“Besides anybody he ever dated?” Donna asked dryly.
“No,” Tessa said. “He never mentioned being scared or worried about anybody. In fact, I think he’s made some good friends where he lives now and seems much more grounded. Like he’s finally found himself.”
I couldn’t quite make sense of this. “Then how was he arrested here for domestic violence of a girlfriend? His hearing was yesterday.”
Tess stilled. “I don’t know anything about that. He’s dating somebody in town?”
I had to get my hands on that file. “It seems like it. We need to find out who and what happened. Is there anybody else in town that Danny would be talking to these days?”
Tessa shrugged. “I don’t know. He had some friends in the bar where he used to work, so maybe there? Also, I guess, Aiden Devlin? What was he doing at my apartment, and what was their connection to each other?”
Excellent questions. I rubbed my left temple, which was beginning to ache. “I have no idea, but I’m going to find out. I promise.”
Chapter 6
After a night of not sleeping well, I drove away from my sweet cottage with the lovely view of Tamarack Lake. Tamarack was much smaller than Lilac Lake and yet no less busy on this Saturday at the beginning of July. I rented the guest house of a much larger estate from old friends of my parents who were actually rarely in Idaho. The rent was cheap so long as I kept an eye on the main house, dock, and grounds, which I happily did.
At the moment, I’d much rather be going to the lake with my sisters for a Saturday of playing on a boat, but duty called. My heart rate was up and my anxiety flaring, and the most uncomfortable sense of anticipation tingled through my hands on the steering wheel. I’d called Aiden that morning and left a message when he hadn’t picked up. After waiting most of the day without receiving a response, I’d texted him that I was on my way to his apartment complex on the border of Idaho and Washington state. If I didn’t find him there, I’d head to the Lorde’s garage north of Spokane.
I was finding him whether he liked it or not.
My phone rang when I was just a mile away from my house. “Hello.”
“Don’t even think of coming to the Lordes apartment complex,” Aiden said.
Every nerve in my body short circuited from his low voice with the slight brogue. My heart twinged. Man, I’d missed him these past two weeks. I’d thought we were starting something, and now I wasn’t even sure who he was. I tightened my hold on the steering wheel. “We need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he countered.
Ouch. I winced at the direct hit to my heart. Okay. He really didn’t care and was done with us. Done with me. I sucked in air and then let it out. “That’s where you’re wrong, asshole.” Crap. Calling him a name gave away that I was upset. Shoot. I sucked at this. “I want to know what happened.” I really wanted to dive headfirst into a gallon of ice cream and cry for a while, but I wasn’t going to let him know that.
“Upon advice of counsel, I can’t talk about what happened,” he said evenly.
I rolled my neck to keep from screaming at him. From asking what the heck had happened that we’d gone from wild sex and half-promises to…this. To nothing. I hated being confused, but a girl has her pride. “Okay. Here’s the deal, Aiden. My sister is in trouble, and you’re involved, and I’m not going to stop until I find you.” I let my voice lower this time. “I will find you. I’ll hunt down every place you work, every place you might be laying your head at night, and I’ll beat the bushes around everyone who even thinks they know you.”
“Beat the bushes?” he drawled, humor coming across the line.
My temper spiked even higher. “It’s an expression, dumbass. But I meant every word. If I have to, I’ll place ads in the newspapers, call the radio shows, and plaster your face all over town with wanted posters. Want to try me?Doit.”
“Jesus Christ, Angel,” he snapped.
Yes! I silently gave myself a high five. I got to him—pissed him off. Now who looked like they weren’t controlling their temper? And hearing him use the nickname for me that he’d given me over a decade ago barely hurt at all. Nope. “I hardly see what the Almighty has to do with this, Aiden,” I drawled, trying very hard to keep the triumph from my voice.
He sighed, and the sound was long suffering. “We have to meet off the grid. I’ll call you when I have time.”
“Nope,” I retorted. “I’m on my way. Either meet me now, or I’ll keep searching until I find you. Trust me when I say that I’m determined.” It wasn’t just that I wanted to see him, either. This was now a battle of wills, and considering he’d pretty much kicked me in the heart, I wasn’t going to lose. No matter what.
He said something in Gaelic that sounded rough. “Fine. I’ll come over tonight.”
Oh, hell no. “You’re no longer welcome at my home, and I’m done messing around about this. I’ll arrive at your apartment complex in about twenty minutes. Be there.” I hoped I felt half as tough with him in the room as I did right now when miles separated us.
“I’m nowhere near there right now and couldn’t get to Idaho if I wanted,” he growled. Yeah. Growled. How the heck did he do that?
“You’re lying,” I muttered.
“I’m not,” he countered. “I promise I’ll come by tonight and we can talk all you want, although there’s not much to say.”
Oh, he was just being a complete dick. Sometimes it was becoming more difficult to remember that he’d saved my life when I was ten years old. Last month, I’d decided to save his, and I thought I had to some degree. “Why are you doing this?” I asked, turning onto the freeway.
