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“Because he feels protective of him,” Duke corrected. “Duke isn’t the type of man to sit by and do nothing. Just like the night we were attacked at the bar. He went with Cash and slid right back into his former military days. He didn’t even blink an eye.”
“But that’s not what he wants,” I argued.
“Because you say so?” he questioned. “Maybe he doesn’t want to be part of the company, but you can’t deny that he’s still one of us. Deep down, there is nothing about Duke that’s just your average citizen. I can tell how much it’s eating him up that his ex died. And it’s ten times worse that the kid is involved. You’re not so different. In fact, I would say he’s exactly the perfect balance for you. He gives you something different at the end of the day, but he’s just as strong as you.”
I huffed out a laugh at that. I wasn’t sure he was as strong as me. “I could kick his ass.”
“I’m not talking about physical strength. I’m talking about strong in his convictions. You don’t need someone that can kick your ass. You need someone that can match you in intelligence and drive, but can also be soft with you at the end of the day.”
“Right,” I said, getting back to work. But even though I tried to deny what he was saying, I knew there was truth in his words. I was terrified that Fox would take him out and do something Duke would regret. And if that happened, he would never look at me the same again. I was a part of OPS, and that would never change, no matter what was on the line.
25
DUKE
“And then I removed her from that life because it was clear she was unhappy in her life.”
I had been listening to Fox fill me in on his obsession with Anna for the last ten minutes. It started when I wouldn’t talk to him about Rae, and then somehow morphed into how he understood how an obsession could take over. All I got out of it was he was lucky Anna hadn’t slapped him with a restraining order.
“She kept telling me that I kidnapped her, but I kept explaining, it’s not kidnapping if you know a person.”
“How do you figure?”
He glanced over at me with a strange expression. “Did you not hear what I told you? I knew her. I wasn’t kidnapping her. I was saving her.”
“But she didn’t know you.”
“Ah, but she didn’t leave me. She chose to stay with me. That negates anything I may have done.”
“I think they call that Stockholm Syndrome.”
“While that can develop over days, it’s more likely that she realized what a great guy I am.”
I wasn’t about to argue with him about it. I didn’t know Anna, and I really didn’t want to keep going with this conversation. When I agreed to go with him, I assumed we’d be doing more investigating and less talking. I didn’t need a therapy session. I needed to get answers.
“Do you know where Michael’s office is?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Ha! Right, like I would go into a job without knowing the facts. So, tell me, what’s the deal with you and Rae?”
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.” He tapped his thumb on the wheel. “She totally kicked my ass for asking you to come along.”
“What?” That surprised me. I knew something had happened while I was in the bathroom, but I hadn’t expected Rae to get all weird about this.
“Well, technically, she didn’t kick my ass. She torqued the hell out of my shoulder. I mean, I had it under control,” he said in defense. “I could have gotten out of her hold at any time. But she’s a woman. You have to give her these wins.”
“Of course,” I said, though I didn’t believe a word he was saying.
“I mean, how bad would that have been if you walked out and I was doing that to her?” he asked uncomfortably. “It was really the only move I could make.”
“I get it,” I said, trying not to laugh.
“I just mean that she clearly has a thing for you.”
I looked out my window, not wanting to talk with him about this. I was confused enough as it was. Rae was slowly warming up to me, and I didn’t want to do anything that might send her running in the other direction. That could consist of anything from proclaiming my undying love for her to talking about my relationship with her.
He pulled into the parking garage across from the building Michael worked out of. As soon as he was parked, I opened my door and got out. Fox rushed around and stepped in front of me, holding up his hand.
