She sucked in a sharp breath as she saw the weapon. Maybe if Claire hadn’t believed them in the first place, she would now.
“What should I do with it?” Stephanie asked.
“I’ll take it,” Craig said.
“Shouldn’t we call the police?”
“Do you want to?”
She thought about it before shaking her head, then wondered if he would accept the decision.
As she looked at him, her gaze zeroed in on the bruise that was discoloring his forehead.
“You got hurt in the fight,” she said.
“Did I?”
“Yes. Your forehead is bruised. You need ice on that.”
Glad to escape, she slipped into the back room where she paused to run a shaky hand through her hair, thanking her lucky stars that she and Craig hadn’t been in each other’s arms when Claire had come in. That was all she needed, for someone to report back to John that she was kissing another man. Would Claire have reported to him? She didn’t know, but she still understood that she had to be careful.
She got several ice cubes from the refrigerator, wrapped them in a paper towel, then put them into a plastic bag. She wished she didn’t have to go out there and face Craig again, but she was pretty sure he was still waiting for her in the front of the shop.
He and Claire were talking when she returned and handed him the ice pack, being careful not to touch his hand.
Something had happened between them when they touched, and she didn’t want it to happen again. At least not now.
He took the ice and pressed the package against his forehead.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“Mr. Brady and I were talking. He’s in the city to get some investment advice,” Claire said.
Stephanie nodded. She hadn’t picked that up from him, but she supposed it could be true. She canceled the last silent observation. He wasn’t in town for investment advice. He was here to investigate John Reynard.
That realization made her suck in a sharp breath.
“Are you all right?” Claire asked, her gaze anxious.
“I’m . . . I’m just reliving the moments before Mr. Brady came in,” she answered. “It was pretty scary with those men coming after me.”
“What happened, exactly?” Claire asked.
“Not too much. They came in, and I could tell they . . .” She gulped. “Wanted to harm me.”
“Why?” Claire pressed.
“I don’t know,” she answered, flapping her arm in frustration and wondering if it had something to do with her father. What if he’d let his gambling get out of hand again, and they were here to make sure he paid up?
Nothing like that had happened to her before. Nobody had come after her because of her father’s debts, but maybe she’d been lucky in the past.
Craig was also staring at her. Afraid he might try to touch her, she took a quick step back.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes.”
