Even though she’d told him last night that she wasn’t scared to fall for him, that was a lie. She was terrified.
Two dead bodies.They’d found two dead fucking bodies today. And Polly had been right there to see them.
His fingers tightened around the wooden spoon as he mixed the chili.
He’d seen lifeless bodies before. As a SEAL, it was part of the job. But Polly hadn’t. She wasn’t used to that world. The one where darkness, evil, not only existed but lived right in front of you. This darkness had invaded her hometown. Hell, it had entered her coffee shop.
A mixture of rage and fear swam around his chest at the thought of the killer stepping into her café. Ordering her coffee. Talking to her.
He forced his jaw to unclench as he took out two bowls from the upper cabinet.
His phone rang from the counter, his father’s name flashing across the screen. They were both calling him now. Speaking to either of them was the last thing he wanted to do. Right at the fucking bottom.
He ignored the call, and once the bowls were filled with chili, he took them to the couch and handed one to Polly.
“Thanks.” She slipped the bowl from his fingers but didn’t immediately eat. Instead, she just pushed the food around.
He lowered to the other side of the couch. He was close but felt too far away.
Saint jumped onto his lap and dug her head into his chest.
Polly’s brows flickered. “I still can’t believe you have a cat.”
“Why not? Do I not look like a cat dad?”
“What does a cat dad look like?”
He grinned. “You’re staring at him, Sunshine.”
She gave him the smallest smile. He wanted more. He wanted the full, radiant curve of her lips.
The smile dropped quickly. “I should have listened to you. I should have walked away the second we saw the trail across the floor and let you call your team to investigate.”
“Everything’s always clearer in hindsight.”
“My mother used to say to me that a bit of fire’s good, but don’t let it burn your fingers. Today, I definitely got burned.”
“You know what else you did?” He waited for her to look up. “You found the missing women.”
“They were dead.”
“You still found them, something no one else has been able to do. Maybe there’ll be fingerprints. Ward sure as hell better get that Bloom cup tested for DNA. It could all lead us to our killer.”
“There were no leads before this?”
He wished he could say there were. He wished they had a short list of people. Suspects. Anything. “No.”
“God, this person is so good at making women disappear while protecting their identity.”
Okay, they needed a change in subject. “Tell me how you created such a beloved business.”
Her brows shot up. “You want to hear about Bloom?”
“Yeah. It’s pretty impressive.”
She scoffed. “The first time you came into the café, you said my store was confused about whether it was a bookshop, a florist, or a café.”
“I was trying to impress you with my wit.”
