“Will you let me drive you to your apartment?”Beau asked as everyone broke off, moving to different areas of the room, except Travis.“It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me.”
Ivy’s gaze didn’t meet his.Was that a bad sign?
“I’ve given my statement to the law.I should probably swing by the Austin PD while I’m home.Without any real leads, what good does it do to stay together?”
“We do have a lead.The vacant building in the downtown area.”
“It’s a wild shot in the dark, nothing more.”The resignation in her voice struck him with the force of a physical blow.Was she telling him goodbye?
“I think it’s worth investigating,” he said.
“Maybe we should leave this to the professionals.Now that law enforcement is involved, maybe it’s time we took a step back, so we don’t make the situation worse.”
Is that what she really thought?That they would just be in the way from now on?
“The best thing either one of us can do is not get caught by these bastards again,” she said on a sharp sigh.“If they want to use us as some kind of leverage against our parents, we should damn sure deny them the opportunity.The closer we get to them, the more likely they’ll be able to grab me again—or you.You’re not exactly in shape to fight anyone.”
He couldn’t argue her points.The thought of doing any of this without her sat hard on his chest.
“I can’t sit back and do nothing,” he said.“Not while my mother’s life is on the line.”
Travis perked up.“She’s right, Beau.The best course of action is to do nothing.”
Could he?
No way, and he needed time to convince Ivy to go with him.If she walked out the door, he might never see her again.
“Fine,” he said with as much conviction as he could muster.“I’ll agree to stand down if you’ll let me give you a ride to Austin.”If she agreed, that would give him time to work on her and get her to see his point of view.Possibly even gain her help.
Ivy issued another sharp sigh.Not a good sign.
“I will drop you off, and you’ll never have to see me again.”He hated that this offer might be the tipping point.“It’ll give us a chance to talk and see if we can figure out a connection between our parents before we walk away and live our own separate lives.”
Ivy’s gaze shifted to Travis’s, as if she were looking for the answer as to whether this would be a good idea or not.Beau couldn’t say that he knew his brother-in-law all that well, which made it hard to tell which way Travis leaned on the subject.
Travis gave a slight nod, approving that plan.
Ivy pursed her lips, then said, “You can give me a ride.”
His relief was short-lived when she held up a hand.
“On one condition,” she said.
“Name it.”
“You stick to your word and leave the investigation alone.”
Dammit.He didn’t want to lie to her.His word meant something to him.
“Unless there’s a solid reason for my involvement,” he amended.“Agreed?”
Ivy conceded with a nod.
“Let’s go,” he said before she could change her mind again.
Travis stood up.“I’m putting in a request for Austin PD to send cruisers by your house, Ivy.Just to keep an extra eye on the situation.”
“Thank you,” she said before grabbing her things and heading toward the back door.She stopped before grabbing the door handle and turned.“Thank you to everyone for making me feel welcome here.You have a beautiful home, and your family is lovely.I appreciate your warmth and kindness during my visit.”
