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Teague was so good with the dogs and Pepper and Miss Adeline. He valued life. Was forgiving . . . except with our father.
Lincoln kissed the side of my head. “I’m not sorry to say that I agree with Teague.”
“We can’t let him frame Cal,” I whispered.
As much as I wanted to believe Zegas and Whitley were grasping at straws, they weren’t. What they’d said made sense. It fit Father’s agenda.
If I wouldn’t get rid of Cal, he would. Just as he said he would. He’d ruin him any way he could.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cal
Beau sprintedtoward the door and flung herself in my arms as soon as I stepped into Teague’s apartment.
“That’s a hell of a way to welcome a man home,” I murmured against her hair when I caught her.
She buried her face against my chest and held me so tight I could hardly breathe.
I stroked her hair. “Hey. What’s this about?”
Worry wound its way through me. Beau was affectionate, though it had been more reserved when it came to me lately, but this . . . this was a lot. Especially in front of her family.
“We think my father killed Alex and is going to frame you,” she wailed.
My relief yo-yoed towhat the hellin a nanosecond.
“That’s not going to happen. I’m innocent,” I said far more calmly than I felt.
Her father was capable of anything, including framing a peon like me for murder.
But we had a justice system. I was a dedicated employee of the city, came from a family of decorated heroes. That had to mean something, didn’t it?
I hooked her chin. Those dark eyes were tumultuous with fear and anger and worry.
“Let’s take a walk.”
I grabbed two leashes off the closet door handle. Copper trotted closer, like she knew a leash was meant for her. Brutus was more hesitant but let me loop the leash around his neck.
I held both with one hand and ushered Beau out of the apartment with the other on the small of her back. She tucked herself in my side and took Brutus’s leash. He sat on her foot once we were in the elevator, while Copper pressed against my leg.
Once we were out in the evening air, we wandered at a slow pace toward the park.
“I’m sorry I blurted all that out the second you came home,” Beau said. She’d stayed close, but we were no longer touching.
“Just a day in the life, right?”
She stared at me incredulously. “How can you be so casual about this?”
“I pulled a woman and her two kids out of a fire today,” I said quietly. “A few minutes later . . .” I couldn’t finish the sentence. “Kinda puts things in perspective.”
She stopped. “Are they okay? Areyouokay?”
“Everybody is fine.” I touched her elbow, encouraging her to keep moving. “It’s my job, Beau.”
She let out a long breath. “I know. But somehow I’ve concocted this image about what you and Teague do all day. It includes cooking, washing fire trucks, and calendar shoots.”
“If only it were that glamorous.” I smirked.
