“That’s probably a good idea,” Nico said. He’d hate scaring the teen. But better to be scared and safe than to walk unknowingly into a dangerous situation.
“Let’s get dressed first,” he said. “Have coffee and tea. Something to eat. Then you can call Kendall’s mom. The girls should be in school already.”
Julia nodded slowly. “Yeah.” She gave him a strained smile. “I like that you’re calm in a crisis. That you think logically.”
“That’s my job. What I was trained to do,” he pointed out. “But you do the same thing, Julia. I watch you at Madeline’s. You’re always in control. Always thinking about what you need to do next. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met. And that’s sexy as hell.”
She stared at him for a long moment, her cheeks turning pink. “Thank you for saying that, but we both know it’s not exactly true. I have my meltdown moments. And I’m afraid this is one of them.”
He reached out and slid his hands down her arms, her silky skin making him want to touch more of her. Explore every inch of her.
But he couldn’t do that. Especially not now. He couldn’t afford to be distracted. “A lot of stuff has happened since you walked into the Blackhawk Security compound,” he said, watching her pace the kitchen. “You’re entitled to a little freak-out.”
That made her smile. “Funny that I’m freaking out over Carole, the woman who stole from me. The woman who almost bankrupted Madeline’s.”
“Yeah, I like the irony of that.” He turned to fill her kettle, then set it on the stove and turned on the gas. Then he emptied the French press. “Why don’t you get dressed while I make some peanut butter toast?”
He needed her to put on more clothes. He was too aware of the long length of her legs. Her narrow feet and red toenails. Memories he’d banished from his mind, vivid recollections of the slide of her skin beneath his hands, the taste of her mouth against his, were suddenly all he could think about.
He shoved those memories away. As much as he wanted her, Nico needed to focus on his job. There was too much at stake.
They were barely finished with breakfast when Julia’s phone rang. Nico watched as she pulled it out of her pocket. Sucked in a breath. Finally touched the call button. “Hello?”
“Ms. Stewart, this is Detective Gorowski.” Even though Julia held the phone to her ear, Nico could hear the detective.
“Yes? Have you found Carole?”
“Sorry, but I haven’t. I checked her apartment, and there’re no signs of a struggle. Everything looks exactly like it did when I was supervising her lock change. My best guess? Hastings never made it home. I’ve put a BOLO out for her, with her car make and model and license plate. Without any other leads, that’s about all I can do.”
As Nico watched, Julia clenched her teeth. “What about Dawson? Are you looking for him, too?”
Gorowski sighed. “There’s no evidence he’s involved in her disappearance.”
Julia frowned. “Didn’t Dawson post her bail?”
“No,” the detective, her voice short. With irritation? “It was posted by an attorney. And he refused to say who he was representing. Attorney-client privilege.” The detective’s anger sharpened her voice. “Since she was dating Dawson, he’d be a likely person for her to call, but we have no way of finding out.”
“What about her daughter?” Julia asked. Her fingers whitened on the phone. She was squeezing it so hard Nico was surprised it didn’t buckle in her hand. “Did you talk to her friend Kendall’s mom?”
“Yes, I talked to her. I asked her to pick up Harper and Kendall after school, and drive them in the morning. Watch to make sure they got into the building. And not to let them go anywhere but to school until we find out what happened to Carole.” The detective hesitated. “She wasn’t happy about that. Didn’t like knowing she’d put her daughter in danger by taking in Harper.”
“Is she kicking Harper out?” Julia asked sharply.
“No. She’s letting her stay. And she promised to call me if she changes her mind.”
“Okay, that’s good.” She exhaled sharply. Her knuckles whitened on the phone. “Will you call me if you get any more information?”
“I will,” Gorowski promised. “I appreciate your concern for someone who stole from you.”
“I didn’t want her working for me, and I want my money back,” Julia said. “But I didn’t want her hurt. Or killed.”
“I’ll keep you posted, Ms. Stewart.” She clicked off the phone, and Julia slid the phone into her pocket. Took a deep breath, then looked at Nico. “I assume you heard all that. So what do we do?”
“We keep to our routine. Go to work, come home. Flynn and I both know what Dawson looks like, so we’ll be watching for him as we come and go. That’s all we can do.”
“Not doing anything will drive me crazy,” Julia admitted.
Nico allowed himself to touch her hand. “There’s nothing else we can do,” he said, lingering long enough that she slid her fingers between his. Squeezing her hand once, he let her go with a rush of regret. “We have to leave the search for Carole to the police.”