Page 69 of Wicked Sin

“We can request cell phone records next if there’s any evidence he didn’t. Thank you, social media and paparazzi, for keeping a creepy eye on literally everyone in the world.”

“Get Twitter to do some of the timeline work for you.”

She snorts. “We’d get more conspiracy theories than we could ever handle.”

“Truth.”

“If and when we know something, I’ll loop you in. Go have your fun.”

That’s her second hint at knowing there’s something between Taylor and me. “No fun being had here.”

“Then you’re not trying hard enough.” She laughs and hangs up.

That’s probably true.

I head upstairs at midnight,after checking the doors and my layers of security. I’m just about to get into bed when I hear a panicked whimper.

“No, please don’t touch me, no-no-no. I’ll be quiet…”

Grabbing my Glock from my drawer, I move silently and quickly into the hall. Taylor’s crying now, and I pause at her door long enough to gauge a gut check on what’s on the other side.

If she’s not alone, swinging the door open could put her in harm’s way.

If she’s alone and having a nightmare, me busting in with a gun could be the last thing she needs. Her private terror is none of my business.

But if she needs to be rescued—

Before I can make that judgment call, her door swings open and she bursts out, falling into my arms.

“Hey there,” I say quietly, lowering my gun.

She buries her face in my chest.

My bare chest.

I take a long, sobering breath.

“Shhh.” I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. “What do you need?”

She shakes her head and doesn’t answer.

“Was it a nightmare?” Stupid question. Of course, it was a nightmare. “How about some water?”

A slow nod, then she pushes me gently out of the way and goes into the bathroom.

I scrub my hand through my hair then return my piece to the drawer in my bedside table where it belongs.

I’m wearing a shirt and sitting on the bed when she returns, her face scrubbed and her expression more rueful than scared.

“So, I get nightmares,” she says, shrugging her shoulders up and down.

“You said that.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

“What do you need now?”

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