Page 70 of Seven

“It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m just a little nervous.” I swallowed hard, meeting his gaze in the mirror. "It would just help if I knew what I was looking for.”

Holt didn’t answer right away. It made me wonder if he even knew what we were searching for. After a couple of seconds, he turned me toward him, and his hands slid down to mine. He held on tight as he said, “It’s hard to tell. Just start off with the small stuff. Look around and see if anything feels off. Paperwork, notes, anything that doesn’t make sense. And if you don’t find anything, then at least you tried."

“Okay.”

I bit my lip and nodded. He made it sound so simple. Like I wasn’t about to step into my father’s office—into his world—and dig through all his secrets. “It’s going to be okay. Just don’t take any unnecessary chances. Get in and get out.”

"Okay," I whispered. “No unnecessary chances.”

“Good.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flash drive. “Now, with that in mind, I need you to try and get this plugged into your father’s desktop computer.”

“Okay, but where am I supposed to plug it in?”

“On the hard drive tower. There should be a couple of places to slip it in. Just choose one and go.”

“What if it’s the wrong one?”

“It won’t be.”

I nodded, and he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead, lingering there for a moment before pulling back. "We better get going.”

“What about Ford?”

“Ghost is bringing Whit and Toby by. Figured he’d enjoy hanging out with them.”

“That was very thoughtful of you.”

“What can I say?” A sexy smirk crossed his handsome face. “I’m a thoughtful guy.”

“Yeah, and kind of handsome, too.”

“Kind of?”

His brows furrowed like he was wounded, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, okay. You’re hot. Smoking hot. Like set the ground on fire kind of hot.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy about you.” He leaned in and kissed me once more. “You ready to hit it?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

I grabbed my purse, and after we said our goodbyes to Ford and Duggar, Holt followed me outside. When we got out to my car, he opened my door and said, “I’ll be right behind ya.”

“Okay.”

“Just play it cool, and everything should go as planned. I have guys at the station and at his office. We’ll be watching you every step of the way.”

“I’ve got it. Go to the office and come straight back here. You can stop worrying.”

“It’s my job to worry.” He gave me a wink, then said, “Now, get in and buckle up.”

I did as he said, and in a blink, we were headed to the police station.

When I got there, I looked all around, but I saw no sign of Holt or any of his brothers. I had no idea where he was, but I knew he was there, watching every move I made. I could feel the weight of Holt’s stare on my skin. It was a silent promise that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

And even though I couldn’t see them, I knew his brothers were out there too. They were lurking in the background, ready to step in if things didn’t go as planned. It should’ve made me more nervous, but somehow, knowing they were close made it easier to keep walking.

---