Page 238 of Saving Her

“And while you’re at it,” he snarls, “quit fucking her, too.”

“Don’t push me, Decker.” I grind my teeth to the point of pain. “I’ve told you I’mnotfucking her.”

He scoffs and looks away, his jaw ticking.

The need to fight this out is reciprocated. There’s only one reason we aren’t, and she’s a few feet away, behind that bathroom door.

“Look.” I huff. “I care about her. And whether you approve or not, I’m going to keep protecting her.”

“With your dick?”

“Enough,” I warn. “We don’t have time for this.”

He straightens, his vicious eyes meeting mine. “Fine. But we also don’t have time for you bitching about how you let her down. So powder your fucking vagina and make up for your mistakes.”

My ears keep deceiving me. Through the threats, his demands sound similar to thinly veiled approval.

I breathe out a laugh. “She got to you this morning, didn’t she? Whatever she told you in the basement has you second-guessing putting a bullet between my eyes.”

“Hardly. I’m still trigger-happy, motherfucker. Keep pushing me and you’ll see how close I am.”

There’s little intimidation in his tone. Penny must’ve dug deep under his skin, and a whole heap of pride accompanies that knowledge.

She’s healing.

Slowly, but surely.

The water cuts off in the shower, then the screen door clatters open.

“She’s going to be out here in a minute.” I clap my Mac shut and sidestep Decker to grab my wallet and car fob from the bedside table.

“Where are we going?”

I pause. “We?”

There’s a beat of silence as I turn to face him.

“Yeah,we. The two of us are all she’s got. And I’m not going to put my family in harm’s way because of my hatred for you. I want to find this fucker, and it needs to be before tonight.”

The bathroom door opens and Penny pads into the room, her loose hair damp around her shoulders, her skin flushed, her T-shirt and jeans still incredibly baggy. As soon as she notices I’ve got company, she stops, her eyes growing wide. She glances between me and her brother. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” I walk for the duffle to dump my Mac inside. “Deck and I are getting out of here.”

Her gaze turns frantic. “The two of you?”

“It’s all good, Pen.” Decker jerks his chin at her. “We’re setting our differences aside. For now.”

She pins me with a stare. “Is he serious?”

“Quit eying me like that. You heard the guy; we’ve become best buddies.” I wink at her. “But we need to make a move. We’ve got a lot to do.”

She continues with the visual tennis match as she slowly nods. “Okay. What should I do? I need to help.”

“Nothing,” Decker answers for me. “Relax. Read a book. There isn’t anything you can do.”

The moron has no idea she’s incapable of relaxation. She needs a distraction.

“You said you remember Luther talking to Benji.” I walk to her, gliding my hands over her upper arms. “It would help if you started recalling anyone else he might have spoken to. I need names and specifics. Come up with as many details as you can. No matter how big or small.” I run my fingers over her chin and lean in for a kiss. “Robert’s working with someone, and the more information we have, the easier it will be to find him.”

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