Page 23 of All of Me

I leaned back and looked at Drake through what my gran would have called a different lens. He’d had a whole life before we met, and I was only just starting mine. Protection—while it might get annoying—seemed understandably to be a huge part of him. I still deserved to be treated with respect, something my grandad always championed, but I could understand his anger over the incident earlier. I got that he was a Marine. I guessed protection was in their DNA.

But he’d still been off on the way here, and at the apartment.

Brew put two mugs of coffee on our table, but he was answering a question from a customer, so he didn’t stop. “They do a ton of different ones,” Drake said, gesturing to my black coffee.

“This is fine,” I assured him and wrapped my hands around the cup even though I wasn’t cold.

Drake glanced around, probably to make sure no one could hear, but then he fixed his gaze on me. “The truck had false plates, unsurprisingly. Danny’s trying to trace it via street cams, but we’ve got nothing so far. Danny made sure no cameras show any of us exiting the building earlier, and I left before the cops got a chance to see me there. The teenager driving the other car had her music on so loud, and was also arguing with her boyfriend, that they didn’t notice anything.

Danny also said the fire investigation at our place has stalled out, so we don’t want to give them any reason to look at us again.”

Our place?Warmth spread through my belly.

He took a drink of his coffee, then looked back at me. “I find it really hard to see you put yourself in any danger, and that doesn’t mean you’re not capable. It just means that I’m…a stubbornbastardthat doesn’t do well with not being in control. I shouldn’t have said what I did.” He took another gulp.

“Okay,” I said evenly, because what the hell else could I say? Our relationship—whatever that looked like—might be messed up, and guilt or responsibility was no basis for one, but if that was all I could get for the moment, I might have to take it. His eyes widened at my calm agreement. “What did you think of what the doc said?”

He put his coffee down. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Seb amazes me, and you remind me of him.”

I tried to joke. “I suppose you could say we both had daddy issues.” He snorted, but then we were interrupted by Cynthia holding a tray with plates full of more food than I’d ever eaten in one meal in my life. She put it down before I got the chance to stand and take it from her, beamed her dad’s smile, and said she hoped we enjoyed it. I stared at the meals. At least five rashers of bacon, sausages, two sunny-side up eggs, fried bread, baked beans in some tomato sauce, mushrooms and tomatoes, and big fat fries.

Drake rubbed his hands together. “Cyn leaves off the black pudding for me, but she can get you some if you want it.”

I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know what that was, but I doubted if I was going to be able to eat even half of this. Drake picked up his fork and tucked in. “The Brits don’t do barbeque beans. These are just in tomato sauce.” He scrunched his nose up. “They eat them on toast as well, as a breakfast or a snack thing.”

I followed his example and before I knew what had happened, Cyn was clearing away my completely empty plate. Drake smirked. “I have no idea where you put all that.”

I scoffed and pointed at his flat belly. “Same place as yours.”

“Seriously, though. Stupid-ass question on my part. Enhanced need more calories because your metabolism is jacked up. I’m betting you running at the speeds you do burns through a lot.”

I looked down at my refilled coffee. “I’ve never eaten that much, even at Pink’s, who always tried to feed me.”

“You should hear Finn. He says between Talon and their kids his grocery bill is equivalent to the debt of a small country.”

Drake’s phone buzzed and he picked it up and answered it “Danny, can’t put you on speaker, we’re not on our own.”

I watched Drake’s eyes widen and his face grow hard as he listened. “The hell,” he snapped. “Let me know.” Then he rang off.

“What is it?”

“Danny traced the traffic cams with the truck. It disappeared briefly, then reappeared with proper plates and parked in the lot behind the Marrietta police station.”

My lips parted in astonishment. “Who?”

“The driver had a hoodie pulled over his head and kept his face down past the cameras. Danny’s gotten access to them but they don’t show anything. The truck is unmarked and doesn’t have cameras, and was seized in a drug raid three months ago. They normally have a record of who borrows what car but Danny can’t find anything recorded for today.” He huffed. “It could be just written down. It might not be entered electronically.”

“That isn’t where Lee Dodson died.”

Drake shook his head. “No, but it means that someone who has access to police vehicles tried to shoot me, you, or both of us.”

I lowered my voice. “But isn’t going from arson to a shooting a big jump?”

Drake was quiet while he stared at his coffee. “Definitely an escalation. Assuming this has to do with Ryan. It was also very public.”

“Well, technically so was Dodson’s death,” I pointed out.

Drake drained his second coffee then glanced around to make sure no one could hear. “I want to try and explain why I was sucha dick to you earlier. Can we go home? You need to see to the dogs, and I need to talk to Albert.”

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