He side-eyes me, the corner of his mouth kicking up. “A fantasy of yours, Miss Riley? Three doting men?”
I laugh, and his smile grows until that damn dimple appears again. “It wasn’t until now.”
Owen turns his head, his eyes widening. I laugh harder, squealing at him to keep his eyes on the road. He snaps his head forward again, but he laughs with me.
We both fall into companionable silence, and before I know it, the car is stopped in front of my building. Grabbing my bag, I unhook my seatbelt. When I look at Owen, he’s watching me.
“Thanks for the ride.” I get out of the vehicle.
“Thanks for taking care of me this morning.”
I bend down and place my hand on the outside of the car door. “It was no problem.” I go to shut it but blurt, “Oh, and Mr. Mills… a girl can dream.”
I slam the door and turn, Owen’s laughter chasing me to my building.
Chapter 14
Iget home to messages from Gray asking me to call immediately. He must have found some information about the warehouse, and I don’t hesitate to dial his number.
Gray doesn’t even bother with a hello, launching into what he needs to say. “The warehouse has been abandoned for years. The state bought the land from a logging company in the eighties, and it’s been unused since.”
“Great,” I mumble.
Another dead end.
“As for the car,” he continues, “I couldn’t find anything but the make and model of it. It’s unregistered.”
That’s not surprising, but my heart still sinks. I’d had some hope that something would turn up—any sort of lead.
“Thanks,” I say, trying not to sound disappointed.
Gray is silent for a few seconds, and I realize that I’m starting to understand him a little better. I know he’s not the best at expressing sympathy, but he tries.
“We’ll figure it out. At least you know what to look out for now.” He tries to sound optimistic but ends up sounding overly so.
I smile into the phone. “I know we will.”
And somehow, I believe it. I’m not alone in this. I have Ella, Dec, and now Gray. And in some roundabout way, I also know I have Jax and Evan on my side.
But when I think about Owen, I can’t shake the odd sense of doom. I can’t tell if the feeling is aimed at Owen or me. Probably both.
“Any leads on the evidence?” Gray asks, and I know it’s because we need a win when everything else is turning into a dead end. He hasn’t asked me about the trial again. He has to be nervous.
I desperately wish I could ease his fears with the trial and Owen’s case. But the reality is, I’m drowning in uncertainty.
“A few,” I lie because I can’t stand to disappoint him.
There’s a short pause, and I hear him shuffling around on the other end of the line. I wonder where he is and if he’s alone.
It never occurred to me to ask about his personal life.
“Hey, Gray?”
“Mmm?” he mumbles as though he’s pressed the phone between his ear and shoulder.
“You have a girl? Or guy? A family? I feel horrible having never asked you.”
Another pause has me second-guessing my question. Perhaps it was too personal.
