Page 59 of Cornered

She looked up at him. “Does it look like I’ve been crying?”

“No.”

“Okay.” She sniffed once and shook her shoulders. “Let’s try this again.”

He moved aside and held the door for her as she walked into the restaurant. She’d barely made it three steps before she was engulfed by family. The cacophony of voices reached a peak before a shrill whistle brought them all to silence.

Donovan almost dropped his notepad when he realized the sound had come from Rhonda Quinn, Cassie’s grandmother.

“She doesn’t need you to hover over her. She needs you to get to work. So get back to it.” The crowd dematerialized and Rhonda strode toward him. This could be ... uncomfortable. “Young man, I understand that you are in charge of the investigation.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I expect you to protect my granddaughter. She’s been through enough.”

“Nana.” The word held a touch of outrage and a healthy dose of exasperation as Cassie put a hand on her grandmother’s arm.

“Hush, child.” The words were brusque, but the hand that patted Cassie’s was gentle. “Let me talk.”

Cassie threw him an apologetic look but said no more.

“I’m sure you’re an excellent officer. But if you need anything at all, you let us know. We protect our own. And Cassie is precious.”

“Nana.” This time the word was full of tenderness.

Donovan placed a hand over his heart. “I won’t let anything slip through the cracks, ma’am.”

“Good. Now, Cassandra?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“You need to go somewhere where you can figure out tonight’s menu. You can’t do that in here.”

“Mom.” Cassie’s dad had joined the fray, and the look he gave Donovan was so flat it sent an unpleasant sensation crawling over Donovan’s skin. Very few people scared him. But this man did. Not because he expected John Quinn III to behave in anything other than a calm manner. But because that look told Donovan that Cassie’s father had classified Donovan as a man who could not be trusted with his daughter. “Cassie’s an adult. She can figure this out.”

“Of course she can, John. I never said she couldn’t. I said she needed some space and that we will handle the cleanup.”

Cassie’s dad turned his full focus on Donovan. “Is there any reason Cassie needs to be here?”

“No, sir.” Donovan kept his tone professional and respectful. “She needs to be nearby in case we have questions, and under no circumstances should she be alone.”

Cassie’s eyes flashed, and she hissed out a low “Traitor.”

“Oh, she won’t be.” John Quinn pulled Cassie against his side.

Cassie had told him she was a daddy’s girl. But while he’d spent some time with her grandparents, and even her great-grandparents, he hadn’t had much opportunity to see her interacting with her immediate family while they’d been dating. Her parents had been away for ten weeks visiting with missionaries who were supported by their church. When they returned home, he’d already known he had to end his relationship with Cassie, so he’d managed to avoid the handful of invitations to attend family gatherings.

John Quinn gave him a nod and pulled Cassie away, toward the opposite side of the restaurant, in a not-at-all subtle move to remove her from Donovan’s space. If he did manage to get Cassie back, restoring himself to the good graces of theextended Quinn family would require a deft hand. And patience.

He spent another hour in the kitchen and dining areas of Hideaway. He talked to cleaning staff. He talked to servers, and he talked to cooks.

And then Amos Cartwright walked in the door.

“What on earth is going on?” Amos wasn’t tall, but he was a solid guy, and the thought of him waving a knife anywhere near Cassie’s skin made Donovan wish he could arrest him on the basis of being an overbearing jerk and nothing more. But the man, for all his size and volume, stood frozen in the space—and unless he had an acting background no one was aware of, simply could not make his mind process what had happened.

“Mr. Cartwright?” Donovan approached him. “Could we speak over here?” He pointed toward the dining area. He’d appropriated a few tables where he could interview the staff.

Amos gave Donovan a once-over. His gaze lingered briefly on the gun, and the badge. Then he met Donovan’s gaze. “Where’s Cassie? She should be here.”

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