Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 110360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Forcing my feet to get moving, I walked through the bathroom and pulled the door shut behind me. Jenn’s room was dark, but I didn’t bother with a light before I dropped onto the edge of the bed, braced my elbows on my knees, and called Leo back.
He answered on the first ring. “Took you long enough.”
“I was busy.”
“Mmhm.” The sound he made contained an entire lecture I was grateful he chose not to deliver. “You good?”
“Fine. What’s up?”
He let out a low, exasperated sigh. “He was out of view of our cameras, but Apollo managed to tap into the security system of the hardware shop down the street. They’re low-res and grainy as hell, can’t make out much. But we could see him pacing for close to an hour before she exited.”
“Did you think I was lying?”
“Nobody said that. The man was there.” He paused. “It just wasn’t Sebastian.”
My spine snapped straight. “Leo—”
“I’ve got him on camera at a movie premiere in Los Angeles. Time-stamped. Multiple angles. Including live streams on social media. I know some men who are working security. They confirmed he’s there with their own damn eyes.”
I gritted my teeth, bile burning up the back of my throat. “I saw him with my own damn eyes too. It. Was. Him.”
“All the money in the world can’t buy you being in two places at the same time.”
I stood up and walked to the window, scrubbing a hand over my face. The farm was dark and still, the sky blanketed in stars. “Then who the hell was in that alley?”
“Now, that’s the right question. I just don’t have an answer for you yet. We have a shitty video of an unidentified man who didn’t approach, didn’t threaten, and technically didn’t do a damn thing wrong. Not even Dollton PD would touch something like that.”
“I know what I saw, Leo.”
“I’m not sure you do. I believe you saw a man, but I’m less certain about the face you put on him.”
The muscle in my jaw tightened. “Don’t you dare.”
“I’m not questioning your instincts. It’s your objectivity I’m worried about.” He let that sit for a second, and not because he was being a dick. He used that fatherly tone, like he was giving me time to connect the dots before he laid it out for me. “You’ve been running hot on this man since he showed up at that gate. Which I get. I do. I watched the surveillance video and heard the shit he pulled on her when they were married. I was impressed that you let him leave with his head on his shoulders. But tonight, it was dark. The figure was hooded and you passed him fast. I’m not saying you didn’t see what you think you saw. I’m saying your brain may have filled in the one face it was already looking for.”
“Bullshit,” I rumbled, even as I questioned myself.
Shit. Could I have done that? My gut had never steered me wrong, but now, with Lofton in my head, even my subconscious was treading in muddy waters.
I raked a hand through the top of my hair. “The timing of the paparazzi still reeks.”
“Agreed. The tip-off angle is real, and we’re pulling on that thread. But Sebastian, as the source isn’t the only explanation. Could have been one of her friends. Maybe the blonde ran her mouth about their dinner and someone overheard. Honestly, this guy in the alley could have just been a fan hoping for an autograph. The photographer isn’t local, but after Lofton’s location was compromised, I’m sure there’s going to be more than a few paparazzi roaming around Dollton from now on.” He drew in a deep breath. “All I’m saying is that there are a dozen explanations that have fuck-all to do with her ex.”
“Shit,” I breathed.
“Listen, Apollo’s on it. He’s not even bitching about it either. If anyone can track down who was standing in that alley, it’s gonna be him. We just gotta stay the course, keep a close eye on Lofton, and give it some time.”
I swallowed hard. Keeping a close eye on her would not be a problem. Though if I didn’t get my shit together, my hands might be an issue.
“Yeah. Sure.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Asleep.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
I exhaled. “She’s holding it together. Barely.” I thought about the way she’d enthusiastically agreed with me being her steady during the worst chapter of her life, like it was the simplest truth she’d ever spoken. “Tonight was a lot for her.”
“For both of you, sounds like.” His voice shifted into something gentle and packed with understanding. “You want me to bring someone else in? Give you a rotation? Lark’s between assignments. Brayden could be there by morning.”
“No,” the word flew from my mouth on instinct alone. “I’m fine. Everything is fine.”