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Liam opened his eyes and looked at the speaker. “And?”
“You’ll figure it out. You’ve got enough to worry about right now.”
“Did you get into that file?” Liam had looked up his father’s case so he could convince Vanguard’s Cold Case Department that looking into the OD of a homeless guy was a nothing sandwich. What he’d found was an Internal Affairs case number, which he didn’t have authorization to open. Gage, however, was his lieutenant and had more clout as an officer.
“Not yet. I’ve punted it up the chain, but I don’t anticipate it getting much response. I may skip a few steps and go talk to the commissioner.”
“No one is gonna like it that you had Russ Franklin open a can of worms.” The commissioner was a former US Marshal and, as a civilian position above the chief of police, he was effectively a liaison between the mayor who appointed him and the mayor’s appointed chief over the department.
Better Gage than him. Despite the fact Jasper’s dad was a state senator, Liam hated politics. Bureaucracy sucked. Climbing in rank only meant more glad-handing to get anything done. Give him old-fashioned, boots-on-the-ground work over political schmoozing any day.
Maybe that was the hang-up he had that Gage had figured out.
The front door opened, and Blake stepped out.
Liam said, “I’ve gotta go, Lieutenant. I’m on detail tonight.”
“Stay safe.” Gage hung up.
The lieutenant hadn’t volunteered for protection detail, but he and his wife—Roxie’s boss, Clare—were the first to be called if anything happened. They would be here within minutes.
Liam grabbed his backpack and a duffel of personal weapons since using department guns for a private op was a bad call. He had his off-duty pistol on his hip and strode up the front path to Blake. They shook, which ended up as a back-thumping hug.
“Thanks.”
Liam nodded. “You’ve got that thing tonight.”
“I should get to it. Leave you here.” Blake shook hands with him. “Destiny knows what to do if anything happens. She’s not working tonight, but she’s got a test tomorrow morning, so she’ll probably be studying.”
“Copy that.”
“Your job is to protect her from anything. Including Roxie, if that’s the case.”
Liam frowned.
“Jas told me what your buddy said about her. I don’t think I need to be more worried than I am, but why should we care about this girl? She’s gonna put my sister in danger.” Blake didn’t back down when a member of his family was threatened.
“She wouldn’t hurt Destiny.”
“I know.” Blake huffed a laugh. “At Backdraft, she said she’d have killed my sister already if she was planning on it.”
Liam blinked. “She’s not going to hurt her. She’s not like that.” Great, now he was vouching for her—the woman currently at the window watching them through the blinds. He was honestly surprised she was here. Or that both of them were. Maybe they wanted their familiar space, and it was easier to safeguard yourself if you noticed immediately something was wrong with your surroundings.
He pushed out a breath because her decision to stay here wasn’t his business. He would be asking her about it if he got the chance, though. And with Destiny studying tonight that might happen. Quiet, alone time with Roxie.
Liam said, “Roxie would lay down her life for anyone facing a threat. For someone she cared about? You don’t need to worry. She will do anything, including give her life, for your sister if that’s what it comes down to.”
Blake jingled the car keys in his hand. “So why does the military think she’s unstable, possibly dangerous?”
“They never said she was dangerous. But they did recommend a psych eval.” Liam’s phone rang in his pocket. According to his watch, it wasn’t his mom calling him back, so he ignored it. “She had one at the treatment center she attended, and they cleared her. The final was sent to the military, but it’s not like we can read it. That means it’s up to Roxie to tell us what we might need to know.”
“I asked. She didn’t volunteer the details.” Blake lifted his brows. “But she did say she would tell you.”
Liam pressed his lips together. He hadn’t been able to figure out who the guy was that sent the snake. Someone she’d told him was dead. Right now, it made no sense, but he needed her to tell him if he was to have the intel that would keep her and Destiny safe.
And when did he start feeling the need to cover Roxie?
She’d lied to him. Misled him. Ditched him at the first chance. He shouldn’t care one bit about her, but that fatal flaw in him that didn’t let go when his heart got involved meant one thing—he had no chance to get out of this with his sanity intact.
