“A team is coming to secure the scene.” He fell in line beside her. Dammit, he was using that soft cadence in his voice. Tears burned behind her lids, but she refused to let them fall. The wail of sirens echoed in the distance, and a shout was audible from the mouth of the alley. They slipped around the corner and back onto a main road. Easton’s car was a welcome sight. He used his key fob to start the engine, and neither of them wasted time getting inside. The last thing they needed was a good Samaritan chasing them down with the assumption that they’d killed the man lying on the street.
“Are we good?” Easton asked. They were getting further from the city and into the suburbs.
“Depends on why you’re going in the opposite direction of your office.” There was a headache building behind her eyes, and she was sweltering despite the bite in the fall air.
“Plans have changed.” He tapped his fingers impatiently as they slowed to a stop at a red light.
“When were you going to tell me that? I get that I came to you, but I have a problem with you calling all the shots. No, forget that. It’s not just about making decisions, it’s about keeping me in the dark. That’s what pisses me off.” She tugged off one sleeve of her coat, then the other.
He raised a brow at her before his face softened. “Shit. I’m sorry, Kins. You’re right.”
All the fight deflated out of her. She liked that Easton had no problem apologizing. He owned his mistakes. It was something she respected the hell out of because it was a skill she hadn’t honed.
“You have no idea the control it’s taking me not to throw you over my shoulder and run. Disappear where no one can hurt you. I know that makes me a chauvinistic prick, but I can’t stand the thought of that bastard getting close to you. You can hold your own against any threat, but I don’t want you doing it alone.” He drew in a shaky breath, and for the first time, she noticed the stiffness in his shoulders and the tightly corded muscles of his neck. His drawn expression was a kick in the gut. Aside from his brother, it had been a long time since someone cared about her. “That’s why we’re not going to the office. Because I can’t shake the thought that they were the only ones who knew we were going there aside from Gus. My brother would die before he betrayed his family, so that leaves my supervisor. It might be a fluke, but I’m not taking chances with your safety.”
She was quiet for one moment, then two as she processed what he said. Maybe her instincts had been right all along. That the Kingston Town Killer was part of or was being protected by someone in law enforcement. Easton had been honest with her, and she wanted to give him the same respect.
“Ever since the day I resurrected myself from that filthy basement, I’ve kept everyone at arm’s length.” It was easier to look out the window as she spoke, but when the warmth of his right hand enveloped hers, she leaned into his touch and laced her fingers with his. She hated being touched, but not by Easton. It was unsettling how much she craved the contact of his skin against hers. “I have to call the shots, have to be in control of my own situation. If I’m not, I panic. I turn into a raging bitch. My parents got their daughter back, but I wasn’t the same. No wonder they didn’t feel the need to leave their lives behind and join me in New England. I wasn’t mean to them, just indifferent. I couldn’t connect with them. And … and that’s why it’s so confusing that I want you close,” she rushed out.
Heat raced up her cheeks. Yes, Gus was her partner, a friend, and she had his back, but that was where their relationship stopped. They didn’t spend time together after work, nor did she accept any of Merry’s invitations to hang out. Easton was different, and she couldn’t deny that he was becoming important to her. He squeezed her hand. The gesture might be meaningless to some, but to her, it was a source of comfort and encouragement that gave her a surge of something more. Something that felt a lot like hope.