Page 25 of Mine to Protect

“Just keep her close and do what you do best.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Stay in touch,” his mother said. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” He tapped his phone and jumped to his feet. Time to turn up the charm and swallow his feelings. He had a job to do, and if there was one thing anyone could say about him, it was that he was a damn good private investigator.

CHAPTERSIX

Shelby made her way back to the kitchen after going through her brother’s and Jackie’s things—twice—and finding nothing of interest. No necklace or key. But she also spent her time thinking about Rhett and how he was doing so much for her, and she was doing nothing but betraying his trust.

She kept telling herself that she had no choice. She was doing it for her brother. To keep him safe, because he needed that. Because he’d asked that of her, and she was only being a good sister.

She checked her back pocket, making sure her cell was there. She’d put it on vibrate mode earlier so that if her brother called, she’d feel it instead of it ringing so she could lie and step out of the room if Rhett were nearby.

“Hey, you,” Rhett said as he stepped through the sliding glass doors. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“No.” She rinsed out her mug and put it in the dishwasher, doing her best to keep her emotions buried deep in her gut. Part of her wanted to tell Rhett what was going on, but Chris had asked her not to, and since he’d sounded clearheaded, she had to trust him.

She absolutely believed that he wasn’t using. She could hear that in his voice. That was a plus.

“He must have it with him,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t shake like her insides.

“Why is this piece of jewelry so important to you right now?”

Shit. This would be harder than she’d thought. She’d never been the kind of person who could think quick on her feet. It was why she’d chosen a profession where she didn’t have to be around people. Sitting behind a desk and staring at a computer screen all day, inputting data, was better than having to deal with the general public.

She opened her mouth but then her cell buzzed. She pulled it out, and her heart raced. “This is work. I need to take it. Will you excuse me for a second?”

“Sure thing.”

She raced across the house and into her room, shutting the door. “Hello?”

“Are you alone?” Chris asked.

“I am now,” she said with a shaky voice.

“Should we hang up?”

“No. We’re good.” She paced at the edge of her unmade bed with her phone pressed hard against her ear. “I can’t do this for much longer.”

“Did you find the key?”

“It wasn’t in your stuff.”

“Do the cops have it? Or does Rhett?”

As quietly as she could, she opened the door and peeked out into the hallway. “Rhett says no, and he has no reason to lie to me.”

“Are you sure about that?”

She closed the door gently. “He wants to help. And, right now, he and his family are looking for you.”

“I don’t want to be found,” Chris said. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Why? Tell me what the hell is going on.”

“I can’t. You have to trust me. The less you know, the safer you are.”

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