Page 12 of Fate's Unseen Shadow

“Because she cried.” And it killed him to see her break. He had no doubt the bottle would be empty in the morning. And it was good that he had another commitment and reason to force himself from her apartment. Lingering and sharing the bottle would not be a good idea. She was in a mess with the police, and someone was potentially out to kill her.

“Why is she working at Cager? If you’re giving her food and shelter…”

“Who the hell knows.” That bothered him. “I’m going to try and talk her out of it again. I get what she was saying, though. I couldn’t sit around and stare out a window for a month or longer.”

Xavier nodded. “Me neither, but she shouldn’t be in public like that. But why did you promise to be the one to escort her to and from Cager? If this is a team effort, we all can work to keep her safe. You know. Take turns.”

He didn’t bother to address that with Xavier. They’d known each other long enough that he’d spot any lie. “What happened to us not talking about Ella?”

“My curiosity got the better of me. Do you think she’ll do what you tell her to do to stay safe? Stay inside and out of sight?”

“For now.” Damon rested an arm on the door. “I don’t think she’s used to being told what to do. I have the odd suspicion she’ll only do what I tell her to do if she agrees with the decision. Enough talk about Ella. Please. We need to focus on this case.”

He merged onto the expressway, heading toward the hotel in North Charleston, where they were meeting Slater, Ryker, and the runaway’s mother.

Xavier held his hands up in surrender. “Fine. No more talk.” He turned up the air-conditioning. “One more thing”—he nudged Damon’s shoulder—“she’s really pretty.”

Damon stared out of the windshield, refusing to answer.

Xavier laughed, saying, “You’re screwed,” under his breath.

Maybe he was. But he was also a professional and could keep himself in check. Ella needed someone to help her, not hit on her. The last month had been hell for her. Going from being on top professionally to living in her car and hiding for her life. And for her own stepmother to think she was guilty. He flexed his hand on the wheel. Ella was alone and possibly in danger. He’d tried to downplay the danger, but she was right. If Theodore thought someone had stalked him before his death, too, thenthere was a strong chance it was the same man she’d seen. And he doubted they’d give up easily. But she was safe. While she lived there and had him, she’d stay safe.

“Is something bothering you?” Xavier asked, humor lacing his voice.

“No.” He caught a glimpse of his friend’s grin. “Why do you ask?”

“Because you just hit ninety-five miles an hour.”

Previously unaware of his speed, Damon let his foot off the accelerator. “Oh.”

“You didn’t reply when I mentioned she was pretty.”

He huffed. “Didn’t seem as though I needed to. Is she pretty? Yes. Anyone can see that. It doesn’t mean anything.” Except he had to stay centered on why she was in his life. Because he’d never been attracted to one of their clients before. Separating work and personal feelings had always been easy. From his time in the Marines to working cases for the runaways. Dedication to the mission wasn’t an issue for him. But something about her tugged at him. One fact was clear: she didn’t have to be on her own any longer. They’d take care of her until her world was safe to return.

“You’re back at ninety.”

“Dammit.” Damon laughed and ran a hand over his head. “Sorry. My mind keeps wandering. Tell me about the runaway. Jerry Livingstone, right? We need to get the facts together on that case and not talk about Ella.”

“His mom agreed to meet us at the hotel. Jerry took his mom’s car to go there. They live in Columbia. Nearly two hours away.”

“So it wasn’t some joy ride. More likely than not, he was headed there to meet someone.” Damon merged into traffic. “Maybe someone he met online.”

“That seems to be the trend. And on this side of town, it could’ve been for anything. Drugs. Sex. Weapons.”

“Is Slater going to call anyone on the force to see if he can get any information?”

“He said he wanted to talk to the mom first before he calls. After that last case, he’s a little hesitant to use police information as a starting point. We went down the same path, and it took us twice as long to find them. He wants us to create our own case. Or, in his words, let you do your thing.”

“More like let Ryker start with a clean slate.” Damon glanced at Xavier. “Has he gotten into this kid’s social media?”

“Let me ask our computer wizard.” Xavier shot off a text. “Unless the mom has the password, you know it can take a few hours to days for the police to get a judge to order the companies to give them access.”

“This is why families contact us when they can’t get anywhere with all the red tape.” Damon pulled off the expressway feeling more settled now that his mind was focused on something other than Ella back at the apartment. He’d check on her tonight if it wouldn’t be too late.

Xavier smiled as his phone vibrated. “Damn, he’s good.”

“Did he get in?”

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