Page 38 of Call Back

“I meant to Ava’s.”

He climbed to his feet. “I’m not her favorite person right now.”

That piqued my interest. “Who is? But I thought you could sweet-talk any woman. What did you do to tick her off?”

He scowled. “Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about. What’s with the box?”

I wanted to press him, but I knew him well enough to know it wouldn’t work. I’d find out some other way. “Homework from Ava. Now I have to go upstairs and get a change of clothes before I meet Momma for lunch at Puckett’s.”

He didn’t move from the base of the stairs. “Homework?”

I shrugged, deciding he didn’t need to know, and started to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me, seriousness washing over his face. “Mags, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Emily?” I asked in a whisper.

“You know?”

I nodded and blinked when my eyes started burning again. “Brady came by to tell me.”

He leaned his face close to mine, close enough that I could smell his shampoo. “I think you should let me handle the whole gold issue by myself.”

“What?” I jerked my head up.

“It’s too dangerous. I think you should lay low and not draw any attention to yourself.”

I shook my head in confusion, then narrowed my eyes. “Wait. Are you trying to pull one over on me?”

“No. I’m trying to protect you.”

“Don’t do that,” I snapped. “Don’t pretend you’re trying to be a hero.”

“Maybe I want to find whoever took it too, Mags. Maybe I don’t like that they’re messing with your life.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Doubtful.”

He grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You know me too well. Okay, here’s the deal. I’ll find the gold for you and take sixty percent. My percentage plus a finder’s fee.”

“No way.”

“Okay, Fifty-five, forty-five.”

I needed Colt—there were too many things going on for me to pour all my concentration into the gold, and there was no doubt Colt had resources I didn’t. But if I left this to him, I’d have to trust him not to cheat me.

Then again, it had never been about the gold for me. It was more about the story behind it. “Fifty-fifty,” I insisted nonetheless.

His eyes widened slightly; then he grinned. Obviously he’d expected me to push back more. “Okay, so the next part of Operation Gold is flushing out whoever set up those cameras in your apartment. I take it you didn’t get any reaction from Bennett?”

I shot him a glare. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

His eyebrows rose. “The fact you’re still speaking of him so fondly.” His response was a little sharp.

I started to protest that I’d only mentioned him in passing, but I didn’t see the point. “He spoke to Owen on the phone last night, but if Owen has seen the footage, he didn’t let on.”

“Do you think he would tell him?”

“Maybe not on the phone. He’d probably handle it more sensitively.”

“So we can’t rule Frasier out.”

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