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Should, in fact, have found him already.
“Yeah, okay,” he reluctantly agreed. “We can make that work for tonight.”
Armed with the key code information, Steele shrugged into his leather jacket and left. Brady headed into the living room.
Joe stood, knowing he owed the Finnegan sibling an apology. “I—didn’t mean to kiss Elly.”
Brady arched a brow as he stretched out on the sofa. “Didn’t see a gun pointed at your head.”
“No.” He dropped into the chair next to the couch, glancing toward the bedrooms. “You’re right.”
Brady didn’t respond right away. Finally, he said, “Elly’s going to be twenty-five the first week in January. I don’t think you’re the first guy she’s kissed, Joe.”
He tried not to squirm in his seat. Why did that thought bother him? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t had girlfriends before. Like Tina. “I know that. I’m not saying this correctly. I care about Elly, very much. I wouldn’t kiss her if I didn’t. But I understand this isn’t the time or the place for that. Rhy has put his trust in me to keep her safe.”
“Ah.” Brady nodded. “I see.”
Did he? Joe wished he did. He pressed on. “I would never hurt Elly. She’s going through a rough time. I never meant for our brief hug to spiral out of control.”
Brady held his gaze for a long moment. “Yes, she is going through a hard time. None of us are happy to know she’s been targeted by this guy. But I am going to hold you to that promise, Kingsley.”
Joe nodded in understanding. “I will gladly protect her with my life if necessary.”
“That wasn’t the promise I meant,” Brady said with a crooked smile. “As a cop, you would always protect an innocent person with your life. It’s the nature of the career we’ve chosen. Your relationship is between the two of you. But know this, Elly has a tender heart. I won’t be happy if you hurt her.”
“I won’t.” Even as he said the words, he knew he already had hurt her by pulling away from their kiss so abruptly.
It was reassuring that Brady hadn’t gone all big brother on him. And he couldn’t help wondering how Rhy would have acted if he’d been the one to interrupt their kiss instead of Brady.
Maybe once they had this perp in custody, he’d have to talk to Rhy to explain how much he cared for Elly.
Would his boss let him date his younger sister? There was only one way to find out.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Elly didn’t sleep well. First because of Joe’s withdrawal after the most incredible kiss of her entire life, and then because she’d woken up with another nightmare about the shooting. She had a feeling the nightmares weren’t going to end anytime soon. Possibly once they had the shooter in custody, but even then, she knew soldiers and cops could be haunted by PTSD for months to years after a terrible event.
Thankfully, she’d felt slightly better by morning. And in the cold light of day, she’d decided to move on from her infatuation with Joe. Her older siblings had all found love when they’d least expected it. Joe had always treated her kindly but like a younger sister. Someone to look out for.
Not as a woman he wanted to be in a relationship with.
Time for her to let him go. Forcing the issue wouldn’t work. She needed to put her faith in God to find the man who was right for her. One who was as attracted to her as she was to him. One that wanted to be with her, rather than being ordered to stay close by her older brother.
It would take time for her to recover from the horror of the Christmas parade tragedy. It hurt her heart to know so many innocent people had died. Especially the beautiful figure skater, Gabrielle. On the bright side, blood no longer made her feel like passing out. Maybe there was still a bit of nausea, but nothing compared to what she’d experienced in the past. It felt good to know her career as an EMT might work out after all. Thankfully, she’d never mentioned her doubts to her older sibs.
She might even check into becoming a paramedic. Something to think about in January.
She quickly showered and dressed. She spent a few extra minutes blow-drying her hair to make herself feel better. Not to show Joe what he was missing.
Okay, maybe a little to show Joe what he was missing.
Enough. She shook off the gloom and opened the bedroom door. Joe and Brady were already seated at the small table, both with cups of coffee nearby. They were speaking in whispers so as not to wake her.
“Good morning.” She injected cheerfulness into her tone.
“Hey, El,” Brady said. “How did you sleep?”
“Great.” It wasn’t true, but there was no point in dwelling on the nightmares.
