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“You’re free to go. We’ll be in touch when we need to talk to you again.”
“Can I give you my business card?”
Griff nodded. He accepted the card and immediately placed it in the file, not bothering to look at it. “Follow my deputy and he’ll show you out.”
Isaac tucked Gina behind him and closed the door to the hallway. She appreciated his protectiveness. She appreciated everything he’d been doing for her. She appreciated the truth he’d shared with her earlier. It had stung to learn that he hadn’t cared about her enough to want to stick around Gunner. She wasn’t sure what was worse. The fact that he’d had to get out of town or that he’d been willing to step aside for Des.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” he said quietly. He turned around to face her and brought his hands up to cup her cheeks.
“Same. I don’t think I have thanked you enough for spending the day with me and for everything you’re doing.”
“I wasn’t just being nice when I said how much I’ve missed you, Gina. I had a chance with you once and I blew it. But we’ll never be anything, including friends, if we can’t talk to each other honestly.”
“You’re right. I was going to say the same thing.” She blinked up at him. The stubble on his chin only added to his rugged good looks. “The past is the past. We can’t go back and change it if we wanted to. I got Everly out of the deal and I can’t regret anything about my life that brought her to me.”
“Does that mean you’ll at least consider forgiving me?”
“You’re not the only one at fault, Isaac. There were so many times I started to pull you aside and talk to you about us. Ask if you really wanted me to be with Des. I could’ve been the one to bring it up as easily as you could.” He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb, bringing so much heat to the surface her face flushed.
“We were young and I was stupid.”
“Isaac. Will you kiss me now?”
His gaze darkened and his voice became husky when he said, “I thought you’d never ask.”
His lips brushed against hers. The taste of coffee still fresh on his tongue. Gina parted her lips to give him better access. This close, she was already awash with his spicy all-Isaac scent and, this time, her knees felt like rubber bands because of a heady mix of his scent filling her and his tongue dancing inside her mouth.
The door handle jiggled and they quickly pulled apart. Out of breath, Gina turned to face the interview room.
Isaac wasn’t having any of it as Griff entered the room. Isaac moved behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders protectively. He whispered, “You need to rest. Let’s get you home as soon as this conversation is over.”
“He wasn’t familiar, was he?” Griff asked. One look at his expression said he knew the answer.
“No. Sorry. For what it’s worth, he was a class-A jerk.”
“You won’t get any arguments from me.” Griff held the door open. “There’s nothing more either of you can do here tonight.”
Isaac had already started guiding her toward the door.
“I’m staying with Gina in case you need to reach me.”
Griff’s eyebrow shot up but he seemed to know better than to ask about it. “Noah said he’d find you in the morning.”
“I’d like to be here when you speak to Brittany’s mother and her husband.” Gina needed to tell Brittany’s mother how sorry she was for not getting there sooner.
Griff showed them down the hall. “Michael called. The Labrador is in bad shape. Said he’s a fighter and that he’ll do everything he can to save him.”
The drive home was silent. Gina wished the vet’s office was open even though the day had worn on her to the point her bones ached for sleep. “Can we check on him in the morning before we go back to Griff’s office?”
“I was about to suggest the same thing.”
Gina rubbed her temples as Isaac pulled up to the cabin and parked. It was impossible to comprehend what had happened not more than a mile away less than twenty-four hours ago. Reality started to sink in as Isaac pulled a handgun from out of his duffel bag in the back seat and then helped her climb out of the truck.
Brittany’s killer was out there. Walking free. He could be watching from behind the tree line circling the cabin. Gina glanced around as the wind whipped her hair around. The land she’d loved so much as a kid had been marked with death.
“Let’s get you inside.” The facts didn’t seem to be lost on Isaac as he surveyed the area.
Unlocking and opening the front door took some effort on her part. Her wrists felt the pain of the day.
It dawned on her that she hadn’t seen her mother’s car out front. The lamp next to the couch was on, the room dimly lit. A note was propped against it. It read:
I took the baby to my house for the night. Couldn’t reach you on your cell. Hope it’s okay. Mrs. Weber is here. She’ll be with Everly until you come by in the morning.
“My battery must’ve died.” Gina didn’t have it in her heart to be mad at her mother. She could’ve called the sheriff’s office if she’d really wanted to reach her daughter. It was late and she was doing Gina a favor by keeping Everly.
“I can put it on the charger while you get ready for bed if you hand it to me.”
Gina searched her purse and produced the cell.
“You can text your mother from my number. That way she’ll have a way to get ahold of you if she needs it. Otherwise, I can’t help but think it might not be the worst thing if you don’t have your cell turned on right now. News about Brittany has spread and people will want to reach out to you. They’ll want to hear your voice to know you’re all right or see if there’s anything they can do.” Gunner was a great town with wonderful people, but the place could be smothering at times, too.
“You’re right.” Gina took the cell on his palm, ignoring the frissons of heat tingling her fingertips from contact with his skin. She withdrew her hand before turning it off. “It’ll charge either way.”
Isaac paused long enough for her to realize she just hurt his feelings. To his credit, he didn’t say anything or try to make her feel bad. In moments like these, she couldn’t help but compare him to her husband, who would’ve made sure she realized she’d snubbed him.
The two were totally different men. Apples to pears. And she appreciated Isaac’s quiet strength, his confidence and the fact he didn’t need someone else to stroke his ego. In fact, she was pretty damn certain he’d be offended by it.
After sending the text using his phone, she looked over at him. He was in the kitchen brewing coffee.
“You staying up?”
“I don’t need a lot of sleep.” He pointed toward his forehead. “A lot of information is rolling around in here. It’ll be good for me to take a minute to process while it’s all fresh.”
“My body is too tired.”
“Go on to bed. I’ll be right here when you wake up tomorrow.” Those words shouldn’t comfort her as much as they did. Knowing Isaac would be in her living room calmed her nerves enough to actually think she could fall sleep.
“I’ll get a pillow and blanket for you.”
“Don’t put yourself out. If I need to catch a few zzzs, I’m good with closing my eyes. Mind if I use your bathroom to clean up, though?”
“Go ahead. Extra towel is hanging on the door and I set out a spare toothbrush for you earlier.”
“That’ll do. I’ll grab a quick shower so I don’t wake you.” Thinking of Isaac naked in her shower stirred feelings she thought long dormant until seeing him again. She’d never felt that butterflies-in-the-stomach sensation with anyone but him.
What she and Des had was a strong bond of friendship. The two felt like family and she did her best to take care of him. Isaac seemed more than capable of taking care of himself and everyone else around. There was something incredibly sexy about the independence of the man standing in her kitchen.
Des had never cooked a meal or washed a dish. He’d never objected to take-out and she figured he could live off a dollar menu in a fast food line. Not her, so the majority of the cooking and cleaning had fallen on her.
“I’ll turn on the light for you. Give me a minute to change and you’re welcome to it.”
He thanked her as he took a sip of fresh coffee. She walked into her bedroom, those butterflies flitting around again. She flipped on the light, changed into her PJs and slipped under the covers.
With her back to the bathroom door, the light dimmed and the door
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