“Do you suppose you can let me have that spreadsheet now?”
Somebody had just tried to break into her home. What were the chances it wasn’t related to Charles and the Cardinal Group? Zero, that’s what. Client confidentiality was definitely out the window.
“Yes, but I want to be involved in the analysis. I want to know what’s in it that made Charles leave so abruptly. It’s like he just dropped off the face of the earth…” Another thought occurred to her then. A horrifying thought. Once her mind started down the path of something being wrong, it was hard to contain it. “Is he still alive? Do you think maybe—?”
She couldn’t finish the thought. Colt ushered her over to a chair and sat her down in it. Then he knelt in front of her. His blue eyes were fierce. She saw protectiveness in that gaze. It was comforting.
“Honestly, I don’t know. He’s not at home, and his passport’s missing. It looks like he packed in a hurry. We’re searching for him, though. There’s absolutely no indication he’s dead.”
Angie started bouncing her legs up and down nervously. She folded her arms over her chest to ward off a chill. “You didn’t tell me that before.”
“No. I didn’t want to worry you.”
“You should have told me, Colt. I deserved to know. I’m in the middle of this.”
“Okay, yes. You are. And I should have. But honey, listen.”
She looked into Colt’s gaze. Those fierce, protective eyes. A small well of calm opened inside her.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to pack a bag and I’m going to take you to my place. I’ll get a team together to analyze the spreadsheet. They’ll come over and you can be involved in the analysis. We’ll keep searching for Charles, but I’m going to make sure you’re safe first.”
Her heart throbbed. She wanted to go with him. She was also annoyed at him for keeping things from her. “I could stay with Maddy. You don’t have to—”
“No, Angie. You have to stay with me. It’s my job to protect you. If someone comes looking for you at Maddy’s, they won’t care what happens to her. Jace will have his hands full with both of you to protect.”
Guilt flared. “You’re right. I know you are. But don’t keep anything else from me, Colt. It’s not fair. It’s my life and I have a right to know.”
“Yes, you do. I’m sorry. I was trying not to upset you.”
“I’m already upset. I didn’t do anything wrong but I’m involved in this crap anyway.” She sighed in frustration. “But if it wasn’t me, it’d be someone else at work. And they don’t have the advantage of knowing you and Jace.”
“That’s true. You’re the one who’s involved, and I’m here to help. Let’s do what we have to do to keep you safe so we can find out what’s going on.”
Angie closed her eyes and dropped her chin. Frustration hammered at her, along with fear. Dammit, she wasn’t going to let fear rule her. Not like she had when she and Maddy were captives. She wasn’t going to cower in a corner and sob while someone else did the hard stuff.
This time, she was rescuing herself. She opened her eyes and met Colt’s gaze. Her tummy flipped at the look in his eyes. Okay, so maybe she didn’t have to rescue herself when she had him in her corner. But she would do everything she could to help him.
“All right, I’ll pack a bag. But you at least have to let me buy groceries if I’m staying with you. I can’t have you paying for everything.”
“I didn’t pay for dinner tonight, did I?”
“Only because I had to threaten you to let me get it this time, even though you’d promised.”
He grinned. “What can I say? I’m a Frenchman at heart. Chivalry and all that.”
“I’ll give you money for groceries if I’m going to be there for a while.”
“You can do that if it makes you feel better.”
Angie drew in a deep breath, feeling like she had a little bit of control over the situation. She knew she didn’t, but at least the illusion was there. “Thank you.” She got to her feet. “I’ll pack. How long do you think I’ll be away?”
“Better plan for a week at minimum. I have a washer and dryer, so you can take that into account.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Need help with anything?” Colt asked as she moved toward the bedroom.
“No, I’ve got it.”
He took out his phone. “I’m going to make some calls. Let me know if you change your mind.”
Chapter Eight
It didn’t take Angie more than twenty minutes to pack some things and grab her computer. Colt drove the few miles to his place and waited for her to pull into the single-car garage so he could park in the driveway behind her. He’d wanted to leave her car at her building, but she’d insisted. He’d checked it for a tracking device. There was none.
He knew she wanted her car so she didn’t feel trapped, but he wasn’t going to let her go anywhere in it. There’d be hell to pay when that conversation happened, but it was non-negotiable. He hoped it didn’t happen soon.
He’d called Ian and told him what was going on. Ian was sending Tyler over to Angie’s place to position some cameras—one in the hall outside her door, and a couple inside. Ty didn’t have a key, but he didn’t need one to get the work done. If someone came back and tried to break in again, they’d know about it. And hopefully have a good visual.
Angie pulled into the garage and got out of her car as Colt parked and shut off his engine. He grabbed her suitcase from the backseat of his Yukon and locked up before walking into the garage and over to the door that led into the kitchen.
Angie joined him as he unlocked the
