Page 76 of Warrant
Glancing over, I saw that the kids were still fast asleep. Both dogs were asleep on the floor, though Beau propped open one eye long enough to make sure we were good before going back to snoring. I eased out of bed and took Warrant’s hand.
“How did you know we were here?” I asked.
He hesitated, then admitted, “I’m tracking your phone.”
I stared at him as I sat at the table in his dining room. “You… What? Since when?”
He tried for a charming grin, but it disappeared when I glared at him. “Pretty much since day one.”
“That’s a complete invasion of privacy, Warrant!”
He shrugged one muscular shoulder, looking not in the least bit repentant.
Sighing, I rubbed my forehead. A cup nudged one of my hands and I took the coffee he’d just made with a grateful grunt. I was about a third of the way through when something else occurred to me. “How did you guys know we were in trouble?”
He sighed, then turned and sat down next to me with his own cup of coffee. “I installed cameras in your place.”
I stared at him, cup frozen halfway to my lips. “Cameras.” It wasn’t a question, more of a shocked echo.
“I needed to make sure you were okay when I wasn’t around.”
“Did you put those up from day one also?” I asked through gritted teeth, setting my cup down before I tossed the steaming contents into his smug face. The liquid inside was far too precious to waste on him.
He nodded, watching me with a wary look in his eyes. “Day two, I think. Technically.”
“You didn’t even know me then, Warrant. Why the hell would you do that?”
“I knew you were mine from the minute you walked up to my porch that first night,” he told me. There was no teasing note in his voice for once. He was completely serious.
“You can’t know something like that,” I insisted. It was crazy. People didn’t fall in love that quickly. Or know that they wanted to be with another person when they knew nothing about said person. That only happened in movies. Or books. Not real life. Notmylife. I ignored the little voice inside that reminded me I’d been just as interested—and unable to forget him—since that first day.
He just shrugged his shoulders again.
Sighing, I rested my face in my hands for a moment while I tried to pull myself together. I pushed aside his declaration that I somehow belonged to him at first sight. “You can’t put cameras in people’s homes,” I told him as though I was explaining this to a five-year-old.
He just stared at me.
“It’s illegal,” I growled at him, getting pissed that he wasn’t showing any remorse. “Not to mention creepy.”
Now he looked offended. “I didn’t put one in your bedroom, or bathroom.”
“Becausethatwould be crossing the line?” I asked in disbelief.
He nodded, looking relieved that I understood. I didn’t. I didn’t understand, though I’m grateful he wasn’t being a pervert and watching me undress every night.
“You still can’t do that. Don’t you know what boundaries are?”
“Huh?” He looked confused. It was almost cute.
But I needed to stay mad at him or he’d end up getting out of trouble. He seemed to be good at that. Not this time. I was too conflicted with my feelings to give him any leeway. “Boundaries,” I said with a sigh.
“You mean the left and right fields of fire?” He arched a brow at me.
“No,” I snapped, knowing now he was messing with me. “I mean it’s against the law, you overgrown ape.” He just went on staring at me with a neutral expression. Of course he didn’t care about breaking the law. Throwing my hands up, I gave up on trying to make him take accountability for his behavior. “I’m not going to arrest you, ‘cause you saved our lives, but this is your only get out of jail free pass.” I pointed at him in warning. “Get those out of my house.”
“Will do, Sheriff,” he said, hiding his smile behind his coffee cup.
“And take that tracking app off my phone.”
