He had to get out of there. He’d never wanted to stay anywhere more. But he was a protector, even when the one he was protecting Sadie from was himself.
He should never have come into this damn room. What had he been thinking? He hadn’t been thinking about how hard leaving would be. He hadn’t been thinking at all. But he had to get away, because for one dangerous moment, holding that beautiful girl felt… right.
Sitting Sadie down on the floor so she wouldn’t fall and hurt herself, he stood to go. “I just came to let you know I’d take care of getting your car to Winnie’s shop in the morning. It will be fine until then. I’ll be over in the morning to drive you to work.”
The pain filling Bliss’s eyes hurt him more than anything he’d ever known, and he’d known more than his fair share of pain.
This was why he needed to stay away from her. Hurt was the only thing she’d ever get from him. It was written in his DNA. And if he stayed, he’d start wanting things he had no right to want.
It took all his strength not to run for the door, but he managed to walk.
“Connor, wait! I have something I need to talk to you about.”
“You’ll have to tell me tomorrow, Trouble. I have someplace to be right now.” He didn’t look back. He didn’t slow down. It was for the best. Because if he turned around and saw that look on her face again, he might not leave at all.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Connor Davis sat at the scarred oak table in the corner of Books-N-Brews, a mug of coffee cooling beside his elbow and a legal pad full of notes lying in front of him. Notes that made less sense the longer he stared at them.
Saturday afternoons were usually his favorite time to be here, but not today.
Today, the place was packed. The low hum of conversations drifted through the café section of the shop, broken up by the hiss of the espresso machine and the cheerful jingle of the bell over the door every time customers entered or left. Someone laughed near the pastry case. A toddler squealed somewhere close to the reading nook.
Connor ran a hand through his hair and looked at his notes, trying to sort out what Sabre knew about his friend Jaxon Ruick’s case.
Jaxon had been a special agent with the FBI. He was their golden boy... their rising star. Specializing in drug and human trafficking cases, he played a key role in dismantling several major rings, including one that reached deep into the political system. Deeper than anyone had expected. And closer to home.
He’d been trying to take down several powerful, well-connected people when everything fell apart. Jaxon was framed for dealing drugs by the District Attorney General from the town of Darling. People around town called him "the General" because he told them to.
Jaxon had spent seven years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. It was way too long, but then, one day would have been too long. Top of Connor’s list was finding crucial evidence Sabre knew existed but had somehow been lost or, more likely, hidden. Tracking down an important witness was also essential to Jaxon’s case. Unfortunately, the witness had disappeared without a trace.
When Alexander Boucher, former District Attorney, was the man in charge of Jaxon’s case, things were a hell of a lot harder. Now, Boucher had been charged with murder and was about to stand trial.
In other words, the General had finally fucked up. His biggest mistake had been messing with his Sabre brother’s Littles. As if Sabre hadn’t already been highly motivated to nail his hide to the wall. Now Sabre was going to make sure he paid for that mistake.
But putting Boucher behind bars wasn’t enough. The thing that had brought him and all his Sabre brothers back to Darling in the first place was proving Jaxon innocent. But after seven years of digging and searching, they still didn’t have much to go on.
“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.
Across the room, Georgia called out, “Two caramel lattes for pickup!”
Connor didn’t even look. He had been sitting there for nearly an hour trying to make sense of everything Sabre Security had discovered. Every time he thought he had found a pattern, a newdetail would ruin it. It was like trying to put together a puzzle with half the pieces missing. Or in this case, hidden.
He shoved the legal pad away and leaned back in his chair, frustration rolling through him. Busy Saturdays might be great for business, but they were terrible for thinking.
“Good morning, Connor.”
The familiar voice caused him to look up. Vivi Goodman stood beside his table, one hip cocked, her silvery white hair piled on top of her head. She wore a pale green cardigan loosely tied around her shoulders, and her reading glasses dangled from a chain around her neck. She owned Books-N-Brews and ran it like a benevolent queen. Everyone in Darling thought of her as their wise, loving grandmother. Including him.
Right now, she studied him with the same sharp gaze she used when deciding if someone was trustworthy enough to be allowed near her books.
“Honey, you look like someone kicked your dog,” she observed.
Connor snorted softly. “Just trying to make sense of some things.”
She glanced at his list. “Jaxon.”
“Yeah, Jaxon.”
