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“Becky, you know this man?”
Her smile was one of amused relief. “Oh, yeah, I know him.”
Candace backed away from the door to allow the new man entrance. Garrett hugged Becky tight, letting her go when he was sure she wasn’t too upset with the morning’s events. He kissed the top of her head, placing his arm around her shoulders.
“Honey, I’m not sure Carter would be happy that you are hugging another man,” said Candace as she watched the scene unfold in her living room. “Or that he was kissing you.”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous. Mom and Dad, I’d like you to meet Garrett Sullivan. He is one of the owners of the company I work for and...”
“And Carter is my brother in every way that counts. He sent me to pick Becky up and take her home.”
“But can’t she just drive her own car home?” Her mother didn’t seem to understand the severity of the almost incident. “And isn’t she important enough for him to come and get her?”
Becky opened her mouth to inform her mother, but Garrett put his hand on her arm, stopping her words. His stern expression told her that he was going to handle it. She was well-versed in how these men took the lead.
“Because of the tampering of her car, we can’t have her driving it until we have the full forensics off the undercarriage and go over it with a fine-toothed comb. Nick and Jared’s company will do that for us. And Carter is on an important joband won’t be done before very late tonight so he won’t be home until tomorrow.”
“Oh,” said Becky’s mother. “But what will she drive to work?”
Garrett calmly explained no one would ever leave her stranded, ever. His calm, authoritative voice and manner seemed to have spellbound her mother, and Becky needed to break that ill-fated attraction or whatever it was. Callie’s man could look highly sophisticated, and Becky was glad he impressed her mom. It would stop her from asking too many questions.
Nick and Jared spoke to Garrett after Candace Carrington was satisfied with the answers he gave her. They had finished talking to James about security moments before Garrett had arrived. As the men were thanking Candace for the coffee and hospitality, Becky reached for her keys left on the side table. Before she realized it, Garrett had his hand on hers, and his voice spoke low and sternly close to her ear.
“If you don’t want your backside warmed the minute you leave today, I suggest you return the keys to the table and let Sharp take the car to assess it.”
Becky whispered back bitingly. “I’m Carter’s, and you don’t get to punish me.”
His smile was almost evil. “You keep thinking that little girl. When it comes to health and safety, the standard rules don’t apply. You know that. Now put them back, little one.”
Becky replaced the keys. The thing was, he spoke the truth. These overprotective men had gotten in her way so often that it had become everyday life for her to be more careful and listen to their directions. Not always, but since they’d found women of their own, they had become more intense and protective. It was reminiscent of musk ox males surrounding the females. It was infuriating that it made her feel special and seen. Sharlee said itwas because they had more to lose if they weren’t diligent. Becky thought it was just part of their makeup.
“Good girl. Now, are you ready to go home?”
“Almost. Honestly, why can’t I drive my own car? They removed the device.”
“That they could see. There are other things that could help them find out who did this. Signature designs, or other things. You know that. Go ahead and finish getting ready, and I’ll walk the guys out and get the official rundown on your car before they take off with it.”
It had been a quick goodbye, but Becky was ready for the weekend to end anyway. This visit had been full of surprises, from the inventory and how people acted to her being there, the words Uncle Karl had said about her father, and the manager’s not-quite-truthful aura. Then the tampering with her car turned out to be an incendiary device, with more yet to be learned, that put paid to her enjoyment. She was glad she didn’t have to drive home but wouldn’t share that bit.
“Kaden’s or Jac’s?”
“Pardon?”
Garrett asked, “You doing okay?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t be worried about what happened. We’ll figure it out.”
“I know, but I can’t help wondering if they targeted me or if this was another random, could have killed me, thing.”
Garrett audibly inhaled and released a deep sigh. “You know what we think about coincidences. However, it was in two different places, weeks apart.”
“What are the odds?”
“Not good for random, but it doesn’t mean they weren’t. Just means we dig deeper.”
“Did you talk to Carter today?” asked Becky.
