Whispers of You (Lost & Found #1)(37)

“Because it smells so good.”

He chuckled. “And that’s a bad thing?”

I let out a huff of air. I didn’t need Holt in here making amazing breakfasts and looking all sexy with his mussed hair and perfectly fitted T-shirt. A pang lanced my heart. How many T-shirts had I stolen from him over the years? Even now, they were shoved in a box in the back of my closet. I didn’t want to look at them every day, but I couldn’t bear to get rid of them either.

I popped a piece of banana into my mouth. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

He opened the notebook that lay between us. “This is what I’d like to do for a security system for you. Cameras at all the entry points and over a few windows. Motion detectors here, here, and here. Alarm sensors on windows and doors. Panic buttons in each room. We could also think about turning that hall closet into a panic room.”

I gaped at Holt. “Have you been drinking the drugs?”

“If you mean coffee, then yes.”

“No, I mean some crazy hallucinogenic something that would make you think I’d let you turn my cozy cabin into a superspy lair.”

Holt leaned back, taking me in. “I’m not turning your cabin into a superspy lair. I’m making it secure.”

“You’re not doing anything. This is my home. I say what comes into these four walls and what doesn’t.”

A muscle in his cheek ticked. “Someone was lurking around your house. You need things in place to keep yourself safe.”

“There are locks on all my doors and windows, and I use them. I’ve got a cell signal amplifier so I can always make and receive calls. That’s enough.”

“I could break those window locks in two seconds, and it would take me less than fifteen to pick the locks on your doors.”

I scowled at Holt. “The only thing that proves is that you’ve picked up some delinquent hobbies in the past ten years.”

He scoffed. “It means this place isn’t safe. Unless you want me sleeping in your spare room every night—”

“Excuse me? I let you stay for one night. One. Because you gave me that damn wounded look. You aren’t staying another. And you sure as hell don’t get to show up after a decade and try to take over. If I decide I need an alarm system, then I’ll call the company in town.”

“Wren—”

The doorbell ringing cut Holt off.

“Wren, you okay?” Chris called. “There’s a weird SUV in your drive.”

I cursed but slid off the stool and headed for the front of the cabin. “I’m fine.” I flipped the lock and opened the door.

Chris’s concerned gaze went to me and then the hulking figure behind me. His jaw tightened. “Holt.”

The behemoth behind me didn’t say anything for a moment, simply stared. “Morning.”

I made big eyes at Jude, who was behind Chris, trying his damnedest not to laugh. He coughed. “Morning, Little Williams. Just wanted to check on you before we headed to the jobsite.”

“Police calls should be confidential.”

“Public record, Cricket,” Holt said from behind me.

“Well, they shouldn’t be.”

Chris’s eyes ping-ponged from me to Holt and back again. “We ran into Nash at the diner this morning.”

“Remind me to thank him later,” I mumbled.

Chris squeezed my shoulder. “Why didn’t you call? You know you could’ve come to stay with me if you were freaked.”

“I was fine. I just had Lawson come check things out as a precaution.”

“Which was the smart thing to do,” Holt said gruffly.

Chris’s gaze shifted to Holt. “And you decided to play bodyguard.”

He shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure she was okay.”

“That was good of you,” Chris said but didn’t sound all that convincing. “Wren, why don’t you pack a bag and stay with me for a while? Just until Lawson figures out what’s going on.”

The anger from behind me hit me like a blast. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I appreciate the help—all of you. But what I need right now is to get ready for work in peace. I’m not staying with anyone. I’m not installing some NASA security system in my house. None of it.”

I strode to the living room and grabbed Holt’s duffel. “Thank you for looking out for me, but I’m good.”

“Wren—”

“Please. Can you all just go?”

Jude sent me a sympathetic look and grabbed the back of Chris’s jacket. “Come on. We need to get to work.”

“But—” Chris started.

“No buts,” Jude cut him off. “Let’s leave the lady in peace.”

Holt didn’t say a word. He simply waited for Chris and Jude to leave and then followed them out. His steps faltered, and he turned to look at me. His mouth opened as if he were about to say something, but he simply shook his head.

The snick of my door shutting echoed around the space, reverberating off my bones. And all I could think about was how easy it had been for Holt to walk out that door.





17





HOLT





I sucked in a breath, and the air trembled with the force of me trying to keep my temper in check. I glared at Chris. “What’s going on with you and Wren?”