Page 23 of Mine to Protect

He was here to help and support her. Last night should have changed things, but it hadn’t. He had to accept that.

“Okay. About what?”

Rhett leaned back on the cushions and closed his eyes. He didn’t deal with betrayal well, and to be lied to by someone he cared about hit him between the eyes. He should have anticipated it. Hell, he wasn’t being truthful either. But that was because he couldn’t. His brothers and their jobs prevented him from doing so.

He also had to put in perspective that she was, for all intents and purposes, a client, and they always withheld some truths. Those facts always came to light and, in general, his customers always realized they’d been stupid for keeping secrets.

“She knows about the necklace,” Rhett said.

“As in we have it?”

“No. She’s going through his things right now, looking for it,” Rhett said.

“Why is that strange?”

“Because she told me yesterday that his behavior was off and that she caught him sneaking around her place. She mentioned that he’d tried to steal their mother’s rings five years ago. Not a necklace with a key. But this morning, she suddenly tells me that her brotherdidtake something. After she specifically said that nothing had been missing.”

“It’s not uncommon for people to do that, and you know it,” Emmerson said.

Rhett chose to ignore his brother’s comment. “I asked her if I could look at the text messages between her and her brother, but she said she feels like that might be breaking his confidence. I think she’s been in contact with him. Or, at the very least, he called her last night and asked her to look for that piece of jewelry.”

“That’s interesting. Did you confront her?”

“No. Not yet, anyway. I’m playing it cool. I want to give her the opportunity to come clean and you some time to figure out where the key belongs. Is there any way it could be a family heirloom of some kind?”

“Sorry, man. I got confirmation about fifteen minutes ago that the numbers on the key match that of a bank not far from here.”

“Shit,” Rhett mumbled. “When are you headed there?”

“As soon as we can get the judge to sign a warrant. And we don’t have much to go on. We’re going to try to do it without Shelby confirming anything, but we could come knocking.”

“That’s fair. However, keeping her in the dark might work to our advantage. I’d like to find out what’s in there without her knowing.” Rhett closed his eyes and inhaled the salty air. It soothed his pounding temples. “What else do you have going on?”

“Not much,” Emmerson said. “We have no leads other than this bank and Chris and Jackie. We’re going to keep working on it, but outside of that, nothing. I’ve got other cases, and I’ll be out on patrol. Is there anything you want me to work on or look for?”

“I don’t know.” Rhett pinched the bridge of his nose. “If I think of anything, I’ll text you.”

“Work on gaining her trust and getting her cell. She’s scared. And if her brother is messed up in something, he’s likely manipulating her. If he’s being forced to do something, then he’s running scared, and that key could be what he needs for his freedom.”

“I know. I’ve thought of all of that, but I can’t help her unless she’s honest with me.”

“So find a way to get her to do that,” Emmerson said. “I’ve got to run. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Rhett set his cell on the seat and groaned. He’d loved Krista, and all she did was rip his heart to shreds. Then he’d fallen in love with Shelby but had chosen to protect his heart and let her drive away. He’d deleted her contact information and did his best to forget all about her so history didn’t repeat itself. He’d thought he’d done the right thing for both himself and Shelby. At the time, he didn’t believe that he was a whole man. He’d thought he couldn’t completely give himself to a woman. By the time he’d figured out that he was ready, it had been two years, and he didn’t have it in him to chase her down.

He’d never forgotten her, though, and the second he’d laid eyes on her, he’d been catapulted back to Key West, and his entire being burned with love. He couldn’t shake it if he tried. It had been living inside him all this time, waiting to be released.

Maybe he wouldn’t feel this way if he hadn’t slept with her last night. But he had, and he couldn’t change that fact.

And now she was lying to him when he was the only person who could help her.

Well, him and his family.

He certainly knew how to pick them.

When his parents finally divorced, which had honestly been a good thing, his mom had told him that love came in different shapes and sizes. That she loved his father, always had and always would, but that it wasn’t a sustainable kind of love. She said that she’d known it when they got married, which meant she shouldn’t have married him. She’d told Rhett that the love between a man and a woman should be something you couldn’t put in words; however, you should see it as clear as day. And when two people experienced that emotion, it was like an explosion.

Rhett had asked her why she’d stayed with their dad, and she’d told him that when they had Seth, his eldest brother, she’d seen a kind of love that was so pure, it made her want more.

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