Page 47 of Coff

Doris frowns, then glances at Nelson, then at me. “Okay. Let me pull that up.” She walks to the computer on the counter and types something in.

“It was seven eighteen this morning.”

I turn back to Nelson, biting back a smile, as that would only make him angrier.

He stares at me for a beat. “All right. But I want you home by two. Got it?”

“Yes,” I say. While I want to tell him I need to stay longer, I can tell by his demeanor this is not the time to disagree with him.

When I turn back, I avoid Doris’s gaze. This isn’t something I want to share with anyone, much less here, my one escape.

“Delaney, I know it’s none of my business, but if you ever need help to get away from that man, I’m here for you.”

Doris never asks me about my family or marriage. Something I’ve always appreciated. So, this offer comes as a surprise.

“Get away?” If only I could, I would have long ago.

She sighs. “Look, you don’t have to say anything, but I’ve known men like him. They are controlling, and I’d put money on him being the cause of that bruise on your cheek.”

My hand goes to my cheek. Since I rushed out this morning, I forgot to cover it with makeup. Something I regretted the moment I saw myself in the mirror here. All I want is to forget he slapped me and hope like hell it doesn’t happen again. But I know it will.

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind,” I tell her. I’m not going to tell her she’s wrong about my husband. She’s not. And hell, I would love help getting away. But he’d kill Duke, then hunt me down.

No, I need to find another way out of this mess.

And I want to know why I sensed Logan here. After the search turned up nothing, I think maybe I should visit Brian Folger at the FBI. Monday morning, I’ll find an excuse to leave the office. If Logan is in town, his brother will know.

CHAPTER5

Logan

“Don’t forgetto take your antibiotics,” my brother says as he puts on his jacket. “I’ll be back after five with dinner. Any requests?”

I sit up and cough. Apparently, this cough might stick around for a while. “Anything without avocado would be great.”

Brian laughs. “I’ll try.”

That’s one thing that drives me nuts about this place. Or maybe it’s just what Brian is bringing home, but I swear every meal here includes avocado. I like a lot of things, but avocado is not on that list.

He grabs his keys, then turns back. “Are you sure you’re okay getting to your appointment?”

I laugh. “Yes, I’m a grown man. I’ll be fine.”

With a nod, he turns. “All right. See you later.”

Once he’s gone, I call a cab to take me to the closest car rental place. I need my own car for the plans I have. Plans I cannot share with my brother. After I was discharged from the hospital yesterday, I asked him to take me to a car rental place. He refused. According to him, I need to rest, see the psychologist, and then get more rest. That’s how he envisions my week here with him.

Sorry, Brian, but sitting around doing nothing won’t work for me. During my downtime in the hospital, I asked Trip, our tech guy who can find anything for us, to find what he could on Delaney Manzia.

All these years later, she lives in the same house and works at the same construction company. Part of me wonders if she is happy despite never pursuing the art work she really wanted to do. And that part of me needs to see her, to see for myself if she’s happy.

And if she’s not? Well, hell, I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I can’t. She might not even be the same woman I knew twelve years ago. Likely she isn’t. For all I know, she has kids with this husband of hers. That’s not something I will get in the middle of, no matter how much I miss her.

The cab I called pulls up to the curb, and I get in. After I tell him where to go, I sit back. What exactly am I hoping to get out of watching Delaney? At first, I told myself closure. I thought seeing her at the funeral would be enough. But it wasn’t. It was like getting a taste of catnip, and now I need more.

Fuck, I’m not some damn cat. No, but I’m something when it comes to her.

I get a rental car and make it to my appointment just in time. My brother will be happy. I know he’ll check to make sure I’m here.

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