Page 30 of Guarded Secrets
Jake retrieved the knife and slipped it in an evidence bag, then used a flashlight to look behind the trees and under bushes. Keeley guessed he was looking for a backpack or anything else a kid might’ve had with him.
All through the conversation Owen stood at her back, not touching her, but his body radiating enough warmth it felt like he was. Which made her hyperaware of him.
She entertained the fantasy of leaning back and having him wrap his arms around her, holding her tight to his chest. Oh god, if only.
Her Owen crush was spinning out of control.
Done Mirandizing, Sawyer eyed Fernando. “How does a sixteen-year-old get to my town? Seems you’d need keys to drive yourself all the way from Sacramento, if you still live there. Curious, since you don’t have anything on you. I’m guessing someone dropped you off. You tell me who that was, kid, and the DA might look favorably on your cooperation.”
“You said I don’t have to talk, so I’m not talking.”
“A plus on the quiz, kid.” Sawyer motioned to Jake. “Put him in back of the cruiser.”
“I’ll get the camera footage.” Owen pointed to cameras mounted at the corners of his building. “I’m taking Keeley to my apartment. You want to get our reports you can come up.”
Sawyer nodded. “All good. I’ll join you once Fernando’s on his way to the station.”
***
Owen grasped Keeley’s hand and pulled her with him across the parking lot.
His control was shaky. Her hand in his steadied him, but he couldn’t stop the loop playing in his head.
She’d been working forhim, had crossedhisparking lot, and hadn’t even made it to her car before a punk kid had pulled a knife on her. He didn’t think the kid had any intention of using the weapon, but intentions didn’t keep misjudgments from happening. She could’ve been badly hurt, or worse, before Owen could protect her.
That control had frayed perilously close to snapping when he’d had his hands on her. Kissing her would’ve been a colossal mistake. But god, he’d wanted that more than his next breath.
Kissing her would be an affirmation of life, proof she was okay, and it would put a dent in his craving, which he was having more and more difficulty controlling. And he knew if he kissed her, that control would slip.
He’d thought he’d been so fucking smart hiring her to work at Easy Money. Keep her close and be better able to keep tabs on her. That’d been the plan, and sure, that part had worked out. But Jesus H. Christ, seeing her nearly every freaking day, being in the glow of all that sunshine, only made the grinding need more acute.
He’d spent today working on his house and had been glad for the physical exertion. Using a sledgehammer, he’d broken through the plaster on a wall he was taking out. Then he’d run the Sawzall and used a pry bar to tear out the framing.
His idea was to remove the wall and open the kitchen to the dining area, where he planned to build an island with a work area on the kitchen side and stools on the other.
He’d thought of plumbing it for a sink but had decided against the idea. He’d caught himself wondering if Keeley’d like a kitchen island with a sink, and had confirmed he was truly screwed.
The lumber delivery had come at the right time to give him a break from her. He’d needed a day without anticipating working atthe bar like a happy idiot because he’d get to keep eyes on her all night.
A day without seeing her walk into the bar and smile at him like a fucking ray of sunshine.
A day without hearing her voice, without smelling her scent of sunshine and blossoms when she passed by him.
A day to get control of his goddamn dick so he didn’t have to fight a hard-on whenever she was around.
Normally he’d have checked on the bar operation before heading upstairs, but hadn’t because he’d wanted to avoid Keeley. He should’ve gone downstairs at closing to make sure his employees made it safely to their cars. He’d screwed up.
“Wait, Owen.”
“Why?” he snapped.
She looked startled and her hand tightened around his. He needed to dial back his shit. She didn’t need him snarling at her because he couldn’t deal with his own frustration.
“I think I left my keys in my locker. I’m really sorry, but would you mind unlocking the door so I can get them?”
“Later.” He kept her hand in his as he climbed the stairs. His door hung open, evidence of how fast he’d exited his place after she’d called him.
All he’d heard was she was in the parking lot and scared, and he’d flown out of the apartment. He ushered her inside and pulled the door shut behind them.
