In Safe Hands (Search and Rescue #4)(118)

Norman’s voice brought her out of her head. “I’m visiting Monroe for the first time. Is there anything in particular I should see while I’m here?”

“Sorry.” With an apologetic grimace, she held her arms out in an I’ve-got-nothing gesture. “I just moved here, so I’m not much help. You could ask them.” Without actually looking at the cops, she tilted her head toward their table.

Ignoring her suggestion, he asked, “You’re new here? Where’re you from?”

“Arkansas.” The lie rolled off her tongue, and she resisted the urge to smile proudly. That was better. Now she just had to learn to do that when faced with a cute cop.

“Really?” Norman’s tone barely changed, but the faintest note of skepticism made all of Jules’s inner alarms began to blare. Why would he question that? Norman’s manner had been just a little bit too casual, his voice carefully disinterested. She stared at him, as if her gaze could strip off his overly normal exterior and reveal his true intentions. Had her stepmother hired him? Was he a private investigator? He couldn’t be—right?

Jules took an automatic step back, trying to calm her racing mind and think of how to answer, what to say to keep the stranger from being suspicious—unless it was too late. Norman shifted ever so slightly, his body tensing as the mild mask slipped, revealing a focused expression that had her blaring alarms going into overdrive. What if he already knew? Although she tried to tell herself she was being paranoid again, it didn’t work. Her instincts were telling her that this man was off, and she needed to listen to them.

She opened her mouth, still unsure of the best way to reply, when a growly voice interrupted. “What’s going on here?”

Her head whipped around. Theo was standing right next to her, so close that his arm was almost touching hers. This time, however, Theo’s glare wasn’t directed at her. Instead, all of his angry attention was focused on Norman.

“Are you bothering this woman?” Theo demanded, shifting so that he was ever so slightly in front of Jules, as if shielding her from harm.

A rush of relief and gratitude hit her. Theo’s take-charge manner was exponentially more attractive when he was defending her, rather than when she was the target of his interrogation.

Norman’s bland expression had returned, which upped Jules’s suspicions even more. A normal person would at least flinched. As she knew from first-hand experience, Theo was hugely intimidating. “Of course not. Jules and I were just getting to know each other.”

With Theo’s back to her, Jules couldn’t see his expression, but there was disbelief in the tight lines of his shoulders. His very broad shoulders. Jules quickly shook the thought out of her head. Now was not the time. In fact, there was never a good time for her to be attracted to a cop.

“Why don’t you just let her do her job?” Theo’s voice was even and calm, but there was a menace to him that would’ve left her shaking if it had been directed at her.

Instead of looking worried, though, Norman sounded almost amused. “Of course. Carry on, Jules. We can talk later.”

“No,” Theo clipped. “No talking later. Just eat your breakfast peacefully and then leave.”

There was a tense silence before Norman said, “Sure.”

After a long second, Theo turned to face Jules, and she was startled by his proximity. It wasn’t nearly as scary as it had been earlier, though, when Megan had saved her from Theo. Now Theo had turned into her hero…and the oddness of that made her smile. Theo’s gaze lowered to her mouth, pausing there for a moment before he abruptly turned and headed back to his booth.

Jules watched him join the other two cops, who were eyeing Theo with curiosity. Looking up, Hugh caught Jules’s gaze. His expression changed before she could get a bead on what he was thinking, and he widened his eyes in an exaggerated pleading expression. “Can we order now? Please? We’re so hungry it’s possible we might die if we’re not fed soon.”

Residual relief made her smile. The third cop whose name she didn’t know looked amused, but Theo’s scowl had returned, even more ferocious than usual.

“Be right there,” she called, her voice only slightly shaky. Turning back to Norman, she gave him a quick, insincere smile. “I’ll be back in a minute to take your order.” Before he could respond, she darted away toward the counter.

She returned the coffeepot to its warming station and pulled her notebook and pen from her pocket. As she hurried over to take the cops’ order, she marveled that she was relieved to be at Theo’s table when, just five minutes earlier, she’d been anxious to leave it.

In this new life of hers, pretty much everything was a threat. She tried not to glance at Norman three booths over as she smiled at the three cops—including her crabby, reluctant hero. “Sorry about the wait. What can I get you?”

It was all a matter of what—or who—was the biggest threat.

*

“Viggy, here!”

The Belgian Malinois huddled in a forlorn heap on the far side of his kennel. He didn’t even turn his head at the command. As Theo stared at the dog, guilt and grief churning inside him, chewing away at his carefully constructed wall of numbness, he resisted the urge to punch the concrete wall dividing the enclosures. Damn you, Don.

“Can’t really blame him.”