Liv whips her head to look at me, but I assume it’s disapproval so I ignore it.
“I can’t let this guy win, dove,” I whisper, so only she hears.
“I want to see it, too,” she responds, and I look at her in surprise. She wants to do it my way.
“Come back to our house. Dec’s at Charlie’s house. I’ll make food, and you guys can look at the footage,” Natalie suggests.
“We’re all coming,” Thea adds.
“Okay.” Malec nods, already on board. He finds Natalie’s hand. “Good thing we bought all those chairs,” he mumbles to her, making her smile.
* * *
Somehow, Malec’s kitchen is louder than the bar we were just in, as the girls hover around the kitchen island while Natalie makes a late-night snack. With all of us here, we’re taking up every last chair in the kitchen and dining room.
Jackson is glaring at his laptop screen while Jesse looks over one shoulder, and Nathan stares intensely over his other shoulder.
I don’t look. If I recognize anyone on the video, I’m liable to sneak out the back door and handle it without witnesses.
I can’t lose Liv again.
Which is why Lochlan is watching me from across the table as if he’s waiting for me to snap.
“I’m fine,” I assure him, just to get his intense stare off ofme.
“You don’t look fine.”
I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. “Don’t ask me to pretend, Loch. If Jo was being stalked, you’d be losing your mind, too.”
He stiffens slightly but leans in to rest his forearms on the table. “That’s exactly why I am here. We’re going to keep her safe, but I am not going to let you do anything stupid.”
“Easier said than done,” I utter. When I glance to the side, feeling eyes on me, I’m surprised to find Nathan watching me.
There’s an understanding in his eyes, and even though we’re different people who come from different worlds, somehow I know we’re more alike than we’d ever admit.
“Thanks for getting the footage,” I tell him.
He nods. “If I didn’t, you would have, but there would have been a lot more cops involved.”
I huff a laugh. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“Technically, we are cops,” Jesse says to him, while Malec just ignores all of us.
“Civilian shit doesn’t really concern me,” he shrugs.
Jesse rolls his eyes as his friend walks into the kitchen to get another beer. “Keeping him in line is like keeping a rabid dog in a cage,” he sighs, squeezing the bridge of his nose.
“I think I found the time stamp I need,” Malec says suddenly, walking over towards the TV to plug his laptop in.
Everyone gathers round, but I grab Jesse to hold him back. “Whatever happened to the old Sheriff and Jeremiah’s uncles?”
I heard the story from Nathan on the stand, but I never got the ending.
“One day, after a lot of beer, I’m sure he’ll tell you.”He raises his eyebrows as he takes a swig from his bottle and joins Thea on the couch.
“Okay, Thea, this is two minutes before Nathan gets up to get you a Sprite from the bar,” Malec says, queuing the video on the big screen.
Chapter Forty-Nine
