I knew what he was getting at, and I wasn’t bothered by it at all.
“Who the fuck else is Jas gonna trust to keep an eye on her?” Virgil was just as capable, but he couldn’t control Kat. Neither could I, but she wasn’t my sister.
Thank God for small favors.
Emmett’s smile softened and he shrugged. “The person who loves her the most. Obviously.”
I barked out a laugh and smacked my palms together.
“Maybe you hit your head a little too hard, baby brother.” There was no way in hell Jasper knew how I felt about Kat. I’d kept it to myself all these years, too afraid to test the bonds of our friendship by revealing it.
“Yeah, maybe I did,” he nodded. “Or maybe I just see you. And Kat too.”
“Maybe,” I conceded. “Probably because it’s past time for you to find a girl to spend your time with.”
“Right back atcha, Ter.” Emmett stood and turned towards the window with a sigh. “Be safe out there.”
“Always am,” I told him and left my brother alone with his thoughts.
Jasper and Sadie would be happy to hear I got more details out of Emmett about the fucker that fucked him up, so I made my way back down to the main floor, bypassing the empty dining room and headed straight for the sitting room where they’d all gathered around Kat.
“Hey,” I said when I found her alone, lying on the sofa.
“Hey yourself. You here to babysit?” Her lips curled into a teasing grin and she patted the empty spot beside her.
“Nope. I didn’t come for you at all, actually.”
“Bummer,” she said with a hint of mischief in her blue eyes. “It’d be so much cooler if you did.”
“I think it’s time to stop calling you Kitty Kat,” I began and she interrupted me with a loud, almost erotic, groan.
“Yes, please, thank fuck!”
“And start calling you Trouble, because it’s more accurate.”
Her laugh sounded again, sweet and husky as her hand fell on my thigh, leaving me frozen in shock as desire snaked through my veins.
“I’ll take it since you guys only started calling me that to piss me off.”
“Not true. It’s because you’re small but vicious.” Her smile softened and I had to ball my hands into fists to stop myself from reaching out to brush a finger down her silky skin.
“Okay, well, if you put it that way, it’s not so bad.”
Thankfully, my phone rang and stopped me from losing my goddamn mind. “Yeah?”
“It’s Cal, you got a minute?”
“Always.” I slid another glance to Kat and stood, walking away so she couldn’t hear whatever he had to say. “What’s up?”
“I’ve been doing some digging into Madison and her sister, Molly and I think there’s a chance she’s still alive. It’s nothing concrete yet, just a few crumbs, but I’m sure Kat is still looking, and chances are good she’ll find her.”
Cal sighed and I knew there was a big ass ‘but’ coming. “These people are evil, so keep a close eye on my sister since you’re watching her anyway.”
“Sure thing, man.” I answered calmly before I hung up. No way was I ever going to let Kat out of my sight.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kat
Terry was acting weird. Really fucking weird, and he wouldn’t own up to it, but every time I looked past my screen to him, he was pretending not to look at me. It was suspicious as hell and I wanted answers.
“What’s up with you lately?” Terry blinked and shifted his gaze about an inch to the right so his eyes were on me and arched a brow. “Seriously. If you’re angry that you’re still on babysitting duty, take it up with Jasper. Not me.”
Hell, having him around for what felt like twenty-four-seven was no picnic for me either. Ending every fucking day with a cold shower wasn’t exactly how I liked to spend my nights, but I couldn’t sleep or focus on anything with his scent wrapped around me.
His gaze sparked a fire to life inside of me, and I crossed my legs under the desk, which those eagle eyes dipped to watch before crawling back up my body, to my face.
“I don’t mind watching you at all,” he said slowly, every syllable its own seduction. “The view is great.”
“Yeah right.”
I rolled my eyes at what we both knew to be bullshit. I’d been giving off signs for weeks, giving him the green light, and he wasn’t giving me anything. Less than, in fact. It was embarrassing.
“Now I’m sure you’re up to something if you’re resorting to compliments.”
Terry shrugged casually, like he didn’t care if I believed him or not. “I just call it how I see it, Trouble.”
“Then what’s your problem?” Because there was a problem.
“No problem.”
“Whatever.” I had more important things to worry about, namely Madison who was getting impatient about the lack of news about her sister. I hadn’t told her, or anyone else, that I reached out to a private investigator in California to see if he could find any trace of the girl. Checking my email every five minutes hadn’t produced any results and now Terry’s weirdness only heightened my anxiety.
“What’s up with you? Usually you’re happy to ignore me.”
That was a lie and I refused to engage so I kept my gaze on the screen, nearly hopping out of my seat when an email finally came through from my private investigator.
Did some digging and came across this photo. Could be our girl? Let me know.
Short and to the point. That’s why I kept Rusty on retainer. He was all business and damn good at his job.
“Holy shit.” The words came out on a whisper, but I was vaguely aware of Terry sitting a little taller, looking at me with curiosity in his eyes. For once in weeks, though, he wasn’t at the forefront of my mind.
Molly was.
The photo was grainy, shot from a distance, but if I squinted, I could tell that it just might be Molly. The
