Protecting What's His(47)

The way she tilted her head when she back-talked him in that sexy accent. The way she pronounced his name. Her body fitting against his perfectly. Her scent. Her smile. He missed it all.

Then he’d seen that bastard’s hands on her. Little flashes of light had sparked in front of his eyes before it all went red. He couldn’t remember anything after that. Exiting the club and driving home was still a blur in his memory. With his blood still hot and pumping from the fight, he’d almost lost his control back at his apartment when she’d tried to seduce him. He still couldn’t believe he’d walked away from that level of temptation.

Jesus, the things she’d said…

He released a shuddering breath.

Unfortunately, he now had a reason to be concerned about more than just their tenuous relationship. He’d uncovered something this weekend that had him actively worrying about her safety. In addition to the mountain of bureaucratic bullshit he’d shoveled through this week, he’d fit in some calls to Nashville and filled in some gaps about Valerie Peet. The word around Nashville was that she owed a large sum of money to heavy hitter, Haywood Devon.

Derek’s sixth sense had started ticking once he received that information. Pieces were finally beginning to fall into place. Ginger leaving Nashville seemingly out of the blue, uprooting Willa so close to the end of her senior year. Her ability to afford an apartment well outside her means. The way she changed the subject whenever the past reared its head.

Ginger was in possession of the money.

She’d seen an opportunity to escape and taken it. Derek didn’t blame her. In fact, he was grateful for her actions because they had brought her to Chicago. To him. But as their relationship stood now, he couldn’t tell her he knew. She would panic and disappear, and he’d never see her again. The very prospect froze the blood in his veins.

Derek’s pacing came to a halt when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, hoping like hell for it to be Ginger. Instead, he saw Willa, shoulders hunched, looking completely distraught.

He cleared his throat to alert Willa of his presence and her head jerked up to reveal puffy, red-rimmed eyes. Embarrassment quickly followed, but then her chin went up a notch. Derek knew false bravado when he saw it. He also knew that if he showed her any kind of sympathy, she’d eat him alive. Apparently it ran in the family.

“Shouldn’t you be at school?”

“Shouldn’t you be at work?”

Derek shrugged. “Lunch break.”

“Bullshit. Is Ginger not at home or is she just ignoring you?”

“Is ditching school a regular thing for you?”

“No. Maybe.” She glared at him. “Why the hell do you care? You’re a homicide cop, not a truancy officer.”

“Just a concerned citizen is all.”

Willa rolled her eyes and pushed past him. “If you’re looking for a way to score points with my sister, try not being an epic douche bag.”

Christ, this kid didn’t pull any punches. He kind of admired it. “Okay, I deserve that.”

He’d surprised her, but she hid it well. She kept her eyes down and dug around for her keys in her backpack. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“You can tell me why you look like shit.”

She barked out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, now I know what Ginger sees in you.”

At least he’d gotten her to laugh. That counted for something. Without Ginger there to deal with her sister, he felt the need to fix it. Only one problem: he had very little experience comforting teenagers. Best to stick with his tried and true good cop/bad cop method. “Listen”—he checked his watch—“I don’t have time to watch some teenager cry and snot all over herself, but if you need to talk, I can pretend that I give a crap for a few minutes.”

“Need to talk?” Her mouth dropped open. “I can’t believe this. You’re handling me.”

“Sorry?”

“Lieutenant, you’re smarter than I gave you credit for. How is it that you’re so inept when it comes to handling my sister?”

“No one handles your sister.”

She shrugged. “I’ll concede that.”

The sound of heels clicking on wood grabbed their attention seconds before Ginger came into view at the top of the stairs. Derek’s mouth went dry at the sight of her. In jean shorts and cowboy boots, Ginger never looked less than stunning, but goddamn, she’d done something completely different today. Her hair had been pulled back away from her face and piled on top of her head in a loose bun. She wore a modest cream-colored dress that revealed no cleavage and dropped past her knees.