“It happened in the city hall parking garage. While you were attending a city council meeting.” He put some extra weight on the word city. “You work for me. That makes it my business.”
Her brother’s narrow-eyed gaze moved back to his sister. “Cait?”
“Oh, fine.” She stomped past him into the house.
Colin glanced back. “You coming in?”
Surprised at the invitation, he said a firm, “Yes.” He was damned if he’d leave her alone to make light of the whole story to her brother.
Only a single lamp was on in the living room. A newspaper lay open on the hassock. He’d been waiting up for her, Noah guessed. Or for his wife?
“Is Nell home?” Cait asked.
“She’s taking a shower and getting ready for bed.” Although she’d perched on the sofa, Colin still stood, arms crossed. “Quit procrastinating.”
Her mutinous expression amused Noah despite his dark mood.
She sniffed. “You remember Blake.”
“We already established that I did,” her brother said slowly.
“Well, he’s been stalking me.” She told the story briskly, not minimizing but not revealing the fear Noah had seen. He didn’t comment, however.
Colin, he suspected, wasn’t deceived.
“And you didn’t tell me about this…. Why?”
She had a pretty mouth, but Noah wouldn’t have called it sultry until now, when her lower lip protruded. “I really didn’t think Blake would follow me.”
“That son of a bitch. If he thinks he’s going to terrorize you here in my town—”
“He’s convinced that he can talk me into going back to him,” she tried to explain.
“Is there a chance in hell of that happening?” Colin asked, the timbre of his voice roughening.
She scowled at both men. “Of course not!”
“All right,” Colin said. “He’s got to be staying somewhere local. We’ll look for him in the morning. I want to see your car.”
Cait nodded unhappily. “You’ll have to drive me to work anyway.”
“For now, it might be better if I drive you and pick you up every day.”
Noah approved.
“You’re overreacting. He painted a heart on my back windshield. It wasn’t a threat.”
“Yeah, it was.” Noah had been content to allow her brother to grill her until now, but her intransigence was beginning to annoy him. “He’s letting you know he’s in town and watching you. Given his history, that’s a threat.”
“Do you have a restraining order?” Colin asked.
“I didn’t think I needed one.”
Noah stared incredulously at her, and realized Colin was doing the same. Cait’s expression grew mutinous.
“We’ll get a restraining order first thing in the morning,” Colin said.
“Good,” Noah agreed.
Colin cast him a not-so-happy look. “Say good-night to Mayor Chandler,” he said. The momentary accord had apparently dissolved. “He’s leaving now.”
She rose and thanked him politely again, talking to their backs as Noah found himself being hustled out by Colin. On the porch, Noah balked.
“Your sister is trying to play down any threat. Don’t let her.”
The police captain’s jaw tightened, but to his credit, he also nodded. “I noticed. I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.”
“It’s ugly.” More urgency than Noah wanted to feel infused his voice. “The arrow is way bigger than the heart. It’s not piercing it—it’s stabbing. She’s more frightened than she’s letting on.”
Unblinking, shadowed gray eyes held his. “I notice everything about my sister.”
That almost sounded like a threat to Noah, who began to wonder if he’d get tossed off the porch if he stood his ground. Let him try. Immature, he decided.
Nodding, he retrieved his keys from his pocket and started down the steps. He was circling his SUV when the quiet voice carried to him.
“Thank you.” It was grudging as hell but genuine.
He stopped briefly. “I like your sister.”
No answer to that, but he hadn’t expected one.
* * *
APPARENTLY, THE right kind of cleaning solution took any kind of paint right off glass. As if her car was a serious crime scene, Colin had pictures taken from every angle but hovering above in a helicopter. He did concede that fingerprinting was useless, given that she’d lived with Blake for two years and he’d been in her car countless times. His fingerprints shouldn’t be on the exterior since she’d had the bodywork done and the car was returned to her with the paint job gleaming, but it was still conceivable.