Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(55)

He nodded, his gaze sober. “I’m planning to stay right here with you, baby.”

She warmed and leaned toward him. “Thank you.”

He rubbed reassuring circles on her legs. “We need to figure out who killed Julie before you become an official suspect. It’s your best way to keep your job and freedom.”

“Okay.” It was almost surreal. She’d never kill anybody, and it was nice that Ryker hadn’t even once considered that she had.

“Tomorrow we’re going to run through everything you know about Julie and Jay.” Ryker’s hands tightened. “You don’t talk to the police or Brock without me, okay? And you never talk to the media.”

She nodded. “I understand. But you have to keep working on Greg’s case, too.” She frowned. “What exactly is his case, anyway? He mentioned losing his brothers and needing you to find them. What’s that all about?”

Ryker shook his head. “Client confidentiality. If he wants to share his story with you, he will. Not that he’s told me everything, either.”

Zara frowned. “Do we have a duty to notify the authorities since he’s a minor?”

“Probably, but as two adults who were subjected to the system as kids, do we want to do that to him? I’d rather help him a different way.”

“I just wondered if we had a duty. No way would I give that kid up to the system.” Her urge to protect Greg caught her off guard, although she’d been a lost kid once, too. Not everybody had a Grams waiting with open arms to make the world right again. Maybe Zara could make the world a good place for Greg, or at least help to do so.

“So Greg stays with us for now.” Ryker rubbed his hands down her legs to caress along the arch of her foot.

Pure pleasure ran up her calf. “That feels good.” Was Ryker trying to distract her? “Is Greg dangerous?”

“Undoubtedly.” Ryker dug both thumbs into the arch. “But that kid would cut off his right arm before harming you. You’re probably one of the few nice people he’s ever met, and you’re more than likely the only one to make him breakfast, if you ask me. He’s safe for you.”

Her heart broke even more for poor Greg. “You read people so well.” She’d always wanted that talent but was often totally off the mark with others. “Must be nice.”

“Sometimes it sucks, but it does help with the business.” Ryker shrugged. “Besides, I see a little of myself in that kid. He’s ready to strike out at a moment’s notice, but you give him one ounce of kindness and he’ll die for you.”

She studied his eyes, more blue than green today, as he revealed more about himself. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Ryker would jump in front of a train to save her. “Your childhood hurt.”

“Yeah.” He gave a lopsided smile.

Her heart warmed even while it ached for the angry kid he must’ve been. “I’m sorry.” Could she help him heal? Show him that life could be better than good?

He shrugged. “Wasn’t so bad when I met up with Heath and Denver. Then at least I had a family.”

He was being so open she couldn’t stop her thoughts from rolling out. “You scare me, Ryker.”

He lifted an eyebrow and gentled his touch. His head jerked like he’d been punched. “I’d never hurt you.”

“You’d never mean to hurt me,” she murmured. “But you’re all or nothing. Pure trust or none at all. Full dependence or none.” The words rolled from her tongue. Did he understand that kind of pressure? What if she let him down? He’d been let down too much in life already, she suspected. What if she screwed up and he reacted by leaving? Her heart hurt just thinking about it.

He rubbed his chin and turned his full focus on her.

She swallowed.

“I don’t see you being anything but independent, darlin’.”

The drawl. Every once in a while, he drawled a sentence in a deeper tone that shot right through her like fine whiskey. “You want everything,” she countered, trying to make sense of the rioting feelings inside her.

He grinned then, his eyes remaining sober. “I’ll get it, too.”

She opened her mouth, but no words emerged. Another topic. She had to get away from the charged conversation and think away from him. Her thoughts and emotions were just too damn jumbled at the moment. “Um, okay. Let’s concentrate on the immediate situation. Greg. What are we going to do with him?”

Amusement—that had to be amusement—creased Ryker’s cheek as he let her off the hook. “While I think Greg is safe for you, I’m not sure if the kid has enemies. If anybody comes to light, I’m moving him to my apartment, and I’ll cover you. Heath and Denver can watch over Greg if necessary.”

She reached out and cupped his whiskered jaw, warming to the safer topic. Yet she had to know more about him. “Why did you become a private investigator?”

He moved to her other foot, somehow relaxing her entire body. “The three of us need to find people. Heath wants to find the man who killed his mama, Denver wants to know about where he came from, and I want to find my birth parents. We figured that opening up a detective agency was the way to go.”

“Have you had any luck?” she asked, her heart jumping at finally learning the truth.