“Oh, well all right then, I suppose.” She focused her gaze back at Regina. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay with us where you could be in your old room?”
An uncomfortable prickle started at Regina’s neck and worked its way over her cheeks. Her mother would succumb to hysteria, and her father would blow a gasket if they knew she was staying with all three men. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she drew her shoulders up in irritation.
It didn’t matter a whole hell of a lot what they thought. They’d never been invested in what she did, her choices, herlife. And she damn sure wasn’t going to start pussyfooting around them now.
She reached for Hutch’s hand and laced her fingers through his, wanting,needinghis steady strength.
“No thank you, Mom. I’ll be staying temporarily with Hutch, Cam and Sawyer until I can figure out alternate arrangements.”
Lydia’s eyes widened, and then her lips thinned with disapproval. Peter Fallon’s voice could be heard as it raised above all the other noise.
“How can you possibly draw the conclusion that someone is using my daughter to punish me for some imagined infraction?”
The chief put a placating hand on her father’s arm, and Regina couldn’t hear his response.
Lydia frowned. “What is he talking about, Regina?”
“There is a possibility that the person targeting me is doing so because of Dad,” she responded quietly.
“Oh, but that’s nonsense. Why would anyone do such a thing?”
“Because he’s a politician,” Regina said patiently. “And besides, we don’t have actual proof of that yet. It’s merely an angle the department is looking at.”
“Why, it could be anyone. Maybe someone you’ve arrested in the past or someone you gave a ticket to. It seems a stretch to assume it would have anything to do with your father.”
No one could fault her mother for being behind her husband, that was for sure. But it would make sense to most normal people that a mother would be equally behind her daughter. Regina frowned unhappily. This was turning into one suckass day.
“It’s an angle, Mom,” she repeated. “The police have to consider all possibilities.”
“Regina, can I speak to you for a moment?” Jeremy asked as he pushed in beside Lydia. He glanced at Lydia and Hutch. “Privately?” he added.
Regina frowned and let go of Hutch’s hand. “Excuse me for a moment,” she said as she left Hutch’s side.
She followed Jeremy a few feet away. “What’s up?”
“I just got a call from Dispatch. Birdie’s house was broken into.”
CHAPTER 15
Regina grabbed Jeremy’s arm. “What?”
“I’m heading over there now. I thought you’d want to go if you felt up to it.”
She nodded. “Of course.” She turned to look at Hutch, who was staring intently at her and Jeremy. She glanced back at Jeremy. “Where is Birdie now?”
“Brett was making a pass by her house like the chief asked us to do, and he noticed that her door was open, but her car was gone. When he went in to investigate, he discovered that her house had been vandalized. He called it in then intercepted Birdie, who drove up a few minutes later, and took her back to the station. She’s waiting there.”
Regina took in a steadying breath and tried to sort her scrambled brain. “Okay, I’m going with you. I’ll need to tell Hutch so he can go to the police station to be with Birdie. She’s probably upset.”
“Make it quick. I’ll wait in the car.”
Jeremy turned and strode toward his police cruiser. Regina hurried back over to where Hutch stood, a frown on his face.
“What’s going on, Reggie?”
She put her hand on his arm. “Birdie’s house was broken into this morning. I’m going over with Jeremy now.”
“What? Is she all right? I’m coming with you.”
