Page 84 of Love Finds Home

Ranger

I’ve been watching thiswarehouse on the outskirts of Rockton for two hours. There’s nothing going on. I feel like I’m wasting my time, but the client already paid, so I’ll continue to sit here in my truck, waiting for my ass to go numb.

When my phone rings, for a moment I get excited it might be Elle, but when I see Joker’s name on the caller ID, I blow out my breath and answer.

“What’s up?” I ask, taking a drink of my now lukewarm coffee. Eh, I’m used to it.

“Got some information for you.”

“Shoot.”

“The hairs we found. Finally got results back and we’ve determined it’s a wig, man.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. Which leaves us back at square one.”

“Not completely.”

“How so?”

“Daniel pulled some strings and got access to a few of the cameras in the area. Elle’s brothers know people. It’s kind of scary everything they have their hands in.”

“Not important right now,” I tell him. “What did Daniel find?”

Saying his name out loud doesn’t hurt like it used to after Elle let me have it last week. The pain of not being there is still felt, but the crushing guilt isn’t.

“Said a person who kept their back to the cameras with long black hair went into the gallery right at the party opening, but they never came out.”

“They did all that damage while we were all there? Right under our noses?”

“Seems like. We know the studio was fine that morning. We’d all been up there for something, and we were the only ones in that building the whole day until that night.”

“Who would do something like this? Why?”

“You know as well as I do people are fucked up, Ranger.”

“So, we wait. We walk around looking for someone who wants to hurt Elle for how long? Fuck, we don’t even know if it was a smash and grab by a stranger or personal.”

“You really think it wasn’t personal? After the story she told us about the dorms?”

“No,” I sigh. “I don’t. I’m being optimistic.”

“Well, stop. It’s messing with my head.”

“And I’m the asshole,” I laugh at him.

“I hear you’re an asshole that smiles all the fucking time now.”

“Getting there. Who knew?”

“We all knew. All but you. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s going on tonight?”

“Elle and Ginny are hanging out at her apartment and I’m on a stakeout. Supposed to be a straightforward job, but there’s nothing going on here.”

“Want some company?”

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