Page 30 of Shattered Secrets

She blew out a breath, and with Daisy passed out in her arms, she began a slow inspection of the apartment.

It didn’t take long for her to determine what was missing. Her place wasn’t all that big, and they hadn’t accumulated a lotsince they’d moved in.Minimalismwas how she liked to think of it. Because that sounded a whole lot better thanpoor. And now she was even poorer. Because her purse was missing. Her driver’s license, debit card, and just over two hundred in cash. Tips she’d meant to deposit in the bank but hadn’t gotten around to yet.

She heaved out another sigh, and then her eyes widened.

Her driver’s license.

Holy shit. The US Marshals Service had supplied her current Washington State driver’s license. Could she just go to the licensing place and get a new one? Was that even possible? Crap. The last thing she wanted was to have to contact them?—

“Scarlet?”

She bit back a yelp and spun toward the door.

“Sorry,” Quinn said, holding up his hands again. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“That’s okay.” Heat washed over her face as she glanced between Quinn and Chase. “I’m a little jumpy tonight.” When they continued to look at her expectantly, she cringed. “I’m sorry. Did you say something earlier?”

“I asked if you have somewhere else you can stay tonight,” Quinn said.

“Oh, um...” She considered the question, frowning. Crap. That would be a big, fat nope.

Footsteps sounded, and a man came to a stop behind Quinn and Chase. Her jaw dropped.

“I got here as fast as I could. Are you okay, Scarlet?”

For a moment, she could only stare.

What is Matt Alvarez doing here?

CHAPTER NINE

Matt noted the ransacked room, but his focus remained on the woman in front of him. The woman who was holding her sleeping daughter in her arms and staring at him with her mouth agape, her brown eyes wide in borderline disbelief.

He didn’t move any closer, didn’t want to crowd her space. “Scarlet?”

When she said nothing, his gaze darted to Quinn, who’d moved to stand next to her. The man simply lifted his chin in greeting.

After Chase gave him a nod and made his way toward the other apartment, Matt took a step deeper into her apartment. He kept his hands at his sides to appear as unimposing as possible. “Scarlet, sweetheart,” he said, softening his voice. “Are you okay? Is Daisy okay?”

At the mention of her daughter’s name, Scarlet jerked like someone had poured a bucket of ice-cold water on her head. “Um, what are you doing here?”

A tiny part of him ached at the way she looked at him. As if he’d grown two heads or something. But the other part, the larger part, got it. He was probably the last person she’d expected to step through her broken front door.

Gaze locked with hers, he nodded toward Quinn. “He called me. With Poppy and Cade out of town, he thought you could use a friendly face.”

Matt didn’t think her eyes could get any bigger, but there they went.

“No offense, Matt, but he calledyou?”

Her comment should’ve stung. But again, he got it.

The corners of his lips twitched up, and he stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels. “What can I say? Quinn’s a nice guy. I’m sure he didn’t want to wake up Martha and Ray at this ungodly hour.” He shrugged. “So you got me instead.”

Her face flushed a bright pink as she continued to sway back and forth. “Ohmygod, I’m so sorry. That’s totallynotwhat I meant. It’s just that...” She shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You’re fine, Scarlet. And you’re right, I’m not exactly someone you’d call a friendly face.” He really wasn’t—at least not with her. He’d been the exact opposite, in fact.

Shit, maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. But damn, too late now. There was no way in hell he’d leave them in a lurch.

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