Page 105 of Date With Danger

But the way I laid into her. I let my fear from nearly losing her cloud my better judgment and I hurt her. Telling her to think for once? If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Amelia, it is that she never stops thinking. She’s constantly learning new things and looking for ways to help others. She genuinely thought she was helping me, and then I went and told her she was stupid for it. I don’t want her help because I don’t want to put her in more danger.

She has no idea how much I want her. How much I want to ignore my duties and kiss her until this world makes sense again. But how could she know any of this? I’ve never told her. Why is it so hard to say the right words out loud?

Because they’ll make me look weak. That thought hits me like a knife to the heart.

The first time my dad stole from me, I was eight. I’d worked for almost a year to save up for the bike I’d been eyeing in the store. I had finally earned two hundred dollars and was excited to tell my dad. He told me he’d take me to the store the next day.

But I came home that day after school to find my piggy bank smashed to pieces and a note from my dad. I had an emergency and needed the money, sorry, buddy. Next time.

I learned not to tell my father anything.

Not to give anyone a way to hurt me. I’m supposed to be strong. But no one could hurt me more than Amelia.

I press a hand into my chest, trying to rub out the pain there. I don’t deserve to be in her room, holding her after breaking her precious heart. Like my father broke mine.

“Did you get kicked out?”

I glance up to see a housekeeper pushing a cleaning cart. “Something like that.”

“Buy her flowers. Women love flowers.”

I give her a small smile. “Good idea.” But I have a better one. After she continues down the hall, dropping a chocolate mint on my lap, I pull out my phone.

I place delivery orders from two different places and then call Cruz while I’m waiting.

“Please tell me you’ve found something,” I say.

“I’ve got good news and bad news.”

“What’s the bad news?” Always take the bad first.

“The Winthrops found out Liam has been here and they want him brought in for questioning. Rumor has it there’s a two-hundred-thousand-dollar bounty on the line.”

Great. Now every cop, private investigator, and bounty hunter in southwest America will be on the hunt for him. We’ll never get to him first.

“The good news is he may have been spotted at the airport,” she says.

He’s leaving town? Does that mean Amelia is out of danger? That’s too much to hope for right now.

“May have?”

“The footage was terrible. But you’ll be happy to know Supervisor Ford agrees you should keep a protective eye on Amelia until we know for sure.”

That’s a relief at least. I was worried I was going to be fired. “You finally managed to talk to him without fainting?”

“I’ve never fainted,” she grunts. “But you’ve got a couple more days to ensure her safety before you’re pulled back in.”

“Thank you.” I sigh. “That is good news.”

“What’s wrong? Things aren’t going well in paradise?” She chuckles. “What happened? Did she tie you to a pole this time?”

“Funny. But no. I may have said something I shouldn’t have.”

“I don’t blame you. She is pretty annoying,” Cruz says.

“Thanks for your opinion. I’ll be sure not to share it with her.”

“Oh, that girl you wanted me to run a background check on, Leah, or whatever, she’s clean.”

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