Page 45 of Heart of a Hero

“What are you thinking, Mark?” Colt asked, his tone softer now as if sensing the turmoil rolling beneath the surface.

Mark ran a hand over his face, sighing deeply. “Karen is the first woman I’ve met since I lost Sue years ago that I’m excited about spending time with. The relationship is new, but… but it’s good, Colt. I haven’t felt like this in a long fucking time.”

Colt’s expression remained steady, his dark brow lifting slightly. “You think this is going to kill the relationship?”

He squeezed the back of his neck again, his pulse pounding against his palm. “Not necessarily. But it’s a fucking weird situation. She’s going to wonder why I didn’t say anything before now. I didn’t text or call her last night because this was hanging over me. I thought we could talk to her this morning, and it would be all over. Now, we have to actually question her. Officially. Here.” His words hung in the air, the enormity of it allsettling deeper into his bones. “I don’t know, Colt. I just have a bad feeling about all of this.”

Colt lifted a dark brow. “About her involvement?”

“No!” Mark rushed, shaking his head. “About if she’s going to be hurt over being questioned and blame me.”

Colt didn’t offer comforting words or reassurances. He simply nodded, understanding the gravity of Mark’s situation. And for that, Mark was grateful. No platitudes, no sugarcoating, just the reality of the mess he was in. Standing, Colt gave a brief chin lift before Mark walked out of the room. Now, Mark was alone with his thoughts, and the tension settled heavily on his shoulders as he braced himself for what came next.

21

Karen hurried into the office. She had taken Olivia to school after the dentist appointment. She preferred to take the girls at the same time, but Laura had protested, claiming she had a paper to present in her English class. Karen had rescheduled for a later appointment, hoping there wouldn’t be another conflict. She could only imagine that as the girls’ educational needs and extracurriculars increased with age, the next few years would be a whirlwind of activities.

Once inside, she smiled at the receptionist.

“Everything okay at the dentist?”

“Yes. Just a checkup. I know Olivia hates going, but I insist the girls go twice a year.”

As she walked past the front desk, the receptionist said, “Oh, Sharon is out with a patient, but she said some detectives were in earlier. They wanted to talk to you but talked to Sharon instead. She didn’t say what it was about but left soon after they did and hasn’t been back. I think she must have gone to lunch between her clients.”

“Thanks.” She smiled as she continued to hurry into her office. Tossing her purse and her jacket onto the top of the filing cabinet, she sat down and turned on her computer. Eventhough she’d known she would be out of the office for part of the morning, she felt behind in her work. She placed her phone on her desk, checking to see if she missed any messages, then sighed when there were none.

Rolling her eyes, she pinched her lips together.Mark doesn’t text or call one night after we’ve only had one date, and I’m disappointed. Get a grip, girl!Shaking off the ridiculousness of her own thoughts, she forced her attention back to her emails. To her relief, there wasn’t as much to catch up on as she feared. Only one new referral had come in, and she could easily return the call later in the afternoon.

Still, her mind kept drifting, this time to Roscoe and the kids. She planned to drop off some cookies on her way home and check in on Zannie and Marty, who had been on her mind lately. Their situation continued to tug at her heart. It didn’t matter that the words from her nursing program always rang in the back of her head—“You can’t save everyone.”She still wanted to make sure they knew someone was keeping an eye on them.

Just as she was in the middle of an email response, the receptionist stepped into her doorway. “Ms. Drummond? Um… there are two detectives who want to talk to you. They might be the same ones who were here earlier.”

Karen nodded, her pulse quickening as she wondered if Mark was popping in to see her. Brad walked into her office as the receptionist stepped back. Smiling, she greeted, “Brad. This is a surprise. How are you?—”

Instead of Mark following, a female stepped in behind Brad. Karen didn’t recognize the woman, dressed in slacks, a blue shirt, and a navy jacket. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Dropping her gaze, Karen spied the detective badge clipped to the woman’s belt.

“Oh, hello,” Karen said, still smiling, wondering why Mark wasn’t with his partner.Oh shit… he didn’t answer her texts last night… maybe he’s hurt or?—

“Hello, Ms. Drummond. I’m Detective Elizabeth Perez.”

“Yes?” Karen knew her voice was breathy but fear for Mark made it hard to speak.

“Hey, Karen,” Brad greeted.

"Is Mark okay?" The question tumbled out before Karen could stop it, her stomach twisting. Brad’s surprised expression didn’t go unnoticed, so she pressed on. "He’s not with you. Is he okay?"

For a moment, Brad’s face softened with understanding before it morphed into something unreadable, something that set Karen on edge. "He’s fine," Brad assured her, though his voice lacked its usual warmth. "But he’s back at the station. Karen, we’re investigating the recent thefts in the area, and we need to ask you some questions."

She blinked, remembering the receptionist’s mention of the detectives coming earlier. “Oh… um… okay. Sure.” She couldn’t imagine why they needed her input or why Mark wasn’t with Brad, but she relaxed in her seat nonetheless. “Would you like to sit?” She waved her hand toward the two chairs in front of her desk.

“Actually, we’d like you to come with us if you would,” Elizabeth said.

Karen blinked again. “Come with you? To…”

“To the station, please,” Elizabeth clarified.

“Come with you to the station?” She realized she sounded stupid repeating what the detective was saying, but it didn’t make sense. Suddenly, a cold jolt of panic shot through her, and her body tensed. "The station?" Her gaze darted to Brad, and the uneasy look on his face only made her stomach tighten further. "Am I under arrest?"

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