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How to explain because his gut said so? “Until we capture your assailant, it would be wise for you to avoid public crowds.”
He started to pull away but she held on. “That makes no sense. First of all—”
“I know you don’t believe it was anything but a random crime and you think I’m being overly protective, yada, yada, yada. I admit it—I am. You gave me my life back, Amelia, and it’s because of me that you were in that alley to begin with. I could have lost you. Could have lost…everything. Again.”
She blanched. “But you didn’t. I’m right here, and it wasn’t your fault.”
“You and everyone else can say that until you’re three shades of blue, but I invited you out for dinner and that’s why you were there. If you really believe the attack was random, then itismy fault. You wouldn’t have been anywhere near that alley otherwise.”
“You didn’t cause the accident that backed up traffic, nor did you force me to leave Jose’s car and trek through that alley to get to the restaurant. I can’t understand why you’re being so stubborn about this.”
There was so much she didn’t know.Better if she never does. But something she’d said flipped a switch in his brain. “Get some rest.”
He scooted back to Ops and plunked down in his chair, his fingers moving over the keyboard before his ass hit the seat.You didn’t cause the accident.
What had?
While he was digging for a police report on that, he called Moe. “Did you check traffic cams around the car accident?”
“Sure.” He yawned; his voice groggy with sleep. “Jesus, Tephra, it’s after midnight.”
“Did you notice any vehicles sticking close to Jose’s car from the time it left here until it got to the accident?”
In the background, the mattress springs creaked as he sat up. “I was looking for a man in black on foot, not vehicles.”
Exactly. “Get your ass down here and help me review footage from around that area. We need to go over it as well as what led up to it. I want to know if Jose and Amelia had a tail.”
Another yawn but his voice was more alert. “Be there in five.”
Rory disconnected and started reading the accident report.
ELEVEN
Rory braced his hands on each side of the frame, staring down at the knob. The sign on the door readIn Sessionand he knew better than to interrupt Vivi and her patient. He shouldn’t even stand here, listening to the murmur of their voices.
But he needed help, and he needed it now.
He mentally smacked himself. Since when did the legendary Rory Tephra admit that he needed anything?
Yes, he’d been coming to Vivi now for nearly twelve weeks, and he’d benefited from every one of those sessions.
This was different. This wasn’t about blasting through the blocks that kept him in his wheelchair, or learning to mentally focus and gain clarity like he had when he was in the field so he could juggle the current multitude of important jobs on his plate.
This was about emotions. Love and lust and…The old me still lurking in the shadows.
Commitment had never been important to him. Not the romantic kind, anyway. His SEAL team brothers? Absolute dedication. His country? One hundred and ten percent allegiance. He would do anything and everything for those in his circle.
Love and marriage, though—that was a horse he’d never been cut out for. Rory Tephra liked his freedom, loved his independence.
But he wasn’tthatman anymore.
Because of Amelia.
Also because of Beatrice and Vivi. They’d never given up on him, kept pushing him, kept believing in him. All these women in his life were screwing him the fuck up.
He was so in his head that he didn’t hear the approach of footsteps. The door opened andwhoops. Parker stood there.
She frowned and he lurched backwards, thankful he didn’t lose his balance. “Sorry,” he mumbled. The old Rory would never have apologized, but he respected Parker, and the last thing he wanted her to believe was that he was listening in on her private conversation with the therapist. “I wasn’t eavesdropping. I mean, not intentionally. I didn’t hear anything, I swear.”
