“Go back to when you entered the weapons room for the first time. Did you make sure the storage unit was locked back up after getting the gun for Zeke?”
“Why does it matter?” Zeke snapped. “Even if it was unlocked, it was closed. Which means someone had to open it, spill the bullets, and take the gun.”
Clearly sensing the bad energy between Lincoln and Zeke, Brooke rested a palm on Lincoln’s forearm before he could respond. “It’d be helpful to know if someone just had to sneak inside and open the locker or if the person knew how to disengage the locks.”
“I can’t say for sure. I usually always lock things back up right away but this time I didn’t double check before we went back to the shooting range. No one was supposed to be here.” Grace winced at the admission, but she had to be truthful.
Lincoln nodded. “That’s okay. We’ll do the job the same. Cruz is on the way, and we’ll handle the crime scene. You mentioned bullets spilling on the floor. Do you have a bullet count for what should be in that box? Having a gun missing is dangerous enough, if bullets are gone too, even worse.”
She moved a finger over the row on the spreadsheet still on her screen. She mentally subtracted the number of bullets she’d taken for her session with Zeke then wrote it down for Lincoln. “Here.”
“Thanks. Brooke and I will go back and take a look at the scene then check out the security footage. Hopefully the cameras picked up something. Will you let Cruz know where we are when he arrives? He’s coming from town so he shouldn’t be much longer.”
She nodded, irritation clogging her nostrils. “I’m so sorry. This should have never happened.”
Brooke leveled her with a hard stare. “Did you ask someone to come in here and steal a gun?”
Grace shook her head.
“Then it’s not your fault. Now all we can do is figure out who was in here and how to get the weapon back before someone else gets hurt. After Cruz gets here, you should take a minute or two and clear your head. I need you sharp and ready to figure all this out. You can’t do that if you’re sitting around blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. Damnit, she’d never shown emotion in front of her employer. She hated doing so now, but the scar over her healing heart had been ripped open the second she’d laid eyes on Zeke, and she couldn’t get herself under control.
But maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Because if nothing else, she’d realized the last few days, she didn’t have control of nearly as much as she’d thought.
She dropped her head into her hand. “I know you’re right, but it’s still hard to wrap my mind around. I’m the responsible party. I’m the one who’s supposed to keep the weapons locked and safe. There’s no way to tell myself to stop feeling guilty. Trust me, if there was, I would have figured out how to do so a long time ago.”
Three pairs of questioning eyes and one dog stared back at her and her face heated. “Forget it. I’ll be fine,” she said quickly, hoping to erase the pity from the people near her. “Go get started. I’ll send Cruz back.”
Frowning, Lincoln gave one curt nod and disappeared down the hall.
Brooke offered her a small smile, then cast a quick glance at Zeke before joining Lincoln.
Grace let her head fall to her desk and sighed.
“Hey,” Zeke said, crouching beside her. “Look at me.”
She tilted her head to the side and hated how much his presence comforted her.
He braced his forearm on the edge of the desk and slid his other arm around the back of her chair. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
“How can you say that?” She sniffed, hating the emotion building inside her.
He shrugged. “It’s better than thinking things won’t work out. But for now, what do you say we do as Brooke suggested and step away from all this for just a minute?”
She frowned. “I can’t just leave. Not when we need to find out what happened.”
“You’ve had a hell of a few days, and you need to take care of yourself. Besides, my stomach is growling. I don’t want to eat at the lodge right now, and we both know I can barely make a peanut butter sandwich. Let’s grab a quick lunch somewhere. Clear your head a little.”
She stared into his deep, green eyes and felt herself weaken. This was why she’d stayed so far away. She’d never been able to resist him—refuse him. Besides, he made a good point. She allowed a tiny crack of a smile to poke through her misery. “Fine. Once Cruz arrives, we can leave for just a little bit and grab lunch. I know just the place.”
CHAPTERELEVEN
The savory scents of grilled meats hit Zeke’s nose like a right hook and made his mouth water. The Chill N’ Grill was the type of place he’d visit back home—the kind of place Danny’s Tavern was in the community he loved so much. With a stone hearth that rose to the wooden beams of the ceiling and decorative bull’s head with a cowboy hat nestled between his antlers. A pinch of guilt ate away at his conscious, but he was determined not to let it get to him.
Not now when his stomach rumbled, and Grace had agreed to spend time with him. Even if it’d taken one catastrophe after another for her to concede she needed to take a step back and give herself some space from all the troubles waiting for them at the retreat.
“Want to sit at the bar?” She asked, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder as she weaved between mostly-filled tables.