“You know what.”
“Sorry, Captain, but I don’t work for you.”
“The last thing I need is the MC getting involved in my personal affairs.”
“It isn’t the MC, it’s just me.” I grin. “Now don’t you go gettin’ all pouty.” I pinch her chin. “Save some of that for later.”
“In your dreams.”
“Your place or mine?”
“Go away.”
I shake my head. “No can do. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got work to do. Don’t worry though, Princess, I’ll be back.”
“Ugh.” She shoves me out the door but all I can do is laugh.
I’m the happiest I’ve ever been right in this moment, and not just because I got laid, but because for the first time in a long time I know she feels it too. What we have is special.
I never should have walked away and let her go, it’s one of the biggest regrets of my life. But that was then. This is now. If she thinks this is just about getting off, then she can think again.
My little spitfire is still in there, and I’ll be damned if I’m ever gonna let a creep like Connor get near her ever again.
She. Is. Mine.
“He’s clean,” Sawyer says an hour later. “But a little too squeaky clean if you ask me. I have a hunch if I dug any deeper, we’d find some shit.”
He’s back with a fresh report on Connor Miles. Seriously, with a name like that, it’s no wonder Willow dumped him. He’s not just a drip, but a bore to go along with it. The only things this guy has going for him is that he’s from a wealthy family, and he drives a nice car. I think a visit may be in order because dicks like him just don’t seem to get the hint.
“Good, do that. It’s always the squeaky clean motherfuckers that are the pits of society. Hack into his phone, in fact, I might send him a message of my own, just in case he didn’t get the hint from Willow’s rebuttal.”
Sawyer laughs. “Wow, big words, I think hangin’ around Willow is havin’ a good influence on you. You almost sound smart.”
“Laugh now, fucker, but just remember who pays your wages.”
“Yeah, yeah, like I could forget.”
He hangs up, and Brew glances at me. “We’re not seriously takin’ this babysittin’ job?”
I frown. “You saw and heard what I fuckin’ showed you, what do you think?”
“What I mean is, since when can’t Willow look after herself? If you ask me, you and fuckface Sinclair are askin’ for trouble when she finds out. Women always find shit out, especially a detective.”
“You think I like keepin’ this from her?” I fire back. “But I have no choice. What if this sicko is some fuckin’ serial killer orsome shit? You saw the note and what he wants to do to her. This is no joke.”
“Do you see me laughin’? What I mean is, Willow needs to know, that way she can be on alert. Keepin’ somethin’ this big ain’t gonna help your cause.”
I know he’s right, but Cameron will kill me if it gets back to her. I decide to make a promise right here and now. “If she asks me again what I’m doin’, I’ll tell her. All of this is to keep her safe, remember. It’s not because I want anythin’ to happen. Sinclair may be a lot of things, but he’s not gonna willingly put his daughter in jeopardy.”
“I wouldn’t trust that bastard as far as I could throw him,” Brew tells me, and while I agree with that, I also know her dad is protecting her in a roundabout way.
“Me either, but we’ve been through this before. I gave him my word, and I’ll make sure there’s an extra set of eyes on her at all times.”
“How convenient.”
“She’s back into me,” I say. “So don’t get your pretty little panties in a twist over it.”
He gives me a look. “Since when?”
