Page 38 of Colorado K-9 Rescue
CHAPTER 24
He didn’t want to leave Mckenna, but Evan also didn’t want her to see how shaken he was. She was too involved in this investigation, and it was putting her in danger. Why had the kidnapper reached out now, after all these years?
Taking steps two at a time, Evan went to the door and showed the officer his badge. He went through the house to the back porch, with an evidence bag he’d pulled from his car. Everything about this house was so Mckenna. She had decorated the place in her own style, from pillows on the couch to pictures of her and Mocha together.
He wanted to stop and take everything in, learn more about her, be a bigger part of her life, but right now, he had to keep her safe. Following an officer to the porch, he saw the journal on the table with the bracelet, like Mckenna had said.
Putting on gloves, Evan went over and photographed everything. He’d call the ERT to have them process the house. Idaho Springs had a small department, and when he’d called, they said they didn’t mind. Once he was done taking pictures, Evan bagged the bracelet. He could see the threat the kidnapper had scribbled into Mckenna’s journal. Evan couldn’t imagine how she felt.
He flipped through the pages to make sure there weren’t any other “souvenirs” or messages left, but everything else was in Mckenna’s neat, perfect handwriting. A few pages before the threat, his eye caught a recent entry. It was about him.Don’t read it,he told himself.Don’t do it. It’s personal. You wouldn’t even know about it if you weren’t here.
Evan went to shut the book, but he did catch one sentence that made him stop. He didn’t allow himself to read anymore. This was her journal. Her personal reflections. He was violating her thoughts, but his heart pounded as he read the words:I think I’m falling in love with Evan. He makes me feel safe.
The thing was, he was falling in love with her too. He just didn’t want to make her feel safe. He wanted to be with her and keep her safe. But could he do that?
And he hadn’t told anyone in the office yet, but he’d put in for an ASAC or assistant special agent in charge opening in Oregon. If he got the position, in a month or so he could be gone. Then what?
That was why love would never work for him. He wouldn’t only be breaking Mckenna’s heart, he’d be breaking his own too.
Evan walked through the rest of the house, careful not to disturb anything. The evidence response team would be here soon and process everything, but it would take them the rest of the night. Even if Mckenna wanted to wait for them to finish, he didn’t want her staying alone. Not until they caught this guy.
Not knowing if the kidnapper was only targeting Mckenna, Evan had called Lily’s parents and the sheriff. A deputy would drive by a couple of times while on duty. Lily’s father had promised they would call if there was anything suspicious and keep everything locked including the windows.
Evan had one more room to walk through—Mckenna’s bedroom. He opened the door and smiled at the pillows on her bed that had Mocha’s picture. Her pajamas were hanging on the closet door—they were soft silk shorts with a lace-trim tank top. What he would give to see her in that.
Or nothing.
Get back to work. This is completely unprofessional. You think you crossed a line kissing her, this is worse.
But the words Mckenna wrote in her journal kept echoing through his head:I think I’m falling in love with Evan.
He wanted to be the one to keep her safe, but was he capable of loving her back? Or only breaking her heart like he’d been accused of many times? Nothing seemed out of place in her bedroom and there were no obvious notes. He didn’t want to touch anything or go through much until the evidence team had their chance.
There was no way Mckenna was staying here tonight. As he made his way back into the living room, Evan decided that he should try to find a safe house and other agents to protect her. Seeing what she wrote rattled him. Maybe it would be best to have some space.
Because what he really wanted was for her to stay with him, but he knew where that would lead. It woulddefinitelycross a line. Right now, he might hurt her if he transferred to Oregon, but it would be worse if they took this further.
His relationships in the past had always ended badly. Prior girlfriends had accused him of loving his job more than them. They’d been right. This was the first time he thought things might be different. He may have found someone he loved more than his work, but he didn’t want to stop with the promotion. That was also his dream.
Right now, he had a kidnapper to catch, and he needed to keep Mckenna out of danger. Yes, a safe house. That would be the way to go. She could stay there and be escorted to the office until he found Toby and Rex.
Neither one had been home when he’d stopped by. He’d called Officer Warren to see if he could look up Toby’s ankle monitor location even though it was Rex Evan had become reallyinterested in. He hadn’t told Mckenna yet, but he’d confirmed the Jeep he saw in Rex’s garage was the one following her. He wanted to find both guys and bring them in for questioning. Unfortunately, Officer Warren hadn’t answered, and Evan had left a voice mail.
Mckenna had to stay somewhere safe tonight. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Evan left the house and stepped under the crime scene tape that the police had strung up. Curious neighbors had come out and were standing on their porches, watching and gossiping. Evan ignored them and went over to one of the evidence team members.
“Let’s go all out here,” he told the man. “Fingerprints. DNA. And anything else you see that you think should be collected. I have the journal and the bracelet.”
“That might take a while,” the man said. “Is this person willing to stay out of their house?”
“It won’t be a problem. I’ll be moving her to a safe house. Call me immediately if you find anything.”
“You got it,” said the man.
Evan thanked him and then climbed in his vehicle. That was the easy part. The hard part would be convincing Mckenna to stay somewhere else for the night. Unless she was really scared, then maybe she’d be okay with it.
The officer was petting Mocha when Evan parked back down by the gas station. Mckenna appeared more at ease, which made him happy. He thought about the words she’d written. Love. What was love anyway? His parents certainly couldn’t figure it out. He remembered the day his mother had walked out, and they’d never heard from her again. His father had found her, but she had handed him divorce papers and said she didn’t want anything to do with them. His dad had an on-again, off-again girlfriend, but had never committed to her. Not that Evan couldblame him after what had happened. Even though he’d read what Mckenna wrote about falling in love with him, Evan didn’t know if he could handle it if Mckenna walked out on him. She hadn’t called him until she was scared and needed him. What happened when she didn’t need him anymore?
It was yet another reason that he should step away while he could—he didn’t want to hurt Mckenna. That would be terrible. But the longer he let this go, the more hurt he’d inflict on both of them when the time came to leave.
