Page 65 of Mile High Daddy

Alex hasn’t shut off the engine yet. Instead, he rests his hands on the steering wheel, his dark eyes flickering toward me with something unreadable.

I exhale sharply and try to force a smile. “Well, at least the night wasn’tcompletelyterrible. I mean, now I have a new mystery to solve.”

Alex’s expression hardens instantly.

“Leah.” His voice is quiet, but firm.

I blink at him. “What?”

“Don’t.”

I huff out a laugh. “I wasjoking, Alex.”

He doesn’t laugh.

He doesn’t even smile.

“If something doesn’t sit right with you, trust that instinct,” he says, his voice low and serious. “But that doesn’t mean you should go looking for trouble.”

I tilt my head, studying him. “You think Ryan is dangerous?”

His jaw clenches slightly. “I think we don’t knowwhohe is. And until we do, I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

The protectiveness in his tone throws me off guard.

I swallow, shifting in my seat. “I wasn’t planning to do anything reckless.”

Alex scoffs. “That’s what peoplealwayssay before they do something reckless.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, Dad.”

His lips twitch like he wants to smile, but the tension in his shoulders doesn’t ease. After a long pause, he exhales slowly and grips the wheel a little tighter. “Just be careful, okay?”

Something about the way he says it makes me pause.

Like he’s not just talking about tonight.

Like he’sbeencareful before. Like he knows what it’s like to be too close to something dangerous.

I want to ask, but I don’t.

Instead, I nod. “I will.”

His gaze lingers on me for another second before he finally nods and shifts the car into park.

“Goodnight, Leah.”

I hesitate before opening the door. “Goodnight, Alex.”

I step out into the cool night air, shutting the door behind me.

As I make my way up the steps to my apartment, I resist the urge to glance back.

But I don’t have to.

Because I already know Alex is still watching.

And for some reason, that thought doesn’t unsettle me as much as it should.

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