Page 83 of Tough as Steele

“Why not just leave the body here?” Easton asked.

“The shooter doesn’t want her found for some reason,” Londyn said. “I have no idea why, though. Was her phone in the car?”

Easton shook his head.

“She was obsessive about carrying that with her and wouldn’t easily give it up.” Londyn recounted the recent phone call with her.

Easton frowned. “Then if this is her blood, the killer likely took the phone and I’ll get a warrant to have it pinged.”

“It’s worth a try, but if the killer has it, he’s most likely destroyed it so we can’t trace it.” Nate stabbed a toe in the ground then looked at Easton. “Our best bet right now is to get this blood tested and confirm it’s Jessica’s.”

“Then I’ll get Sierra out here.” Londyn stepped away and made the call.

“Let me guess,” Sierra answered. “You want to know what I found at Jessica’s house.”

“Definitely, but right now, I want to find out if she’s dead.” Londyn explained about the situation.

“So you want me to take a break from here and process the car?”

“Can you?” Londyn asked.

“Sure. I’m almost done here and can leave my tech to finish up and seal the house,” Sierra said.

Londyn thanked her and hung up, her focus tracking back to the massive blood stain. Even if Sierra raced over here, it would take a minimum of twenty-four hours for her to compare the blood to DNA recovered from Jessica’s house and to similar samples from Mimi.

Twenty-four hours before they knew if they were too late for Jessica—or for Mimi.

20

Nate was starting to feel at home with the Steele sisters and cousins as he and Londyn joined them in the dining room, the air still holding a hint of fresh bread. Only problem was, Gene and Iris were here now, and Gene had the practiced eye of a law enforcement officer fixed in Nate’s direction. Nate was also sure Londyn’s dad was looking at him with the assessing eye of a father wanting to protect his daughter.

Did he think Nate had a thing for Londyn and was an unsuitable mate for his daughter? Nate didn’t know how Gene would get that vibe from him as he was hiding his interest in Londyn quite well. Or at least he thought he was.

Nate glanced across the dining room at the older man, who didn’t bother to look away but raised an eyebrow, his expression sayingI’m watching you. What would Nate do if he had a daughter, and she was dating a law enforcement officer?

He would tell her to run. He would never want his daughter to date an officer, much lessbeone. Not that it was a bad occupation. No. It was honorable. Self-sacrificing. But, and it was a bigbut, it was dangerous. Very. Every single second of a patrol officer’s shift could be the second they lost their life. A detective’s position was less dangerous, but you had to serve in patrol before becoming a detective.

But what trumped that for Nate was that every single second of a shift, he had the chance to help someone. On the worst day of a person’s life, he could come alongside them, help relieve their suffering, and make that moment better. Not solve their problem, necessarily. Most often that took time and hard work. But he could be compassionate. Kind. Caring. Jesus in shoes. And show Jesus’s self-sacrificing love to a person who may not know that kind of love.

He’d learned that from Clarice. That was what she’d done with him, and he owed the quality of his life to her. Every bit of it.

Nate was glad to have something to distract him from not getting a call. He didn’t know what the kidnapper was waiting for, but if he planned to release Mimi, Nate expected they would’ve heard by then.

“Nate.” Londyn’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Did you hear me?”

“Sorry.” He rubbed a hand over his face.

“You, young man”—Iris stood, gaze fixed on his—“need some rest. But I know you won’t rest until Mimi’s found, so how about I get you some coffee and a snack?”

“That would be great.” He smiled, though he doubted she believed the expression for a moment.

“Just promise me you’ll take care,” she said. “Tired can mean careless, and careless in this business is what keeps me up nights.”

“I’ve gone longer without sleep,” he said, trying to play down the danger.

Iris eyed him, her eyes only like Londyn’s in the intensity. “You probably have, but then you weren’t partnering with my precious daughter, and her life might depend on you. So your fitness is of great interest to me.”

“Mom!” Londyn stared at her mother.

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