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She looked down at her hands. “Something happened, but I’ve never talked about it. I’m not ready yet, not when someone might overhear.”
Did that mean she might tell him if they were alone? He wasn’t sure why he cared, but he did.
Ten
She’d completely humiliated herself in front of Lucas. If there was one thing Carly hated, it was to cry in front of someone else. Especially someone who was always strong and in charge like Lucas.
She dabbed her face with the burp cloth again and inhaled. “I’m not normally such a wimp. I only got four hours of sleep last night and very little the night before. I’ll be okay with some rest.” She managed a watery smile. “Maybe I’ll nap with Noah this afternoon.”
Pepper settled beside her just beyond Noah’s reaching fingers. While Noah adored the cat, Pepper was very leery of that tight grip. Noah let out a volley of coos directed toward the feline, but Pepper ignored the plea.
Why had Carly even hinted that something had triggered the estrangement between her and her sisters? It wasn’t something she liked to think about, let alone talk about. She’d tried so hard with her sisters, but nothing she did was ever enough. How did someone earn love anyway?
Her eyes filled again, and she blinked away the moisture. “Any more news on the woman who broke into the house?”
He shifted on the chair. “That’s why I’m here. We’re going to be stymied in our investigation if I don’t at least tell my partner and my supervisor about the egg.”
Her pulse kicked into overdrive. “But you can’t do that!”
“I realize you wanted to keep it a secret from everyone, and you can still stay mum about it with your sisters and your grandma. But my team is hamstrung by not knowing why a Russian mafia group from New York might be interested in you.”
“What if it’s not the egg at all?” Was she grasping at straws? Only something of huge value like the egg would bring people that powerful to her home.
She slumped against the back of the swing. “I don’t know what to do.”
“The egg is safe in your deposit box. And we need to get to the bottom of what happened so your family is safe. You don’t want more break-ins. The next one might end with one of your family members dead instead of the burglar.”
The careful way he spoke told her how important he considered this. She shuddered at the thought of more people knowing about the egg, but it was clearly necessary.
She inhaled and lifted her gaze to meet his. “Why are you helping me anyway, Lucas? You’ve made it clear you don’t really like me.”
It had been obvious when she dated Ryan. His criticism of her so many years ago had contributed to her breakup with Ryan. Lucas had confronted her after a fight with Ryan over her sisters, and it had led to her breaking off their relationship. Yet he’d come to her aid when she asked last week. Maybe it wasbecause he was a police officer and felt obligated, but he was a bigger man than most when he’d put aside his personal feelings and been there for her.
He held eye contact. “I don’t dislike you.”
He didn’t explain further and got up. “I need to head back to explain all this to Vince and Lieutenant Clark. I’ll try to keep it under wraps as much as I can. But even if it gets out, Carly, that can only help alleviate the danger if Smirnov and his buddies know they won’t get it by breaking in here.”
“But they might break into the bank.”
“I’ll ask for enhanced security at the bank.”
She managed a smile. “Any chance we can move it to Fort Knox?”
He chuckled, a deep sound that sent a tingle into her chest. “I probably can’t make that happen without the whole world knowing about it. Are you going to call in an expert?”
This was all spiraling so fast. She’d hoped to find Gram’s birth family as a surprise, but she would have to tell her family what was going on. Everything would probably explode. The contents of the chest had been left to her by her great-grandmother, and her sisters would have a fit. It would trigger them in the worst way.
And she still had Isabelle to worry about. She and Dad still weren’t awake, but he’d be up anytime to catch his flight. Maybe she could at least wait until he was gone to reveal everything to Gram and her sisters. The last thing she wanted was for him to be in the middle of everything too. It was going to be hard enough keeping everyone else calm.
Lucas paused on the top step. “I can see the wheels turning.”
“The family has to know. It’s bound to come out, and theywill be furious if I’ve kept it from them when the rest of the world knows.”
“I don’t think it’ll get out of my office. We’re used to keeping things quiet.”
She lifted a brow. “I’ve seen plenty of leaked reports from police agencies across the country on big stories. This is beyond big, Lucas. And there will be a race to find the surprise that should be inside the egg. I’d like to be the one to find it.”
He came back up the step he’d descended and dropped back into the chair. “Tell me again about the surprise thing.”
