Even the Score(68)

Dani nodded. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just gonna run upstairs and grab some clothes. It won’t take me long.”

“Want me to come, too?” I offered.

She looked up at me, and though her mouth remained flat, her eyes smiled just a bit. “No, I’m okay. But thanks.”

I turned toward Detective Larson. “They did a thorough sweep of the whole house, right?”

“Absolutely. It’s all clear up there,” he said confidently.

“I’ll be right back.” She hurried past me and jogged up the stairs.

Detective Larson leaned on the edge of the counter as I grabbed a wad of paper towels.

“What are those for?” he asked.

“I don’t want her to have to deal with this,” I said as I walked over to the piles of Roxy’s throw up and scooped them up.

“I’m glad you talked her into staying at your house for a while.”

“Me too.”

“The thought of her being here alone and that guy coming back . . .” He trailed off and sighed, both of us most likely thinking about the same horrific scenario.

“Okay, I think I have everything,” Dani finally said with a heavy sigh as she dragged a huge suitcase down the stairs.

“All right, I have both of your cell numbers and the house number in case I need to get a hold of you,” Detective Larson said as we all made our way out the front door. His dark hair was disheveled, and he had bags under his eyes. Clearly the day had taken its toll on him, also.

“Thanks, Detective Larson.” Dani gave him a small smile as she closed and locked the door.

“Danicka, I said this to Andy earlier, but please know that we’re doing everything we can to stop this situation. If you think of anything at all, no matter how insignificant it seems, please call me immediately. Sometimes we just need that one tiny piece to start putting the whole puzzle together.”

“I will. Promise.”

He gave us a quick wave and headed to his car, wasting no time in starting the engine and disappearing down the street. I opened the trunk of my car and placed her suitcase in before opening the passenger-side door for her.

I stepped back and waited for her to sink into the seat, but she paused in between the door and the car, staring up at me with her big dark brown eyes. Her face studied mine for a minute before she looked right at me. “Why are you so good to me?”

I swallowed, unsure how to answer. Pretty sure it was her sleep deprivation talking, I leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. “Because whether or not you’re ready to admit it, you’re my girl.”





CHAPTER 26

Danicka

We got to Andy’s house, and I didn’t know what to expect. My mind was all over the place.

Will the kids be okay with me being here? Will Andy and I get along? How long will I be staying?

And most importantly . . .

Will that psycho follow me to Andy’s?

We pulled into the garage, and he closed the door behind us.

“Ready?” he asked, looking over at me as he unbuckled his seat belt.

I shrugged and dropped my gaze toward my lap. “I guess.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just nervous. I have a lot on my mind.” I lifted my head and stared straight ahead at the shelf in front of his car that held three basketballs, two suitcases, and a storage bin labeled “Xmas decorations.” His garage seemed so . . . normal. “I’m a little frazzled, obviously. And staying at a weird place isn’t calming my nerves at all, unfortunately.”

“This isn’t a weird place, it’s home . . . for now. Let’s go in and get you settled, then we’re having a meeting.”

I twisted toward him and crinkled my eyebrows. “A meeting?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Gavin Mercer has a few guys from his security team coming here tonight, and we’re going to go over some things. You don’t have to be there if you don’t want to, though. I can handle it all.”

I sighed, letting my head fall against the headrest. “You’ve been handling it all. I’d like to be there.”

He let his head fall back, too, mirroring my gaze. “I really haven’t handled all that much, Dani. Just trying to support you any way I can. I feel really helpless in this whole situation, and I fucking hate that.”

I lifted my head and forced a fake smile. “It is what it is, right?”

Andy’s nostrils flared as he inhaled, clearly frustrated at my brush off, but I’d had enough for one day. I wanted to eat something and sleep. Sleep for days. Sleep until Detective Larson called and said they’d arrested Cole and I could go home again.

We walked to the trunk, he grabbed my suitcase, and I followed him into the house.