Page 156 of Unexpected Heroine

He pins me with a firm stare. “Her first sex after being assaulted. It’s not going to be easy for your girl. I just want you to be prepared. It’s a delicate thing. Healing from the trauma. Not only in the bedroom. That’s all I’m trying to say.”

Ah. There was a point, after all.

“Oh, I see.”

He squeezes the bridge of his nose. “Thanks for making this super awkward.”

“Yeah. Well that’s what you get for trying to have a conversation with me.”

He barks out an unexpected laugh, the sound echoing around the foyer. “I knew you had a personality in there somewhere.” Making a fist, he playfully jabs my upper arm. “Nice. It only took... What? Seven years of working with me?”

“Eight,” I correct. “Plus our time in the Rangers.”

He grins warmly for a long moment, then swings his head in a dramatic, drawn-out shake. “Well, enough of the heavy shit. We’re here for you both. And thanks for the test straws. That was...” His voice gets thick, and he clears his throat. “Very considerate. Thank you, brother.” He clasps my shoulder and squeezes affectionately.

The gesture and sentiment attempt to pierce my armor. No good comes from thinking someone cares about me, so I quash the thought immediately and leave.

Before he closes the front door behind me, he sticks his head out and tosses, “You need to go see Lionheart tonight. You’ll be happy that you did.”

Despite my spine stiffening, I keep walking toward my car at a steady pace. Throwing a wave of acknowledgment over my shoulder, I continuously survey the surrounding area for danger.

Go see Lionheart? Why?

Naturally, I also have test straws for his wife, but I figured I’d give them to her at work. Once I get a few of those trafficking fuckers off the streets, there’s nothing stopping me from returning to Redleg. Sue’s office is only a few doors down from mine. It’s not like she’ll be out on the town between now and then. She hates people more than I do.

When I press the ignition start button, Sawyer’s words swirl around me like a cyclone.

All of them. Not just the suggestion to go see Leo.

I’m not a huge fan of the feelings Sawyer’s stirred up. Or feelings in general. As I drive away, I store those unwanted emotions, along with the others, deep in the recesses of my mind. Locking them up tightly where they can’t cause trouble.

Try as I may, I can’t stop wondering why the hell Sawyer wants me to go see Lionheart. And he said I’d be happy I did.

Why?

A few miles down the road, curiosity wins out, and I change course, heading to get some answers.

After that, the hunt for Skidmark and Yev can resume.

Chapter 28

Band of Brothers

TOMER

Sitting in my car in Leo’s driveway, I pull up the surveillance feed on my Redleg tablet. Before I get out, I need a quick peek.

Lettie isn’t on the couch anymore. I check the other cameras but don’t see her. Stella and Freya aren’t around either. Probably all in bed for the night.

On the day after Lettie’s rescue, I sent one of our tech guys over to upgrade the surveillance in the apartment.

During the upgrade, I considered having a camera installed in Lettie’s bedroom. However, that would’ve been hard to explain. Redleg has rules about that sort of thing, and for good reason. We’ve never installed a camera in someone’s bedroom or bathroom without their informed consent. And even in those cases, there are only certain circumstances when we can record, such as when an alarm is tripped, or a panic word is spoken.

We added a camera in the hallway, and if I adjust the angle just right, I can see the reflection of Lettie’s bed off the mirror at the end of the hall. As long as her bedroom door is open.

I know I shouldn’t do it, but I’m too weak to stop myself. After I verify that she’s okay, I’ll be able to move on with my plans for tonight.

Guilt attempts to throw another boulder on my back, but I shrug it off. I can’t walk away from her yet. Especially after watching her get sick earlier this evening. It’s not like I suddenly stopped caring for her just because she left me. There’s no switch I can flip for that, even if I can turn off the rest of my feelings.

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