She pushed up from the ground and got back in her SUV, locking the doors. Sprocket hung her head between the seats as Denise examined the small device she’d found. The GPS tracker was about the size of a large key fob with three LED lights on the front. The middle yellow light was lit, possibly indicating that the battery was dying. She flipped it over, trying to find a power switch. Not finding one, she pulled out her knife from the console and flipped it open. She ran the edge along the seam of the small box, separating the two halves. Slipping the knife under the wires, she flicked the tip and detached the ends of the leads. She checked to make sure no light was showing and threw the pieces onto the passengerseat.
Assholes had tagged hercar.
Denise released the brake and shifted into gear, heading to back to the house. She had to talk to her parents—they needed to decide on a course of action for protecting the kids. An FBI safe house might be the logical solution, but it didn’t feel like the right one and it would cut her off from her support network. She might be able to trust Chris, but she didn’t know his coworkers and, more than that, she needed her parents and Bree aroundher.
Pulling in beside her dad’s extended-cab pickup, she shut off the engine and gathered up the pieces of the GPS. She let Sprocket out of the back and thumbed the lock on her doors out of habit. It wouldn’t stop anyone from breaking in, but that was no reason to make it easy onthem.
She unlocked the door and pushed it open with her shoulder. Sprocket glanced up at her and then made a beeline for the couch and Kimber and Kaden. They’d had a bath and were in their pajamas watchingcartoons.
No sooner had she thrown the dead bolt than Sprocket let out a short woof and looked at the door. A brief knock followed. She checked the peephole and opened the door forChris.
“What—”
He grasped her face and kissed her. His mouth held an edge of desperation, as if he was trying to pour all his anger and worry into the kiss. She stiffened and pushed against hischest.
“What are youdoing?”
“I’m sorry.” He rested his forehead against hers. “It took everything I had not to do this when we walked into that room, but I can’t chance being taken off this case. There’s too much riding onit.”
Her emotions clashed inside her like Titans battling for Olympus. Hope and defeat. Her heart screamed that he was apologizing, but her mind had kicked her feet up on the desk and was filing her fingernails, wonderingso the fuckwhat.
She wanted this and if she were honest with herself, she’d wanted it as soon as he’d walked into that interrogation room. Care. Comfort. Support. Someone to stand beside her and guard her back if she needed it. Someone who knew she could handle herself, but still worried enough that the first thing he did when he saw her was devour her in an effort to prove to himself she was safe. But what did she have to do before someone just supported her when she needed it instead of assuming she had thingscovered?
Giggling reminded her they had an audience. “Now’s not the time to talk aboutthis.”
“Denise—”
A throat cleared behind her. Chris raised his head and searched her gaze before turning to look at herfather.
“Son, I’m going to have to ask what your intentions are toward my daughter.” Her father stood with his hands on his hips, feet braced apart. She knew that stance. It was the one he’d taken when she was growing up and had to explain herself when she’d done something he thought she shouldn’thave.
She forced a smile. “Why don’t you ask me what my intentions are toward him?” She tried to move back a step, but Chris kept his arm wrapped aroundher.
Her father shifted his piercing gaze to her, not missing anything, and playing along anyway. “Good point. Denise, what are your intentions toward this youngman?”
Denise rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure I’m never sharing any of my intentions withyou.”
Kimber, now peeking over the back of the couch watching the show by the door, giggled again. “I told you he was her boyfriend.” Kaden scrunched his face up as if to say “ew, gross” and turned back around to watch theTV.
“We did agree to go steady,” Chrissaid.
“I agreed to go on a date,” shereplied.
He shrugged. “Same thing.” He released her, but kept one arm around her waist. “Sir, I intend on dating yourdaughter.”
“Ha! Good luck with that.” Her father dropped his hands and went back into the kitchen, passing her mother on theway.
Denise rubbed her eyebrow. How the hell had she gotten into this mess? More importantly, how could she get out of it without causing ascene?
“Leave her alone, Frank.” Her mom smacked her dad on the stomach. “It’s good to see you again,Chris.”
“You too, Mrs. Reynolds.” He released his hold on Denise’swaist.
“Karen, please.” She wrapped her arms around Denise and hugged hertight.
Denise closed her eyes and breathed in the muted scent of her mother’s perfume. She needed this. It brought back memories of sitting on her lap as a little girl, wishing her nails were long and elegant like her mom’s, and that she liked the things her mom liked. She’d never been that girly-girl and she’d always worried she disappointed her mom, right up until she was thirteen years old and she overheard her mom bragging to one of her friends about how she was the only girl to make the Little Leagueteam.
Jeez, where had that come from? She needed some couch time with Dr. Tailor. Her whole sense of balance was out ofwhack.
