Page 4 of Trust No One

Annie jumped up from the chair, beaming. “There’s Spence now. I’m gonna meet him at the elevator.” Her grin widened. “You might want to stay here. I don’t want to scar you with our PDAs.”

“Yeah, I’ll just wait here for you,” Mel said.

As Zoe ran for the door, Mel studied her hands. She felt guilty for accepting the money from Zoe. She didn’t want to be in debt to her sister. Didn’t want to upset the dynamic between her sister and her brother-in-law.

But it would be a huge relief to hand Dev that check and watch him walk out of the compound for good.

After he was gone, maybe she could begin to get her life back on track.

Getherselfback.

Chapter 2

Dev slipped into the compound after midnight that night, parking his car in his usual spot in the garage, right beside Mel’s spot. But her Subaru Forester wasn’t there.

Frowning, he pulled out his phone. Saw the text Mel had sent at four that afternoon. Why hadn’t he noticed it before now?

He’d been on the phone with Brittany at four, making plans to meet at the Trailhead bar that evening. And he had forgotten all about the ping of his phone in his eagerness to get to Helena.

Where had Mel gone? And why? As partners in Blackhawk Security, they generally kept each other informed of where they were. But she’d said only that she was leaving and would be back in a few days.

Was something wrong? Was she sick? Hurt?

Was she okay?

He read the text again but got no information about her status or her plans.

Huh.

Okay, if she’d needed him, she would have called him. If it was business related, she would have called as well. So he had to assume everything was all right.

But he didn’t like not knowing where she was. What she was doing.

A frisson of shame slithered through him.You made sure it wasn’t your business.Not anymore. The tiny voice in the back of his head was mocking. Taunting. It irritated him, so he ignored it. When Mel got back, she’d tell him where she went and why. That’s what partners did, right?

Not if it wasn’t business related.

Dev scowled. Maybe she’d gone away with some guy. Someone she’d met in Helena.

Mel knew better than to go away with a stranger.

Maybe he wasn’t a stranger. Maybe he was someone Mel knew very well.

Slamming the car door with more force than necessary, he hurried out of the garage, closing the building’s door hard enough that it bounced open again. Rolling his eyes at himself, he closed it carefully, made sure it was locked, then headed toward the building that held the employee apartments.

As he walked past Mel’s apartment, he looked for light beneath the door. There wasn’t any, of course. Mel was gone.

Had she met someone in Helena? Spent the evening in bed with some guy?

Again, not your business, the voice in his head pointed out. Mel was an adult. She could take care of herself. Make her own decisions.

Yeah, just like you do,whispered the same annoying voice.

Scowling, Dev let himself into his apartment. Shoved the door to slam it shut but caught it just in time with a muttered curse. It was late and other people were sleeping. No reason to be an asshole because he was worried about Mel.

And why was he worried? Mel was more than capable of taking care of herself. More than capable of defending herself, if some guy got handsy and she wasn’t interested. Mel had always been an island of serenity, even when everything was going to shit. Back in Afghanistan, where they’d met, he could always count on Mel to be steady. Calm. Deal with problems easily and efficiently. It was one of the things that had drawn him to her. One of the qualities that made her so attractive.

But she’d never disappeared before without making sure herpartnerknew where she was.

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