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“That makes two of us.”
His thumb trailed along the edge of her jaw, sending sparks through her. She couldn’t think with him touching her like that. Claire reached up to take his hands in hers. “My divorce changed me. My husband cheated on me, left me for another woman while I was pregnant with Jacob. He’s never even met his son. We were having problems in our marriage for a while, but I took my vows seriously. I thought he did too. I was wrong.”
This next part wouldn’t be easy to say, but she needed Gavin to understand. Claire didn’t want to lead him on. He deserved so much better than that. “I’m not sure I can fully hand over my heart to someone again. Until this moment, I’ve never even thought of trying.”
Gavin was quiet for a long moment. “First, let me say that your ex-husband is a fool. To have left you and Jacob…he’s missing out in a big way.”
Oh, heavens, she was going to cry again. Claire bit down on the inside of her lip to keep her emotions in check. She wanted to hear what Gavin had to say.
“You and I, Claire, we’re more alike than you know.” He pulled her into his arms. “I have my own bumps and bruises in the romance department. This isn’t the best time for either of us to make decisions. So let’s not. We’re friends, and when this case is over, then we’ll talk again.”
“I like the sound of that.” She sighed, a sense of peace settling over her. Being honest with Gavin about her feelings had lifted a weight from her shoulders. Claire wouldn’t have to keep questioning herself around him. They cared about each other. It was enough for now.
Gavin’s cell phone rang, breaking the moment. He released Claire to answer it. The cold air rushed in to replace his body heat, chilling her. She hugged herself. From Gavin’s side of the conversation, she gathered he was speaking to his fellow ranger, Weston.
Gavin shot a glance at Claire. She froze. Ice flooded her veins, erasing any last remnants of their stolen moment together. She grabbed Gavin’s arm. “What is it?”
He lowered the phone. “Weston located the private investigator Faye hired. He’s dead.”
Ten
The next morning, Gavin followed Claire into a conference room at the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department. His entire body was sore from the encounter with the gunman. Questions about the case kept him tossing and turning the entire night. Hopefully, the meeting this morning would provide some answers.
Seated at the table were the rangers from Company A. Gavin’s steps faltered as he registered everyone’s presence, including his boss, Lieutenant Rodriguez. She rose from her chair to greet them both with a handshake. “Sorry to crash the meeting, Claire, but once my team heard about the latest attack, I couldn’t keep them away if I tried.”
“Bennett’s the only one not here,” Weston said, as he moved to hug Claire. She looked tiny next to the former professional football player. “But he has a good excuse since he’s honeymooning in Hawaii.”
Weston clapped Gavin on the back and the two men did a half-hug, half-handshake. The move was repeated with Grady and Luke. Each of the men embraced Claire. She asked to see photos of their growing families. The next few minutes were spent catching up with each other’s lives. Coffee and breakfast were brought it.
Gavin’s fatigue lifted as he listened to Grady’s funny stories about toddler mischief and Luke’s woes about sleepless nights with a newborn baby. He hadn’t realized how much he needed a break. The case and the threats against Claire were weighing on him.
He was terrified something would happen to her.
Gavin didn’t know when it happened, but somehow this smart, beautiful woman had slipped past his defenses. Hearing how her ex-husband left her, pregnant and alone, had broken his heart. She was amazingly resilient. Claire didn’t need anyone to take care of her, but she sparked every one of his protective and caring male instincts. Gavin wanted to be there for her.
Could he do it forever? He didn’t know. His own failed relationship with Willow haunted him. The words she’d hurtled during their last conversation were buried in his heart.
You’d never make a good father or husband. Your work is everything to you. There’s no room for anything else.
“Okay.” Lieutenant Rodriquez clapped her hands, breaking through Gavin’s thoughts and drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “I hate to ruin this good time we’re having, but we have a case to solve. Let’s get down to business.”
Like a switch, everyone in the room turned serious. Lieutenant Rodriquez turned to Gavin. “Let’s start with a rundown of the case so we’re all on the same page.”
He ran through the chain of events, from Faye’s murder to last night’s shooting. Everyone listened carefully. Then Weston took over to discuss the private investigator’s murder. “Michael Grayson, thirty-six, former military. Did two tours in Iraq before opening a private investigation business. According to phone records, he received a call from a burner phone on Monday night.”
“The same night Faye was killed,” Claire interjected. “What time was the call?”
Weston glanced down at his notes. “Nine thirty. We don’t know what was said, but according to Michael’s secretary, he was meeting with someone about a case. He drove to a park on the outskirts of Houston. Police officers located him last night.”
“Why did it take so long?”
“His car was in a remote location, hidden behind some trees. Michael was shot three times point-blank. Ballistics matched the bullets from his body to the ones taken from Faye. Both victims were killed with the same gun. That weapon was then rigged in your bathroom, Claire.”
Gavin blew out a breath as the impact of evidence hit him. “The killer meets with Faye, slashes her tire, then kills her on a remote road. He rifles through her wallet, looking for the name and number of the private detective she’d hired. Then he calls Michael, arranges a meeting for the same night, and kills him. The next day, the murderer rigs the gun in Claire’s bathroom, hoping to kill her.”
Weston nods. “That tracks with what we know so far. One more note. Michael wasn’t a trusting person. He had a handgun under his jacket and a spare on his ankle. Both were holstered. His secretary said he never met with clients or others in remote locations, only public ones. Whoever called him was someone Michael didn’t believe would hurt him.”
“Same with Faye.” Gavin sat back in his chair. “What do we know about the shooting from the bakery? And the truck from last night? How do they fit in?”
