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“We can’t.” his voice was low and strained. “Our focus…my focus can only be on keeping you safe while we finish the investigation.”
He strode to the cabin door without looking back. Through the window, she saw him take up his post on the porch like a guard dog.
With a sigh, she sat down and looked at her laptop screen, but she didn’t see the video from the club anymore. Instead, she was too busy in her own head, analyzing how much she’d wanted to kiss Owen, to hug him. She’d needed to give him that as much as she felt he needed to get it.
Most of all, she’d wanted the comfort it would bring to her, but it seemed that wasn’t an option anymore.
TWENTY-FIVE
The following morning Sophie checked in with Helen and Julia. In her update on the investigation, she skipped over the part where they were shot at. The more she thought about that the more she was sure that the bullet was meant for Owen, not for her. It wasn’t a reassuring realization. As a matter of fact, it scared the hell out of her.
It was bad enough thinking that someone was firing a gun at her. It was worse when she considered that Owen had nearly been killed just because he was helping her. He didn’t have skin in this game, not really. He was only with her to protect her at Ethan’s request.
If something happened to him…
It hadn’t, and she had to believe it wouldn’t. That was the only way they could keep moving forward, which was what they had to do. With that in mind, she made a suggestion when Owen returned from his morning patrol.
“I think we should pay a visit to The Green today,” she said. “No patrons will be there this early, but staff will be. And like you said about the country club, it’s the staff who knows what’s going on.”
“No,” he said without elaborating.
She gave him an exasperated look. “Well, then what would you suggest? We’ve got to keep the investigation moving forward, and this seems like our best lead.”
“First, a club like that is too busy and crowded for servers and bartenders to notice much. They’re hustling to fill drink orders, not watching for drug deals. Even if they did see something, it’s the type of place where the staff doesn’t talk. To anyone.”
He had a point. She’d gone to clubs similar to The Green. Music blared, the dance floor was packed with moving bodies, the drinks watered down, and you had to shout to be heard by someone standing next to you. Add in some strobe lights and no one notices anything.
“You might be right,” she conceded, “but still, it’s a place to start.” She shouldered her purse and went toward the door, making it obvious that she wanted to go and now.
“Secondly.” He stood, immobile in the middle of the room. “You aren’t investigating in person anymore. I told you that yesterday.”
“What?” Hehadsaid that, but she’d assumed it was just the tension of the day talking and that he’d be more reasonable once he’d had a chance to calm down. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. You aren’t going anywhere.”
“I most certainly am. If you don’t want to go with me, I have my own car. I’ll go by myself.” It would be stupid to do that, and she really didn’t intend to. Her hope was to jar him out of this idiotic, dictatorial mindset.
“Your car’s blocked in,” he said.
“By your truck, no doubt.” She tossed her bag on the sofa and strode up to him, fighting down her own anger so she could deal with him in a rational manner. “Look, yesterday rattled me, too, but we can’t use it as an excuse to stop what we’re doing. We’re close to ending this.”
“We’re not stopping,” he insisted. “We’re changing the method of investigation.”
“To one that won’t work.” There was only so much she could do from a distance—online or through someone else. They’d already had this fight when she’d tried to talk him through an interview via Bluetooth. On top of that, she refused to be cowed, refused to be too afraid to keep going. “I can’t sit here and expect to make progress because you’re feeling overly cautious. I have to do my job.”
“Myjob is to protect you. It’s the more important one. I promised Ethan and Helen that I’d keep you safe, and I have every intention of doing just that. You are staying here.”
“I can’t believe this.” She got caution, but his attitude was incredibly over the top. They couldn’t hide forever. Not if they ever wanted this ordeal to end.
“It’s what I have to do.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. Other than that, he was like a granite statue staring at her.
“No.” She gathered up her purse and laptop. “I’m not accepting that, and this discussion isn’t over. For right now, I’m going to go spend the day with Luna. Maybe by the time I return, you’ll have come to your senses.”
“Don’t leave the retreat,” he warned when her hand was on the door.
She hadn’t planned to, but his tone made her bristle. Just barely, she stopped the retort that was on her lips and left the cabin without saying a word. She headed toward Luna’s personal cabin, which her friend had pointed out on the day Sophie arrived. Sophie knocked on the door and, with relief, heard Luna call out to enter.
“Hi,” Luna said, looking up with a smile on her face. She was sitting at a table with stacks of papers around her and an open laptop. Even though she appeared busy, her expression was completely Zen. “What’s up?”
