into this mess by telling her I suspected something was wrong. She must have confronted someone or mentioned my concerns to the wrong person. What about her husband? Her kids?” He pressed his eyes shut against the sting of tears.
Joey sat up. He missed the warm pressure of her leaning on him. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and tipped his head up.
She looked at him quietly for a moment, and he wondered what she saw. He was in basketball shorts and a T-shirt that didn’t belong to him. He felt like Laura’s blood would never come off his hands, despite his best attempts using the commercial-grade cleanser in the lab.
“You didn’t kill her, Cole. Whoever we chased up the stairs and was in that basement? They killed her. And the police and your security team and Black Tower? We’ll figure out who it was and we’ll make sure they face justice. Okay?”
She was so determined, so strong in her declaration that Cole didn’t have another option besides nodding his agreement. He realized that, until now, he had trusted Flint—and Joey by extension—with his company. Now, it would seem he was going to have to trust her with his life. Just as easily as this person had killed Laura, they could come after him as well. He had no idea what Laura had said before she died. Did the killer know that Cole was suspicious? If so, he was a target.
At least Joey was still safe. Unless the killer had somehow seen her in the lab tonight, her cover should still be intact. That was a relief, though tempered a bit by the reality that the police still likely had her in their sights.
The last thing he wanted to do was get her hurt. As much as she challenged him and as much as her snarky attitude irritated him at times, thinking about Joey in danger because of him was unacceptable. He’d already caused the death of one woman he cared about.
Not that he cared about Joey, per se. That wouldn’t be appropriate. He was her boss.
Kind of.
Oh, who was he kidding? As much as he didn’t want to, he couldn’t deny he cared about her. Even if he still didn’t really know if she even liked him, Joey had gotten under his skin. She was unlike any woman he’d ever met.
He didn’t want her hurt. “We’re calling Flint,” he said suddenly.
Her eyes widened. “Right now?”
He glanced at his watch, then grimaced at the empty spot on his wrist. It had been seized as evidence as well. “What time is it, Tyler?”
“It is a quarter after midnight, sir.”
He blew out a breath. It might as well be three in the morning with how tired he was. “I’ll send him a message, and we’ll talk first thing in the morning.”
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Joey watchedthe streetlights roll by without paying much attention. The adrenaline from the encounter this evening had faded, and she was near to falling asleep with her head on Cole Kensington’s shoulder. The thought brought a small smile to her lips.
When he’d opened his arm so she could sit next to him, she’d briefly considered refusing. But after the second longest day in her life, her willpower was completely nonexistent. Sometimes, you just needed physical contact. A tactile reminder that you were still alive and your heart was still beating
She would have leaned into just about anyone in that moment. Tank, Ryder, even Jackson who rubbed her the wrong way at nearly every turn.
It was a nice gesture for Cole to offer. That’s all.
He felt solid and strong against her side, and she let her eyes close. When they opened again, she realized the car had stopped. She leaned up and glanced out the window. They were in a garage. Her heart raced. “Cole?” She looked at him; his eyes were closed. “Cole!” She shook him awake.
“Hmm?” His groggy hum irritated her. Couldn’t he see they’d been taken?
“Where are we? Where did you take us?” she yelled the accusation at the driver.
Cole shifted in his seat and reached for her hand. “Shh, it’s okay, Joey. We’re just at my house.”
She leaned away, fighting against the seatbelt. “Say what now?” Her panic was quickly fading into irritation and anger.
“Relax, Joey. Don’t fight me. I don’t have the energy right now.”
