Page 46 of Point of Contact

She chewed her lower lip, that uncertainty lingering. "I don’t mind it so much. And now that we have money, we could sort of spruce the place up a little bit." Her eyes fixed on his face. "Unless you don't want me to go with you."

She was about to make him admit yet another thing he’d intended to hold onto. "I guess I could suffer through your presence a little longer."

Courtney's smile was bright and immediate. "Okay. You'll definitely regret it."

He couldn't stop the smile working on his lips. "You're supposed to tell me I won't regret it."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "We both know that's not true."

And just like that, she eased him away from a conversation he normally avoided like the plague and into lighter territory. "But, before I make any promises, we should check in with Heidi and the rest of Intel. Make sure it's safe for you to stay with me."

Courtney's eyes widened and her skin paled, making it clear she’d fully believed they were out of the woods. "You think they would follow me all the way here?"

"Honestly? No." He glanced in the side mirrors even though he knew no one was following them. "But I think it's worth double checking."

Courtney's eyes went to the mirror on her side of the cab. "How will Heidi know? She's all the way in Alaska."

He grinned. "You would be amazed at what Heidi knows." He settled into his seat, relaxing a little more. "Plus we have connections all over the planet. She's been collecting all the information she can get her hands on about what's going on in Miami." He hesitated, but decided if he could talk about his difficult topics, she could talk about hers. "That's how I knew about your dad."

Courtney stiffened the tiniest bit at the mention of her father. "I should probably ask what happened to him, huh?" She didn't sound particularly interested in his answer.

"Only if you genuinely want to know. I won't judge you if you don't." He’d done enough judging of this woman already. And, after finding out about the way both of her parents had treated her, he was more likely to put blame on them than her for anything and everything he could.

Courtney was quiet for a second before softly admitting, "I don't really think it matters to me." She smoothed back the bits of hair coming free from the fresh braid she'd styled before they left. "Not just because he obviously didn't care about what happened to me, but because I didn't really know him. He wasn't someone I was ever close to."

Her voice was sad. Filled with disappointment and a little regret.

It irritated him. Not because of her, but because of the people who’d let her down. The people who should've loved her. Offered her affection and understanding. Instead, they’d abandoned her. Left her on her own. Her father threw money at her like she was a problem that could be solved if he just spent enough.

And it was an approach Courtney picked up. She'd done the same thing with Alaskan Security and anyone else who found their way into her life. But she learned it didn’t work a whole lot faster than her father did, and was willing to give it all up for a fresh start.

A chance to live a happy life.

"It's his loss." The confession seemed to surprise them both, and sent him backpedaling the tiniest bit. "You're pretty hilarious when you want to be."

If Courtney was bothered by his half-assed retraction, she didn't show it. Her smile was bright and immediate. "Finally. I’ve been trying to tell you I’m funny."

"And I’ve been trying to tell you you’re a pain in the ass." His smile held like it wasn’t planning to leave anytime soon. "Seems like neither one of us is a very good listener."

Courtney leaned toward him, bracing her elbows on her knees, stretching the limits of her seatbelt. "That's where you're wrong. Because I absolutely know I'm a pain in the ass."

He couldn’t stop his eyes from finding her again. “I guess they always say to go with your strengths.”

One of her dark brows angled. “Is that why you’re always so grumpy?”

She wasn’t going to give him an inch. And maybe that was part of the reason he was finding himself less and less annoyed by her. Courtney always held her ground. Always came right back at anything and everything he tried to dish out.

She might not have had anyone to fight for her, but she was always ready to fight for herself.

The thought was sobering and had that warmth in his chest turning to an ache. “I don’t mean to be.”

“Liar.” She continued smiling, the expression reeling him in more with each passing second. “You love being a crab.” She reached across to poke at his bicep. “But it’s okay. I kinda like it. I always know where I stand.”

His brows pinched together in confusion. “Where you stand?”

She toyed with the hem of his sleeve, smoothing it out and flattening it against his arm. “Most people are fake around me. They try to act a certain way so I keep buying drinks and paying for meals.” She focused on where her fingers brushed against him. “Even if they don’t like me, they pretend to so they can keep being around me. So people will think they’re important or connected.” Her eyes finally lifted to his. “Not anymore though, I guess.”

He shook his head, glad she was finally getting away from that life. From the people who either used her or abandoned her. “No. Not anymore.”

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