Her face flattened. “He was in the game. It wasn’t him.”
I shrugged. “I wasn’t convinced. I needed to know for sure.”
“Wait. There were cameras? How did you even get access?”
And here comes the part I didn’t want to get to.
“I hired a P.I.”
She blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. “What?”
I gazed out the windshield, noting my father’s Porsche and Jim’s Range Rover. “I hired a P.I., and instead of waiting for him to run plates and figure out if the car was a clue to all of the fucked-up shit you’ve been through, I decided to pay Gabe a visit.” I shrugged, clenching my knuckles tightly as I grasped the steering wheel. “Once I saw him, I lost it. I kept thinking about his hands on you and how scared you must have been, and it shook me.”
I risked a glimpse at her face, and her brows were furrowed. “How do you even have access to a P.I.?”
“It’s my dad’s. It was the P.I. he used after my mom…” I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. “It doesn’t matter. He’s been looking into the case with your father, trying to figure out who attacked you, who made threats against you.”
Her mouth opened, but I didn’t wait for her protests. I opened my door and climbed out. I went to her side, opened the door, and peered down at her, resting my arms on top of the door. “I don’t care that you don’t want my help. Let’s go.” I inclined my head toward the door.
I knew she wouldn’t go down without a fight. She’d protest, get angry again, and repeat that she didn’t need help, but in reality, we both knew she did.
To my surprise, Hayley didn’t say anything. She climbed out of my car and pushed her hair behind her ears. She looked so innocent and downright beautiful. The scowl she often wore and directed toward me made her appear strong, which was definitely hot, but I liked this side of her too. She looked fragile, breakable, and the only thing I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and fight off every last threat that could break her in half.
“Christian.” I spoke too fucking soon. Here come the protests. “I’m wearing your shirt.”
“What?” I looked down at my bare chest as a gu
st of wind brushed along my skin. “Oh. So?”
She looked around the driveway nervously. “So…won’t your dad…you know…think we had sex or something? This looks bad. I don’t want to walk in there and have him think the worst of me. I’ve never met your dad.”
I couldn’t help the smile that had my face lifting.
“What?” she huffed.
“It’s cute that you want to impress my dad. Careful now, or I’ll think that you actually like me.”
Even with the moon being our only light, I could see her cheeks tinting with embarrassment.
She pushed past me quickly, heading for the door.
Before I caught up with her, I took a deep breath and leveled my thoughts. I had a hunch I was walking into a war zone, but nonetheless, I was more than likely on the winning side. My father and I didn’t see eye to eye, so this wasn’t necessarily anything new to me.
Once Hayley and I were inside, I grabbed her hand and walked us down the hall, past the large living room, and down a step, onto the tile floor of the kitchen. I spotted my father and Jim sitting at the breakfast bar.
“Christian.” His voice was laced with anger, but his tone wasn’t loud. “I told you to stop with the Hay—" His tired eyes darted to Hayley, and he snapped his mouth shut.
Jim stood up with a coffee mug in his hand, wearing something similar to my father: dress slacks and a button-down. My father appeared much more disheveled, though. His hair looked as if he’d run his hands through it a few times, and his shirt was unbuttoned on top, his sleeves rolled up.
“Hi, Hayley.” Jim gave Hayley a warm smile that I’d never seen before. He barely even addressed me most of the time.
Hayley’s cheeks were still dotted with a pinkish hue, and a weak smile appeared. Is she being shy?
I chuckled, and she shot me a glare.
There she is.
“Hello, Hayley,” my father said curtly, looking back and forth between my naked torso and my shirt draped on her body.