Page 42 of Claws and Feathers

Henry’s implication at The Crow Bar had royally messed with her head. Hearing that Cooper had a history of pursuing women involved in his cases had left a bitter taste in her mouth. Cooper hadn’t denied it either. Well, she hadn’t exactly given him a chance to – she’d made sure their conversations remained short and impersonal over the last two weeks. But she thought forsurehe would have called Henry Dormer a liar right then and there if the allegations hadn’t been true.

The whole situation gave her an empty feeling in her stomach. Abby thought they had something – a spark. A connection. She thought maybeshewas special.

Abby shook away the thoughts and jumped back into helping James tear out the carpet. A few more grueling, sweat-inducing minutes went by, and the carpet had been fully removed and dragged outside. They stood on the front lawn, huffing and puffing. Abby clapped her hands with excitement and jumped at James, giving him a giant, grateful hug. “Thank you so much,” she said. “This is a huge first step.”

When she pulled back, Cooper was standing behind them with a curious look in his eyes. He was in his uniform, his gaze flickering between her and his partner.

“Cooper,” Abby greeted, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”

James greeted Cooper with a smile. “Hey, McAllister.” He then turned to Abby and pointed his thumb towards the house. “I’m going to take a look at that floor.”

She nodded her head, her eyes still fixed on Cooper.

“Hey,” he finally said as James walked away.

Abby stepped towards him, tugging at the messy bun on top of her head. “Dropping by to rip up carpet with us?” she asked lightly.

“I guess I missed that invitation.”

Abby noticed he wasn’t matching her playful tone. She chewed on her thumbnail, regarding him with a semblance of guilt. “You have a lot on your plate right now. I didn’t want to add to it.”

“You know I’ll always make time for you.”

His reply coursed through her, sucker-punching her right in the feels. The sun somehow felt even hotter than it had a few moments ago. Abby brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face and wiped her sweaty palms against the front of her leggings. She was trying desperately to search for a response, but Cooper approached her, successfully putting her out of her misery.

He reached into his back pocket and unfolded a piece of paper, holding it out to her. “Do you recognize this vehicle at all? I know it’s a little grainy, but we think it’s a 2013 Kia Optima. Silver. Did you know anyone back home with a car like that?”

Cooper was all business now. It was probably for the best. Abby plucked the photo taken from the surveillance video out of his hand. She studied the picture, her eyes settling on the blurry image of The Man. His features were unreadable, but she knew it was him. He was wearing the same baseball cap. Abby didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she began to feel dizzy.

“You okay?” Cooper stepped closer to her, placing his hand against her shoulder.

Abby nodded quickly. “Yeah. Yes. I’m fine.” She handed the photo back to him. “The car looks like every other car on the road. There’s nothing familiar about it.”

Cooper dropped his arm and let out a defeated sigh. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”

“I’m sorry I’m not more help.”

“I’m sorryI’mnot more help.”

Abby’s eyes raised to his, her heart constricting in her chest.Oh, Cooper. He had done so much, and yet, he still felt like he was failing her. In that moment her bitter emotions seemed to dissolve away, and the only thing in the world that mattered was wiping the sorrow from his face and putting a spark back in his eyes. She moved towards him and reached out to take his hand.

“You saved my life, Cooper. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now, living and breathing, smelling like sweat and sawdust, and covered in carpet fibers.” She smiled – a real, genuine smile. “I’ll never be able to put into words what that means to me.”

Cooper finally softened. He gave her hand a squeeze before letting go. “While he’s out there unaccounted for, he’s still a threat. I’ll breathe a lot easier once we catch him.”

“Me, too. But I know you’re doing all you can.”

He lowered his eyes and scuffed his shoe against the grass. He hesitated before proceeding. “Abby, I feel like I need to apologize for that night at the bar.” Cooper slipped his hands into his pockets as a vibrant sycamore tree cast dancing shadows across his face.

He caught her gaze, and Abby decided it was a mistake for him to do that, because she felt herself reacting to the way his eyes latched onto every vulnerable piece of her. She fiddled with her hair again as she tried to remain neutral. Unaffected. “We’re both adults, Cooper. We were drinking and having fun. It was nice to be a normal girl for once.”

“I feel like I overstepped with you and it wasn’t appropriate.”

No, no, no. Don’t apologize forthat. Abby shook her head. “You didn’t.”

Cooper nodded, scratching the back of his neck. “Well, if I made you uncomfortable in any way –”

“Youdidn’t.”

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