Page 81 of Into the Shadows

“He only gave her ten minutes before he left. Said he had more important things to do that night. I waited for twenty just in case, but ended up leaving, too.”

“I’ll give you that it’s a little suspicious, but it still isn’t proof.”

“No, but we might be able to follow his movements that day to see if he had any interactions with her.”

“Weare not doing anything.” I laugh. “I’ll contact Sheriff Lansing to let him know our theories, but we’re not going to do any investigating on our own.” That’s a lie. I’m totally going to investigate, but I don’t want Candace to go on some crusade in case Steven really is the person threatening us.

Candace shakes her head and chuckles. “You’re right. I just got a bit ahead of myself.”

“Take it from someone who knows. Don’t let this stuff build in your mind. It’s not our job to solve the case. That’s what the police are for. My job is mostly for entertainment purposes, despite my desire to find justice in each case I cover. I know Crystal meant a lot to you, and one day, I hope her case gets solved, but don’t let this consume you. Okay?”

Candace takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m with ya. I don’t know how you do this job all the time.”

“I’ve become adept at keeping things separate. I don’t let it seep into my personal life.”

“That’s fair. Thank you for meeting with me. I really appreciate it. Being able to get my worries off my chest helped a ton.”

“Good.” I reach over to squeeze her hand. “I need to get home. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be good.” We stand up from our table and head out of the coffee shop. We say another goodbye and then laugh when we walk in the same direction to get to our cars.

A hand on my arm jerks me to a halt.

I gasp at the man shoving a gun into Candace’s side. “Scream, and I shoot her.”

Chapter 45

Teddy

Iscroll through the file Jackson sent me to get a feel for what I’m doing. I’m fucking nervous, and it’s messing with me.

This client is worried her boyfriend is cheating on her. He’d been acting shady for a couple of weeks. She’d searched his phone but didn’t find anything, so she hired us to tail him. It seems a little over-the-top to me to hire a private investigator for a cheating boyfriend. Wouldn’t it just be easier to dump him?

Through the windshield of my car, I watch the dude come walking down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets until he stops at a jewelry store. I wait for a minute to see if he comes back out. When he doesn’t, I make my way into the store.

While I was in New York, Jackson gave me some tips on surveilling our targets. It’s not a dangerous job, per se; it’s more about ensuring they remain clueless to us following them.

Glass cases filled with sparkling jewels greet me as I walk inside the store. I find my target standing at acounter full of rings. Could he be acting shady because he’s going to propose?Let’s find out.

When I get close, I pretend to browse the rings. Jesus. Some of these rocks are fucking huge. I can’t even fathom the cost of them.

“There are a lot of options,” my target says to me. He just made my job ten times easier.

“Tell me about it. I’m trying to find one for my girlfriend. I have no clue what I’m looking for.”

“Same. I think she’s starting to catch on, too. We normally have lunch together, but I’ve canceled a few times too many to go unnoticed. I wanted it to be a surprise, but it’s taken longer to pick one out than I thought it would. I’ve been to five different stores already.” He sighs with exasperation.

“Five.” I whistle. “That’s a lot. This is my first one.”

“I hope you have better luck than me.”

“What’s her personality like?”

He gets a dreamy smile on his face. Yeah, this sucker isn’t cheating. “Yelena is a dream come true. She can be cold to others who don’t know her well, but around me, she melts into a puddle. She only shows her soft core to the people she loves most.”

The name is even further confirmation that he isn’t cheating. “Sounds like she really loves you.”

His gaze snags on a ring. “That’s it. That’s the one. Thank you!”

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