Page 18 of Sackett
“I told the secretary I was there to discuss an issue concerning common law marriage and the commune.I didn’t give specific names.I try not to unless I have a specific case to reference and since I hadn’t filed papers yet, names would only muddy the issue.”
“Makes sense.”Sackett’s voice was still behind her but off to one side.She turned her head and could see him, not straight on, but at least better than from the corner of her eye, or upside down as she’d tried earlier.“Did they take you before or after the meeting?”
“After.”The triumph she’d felt walking from the courthouse came back, if a little subdued.She wanted to share the good news but held back.That was something she needed to tell her client, not her client’s friend.
“Whoever their inside man in the courthouse is, probably sent them either your description or a photo so they’d get the right person.The wrong person wouldn’t draw Donna back here.Did you notice anyone taking pictures in the courthouse?Even if they didn’t appear to be taking them of you?”
Selena tilted her head and tried to remember.Had she seen anyone with a camera or phone that looked like they were taking photos?Would she have even noticed?She’d been trying to find her way around the unfamiliar courthouse, not people watching.
“I don’t know.I don’t recall anyone but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen or that they didn’t manage to get a photo covertly.I should have been more careful.I knew these guys were a little off.”
“A little off?”Sackett chuckled.“That’s one way to put it.”
“Not what you would say?”
“Not exactly.”
“How would you put it?”She knew he was distracting her from the occasional pinch and tug at her feet, but she didn’t want to watch what Colt was doing or know what he was pulling out.
“Totally bug nuts works for me.”
Selena laughed.She couldn’t help it.The description wasn’t wrong.She wasn’t sure it was entirely accurate, at least not from a clinical or legal perspective, but it surprised her enough she didn’t bother to try to hold back her laughter.
17
Sackettfoundhimselfwatchingher as she laughed at his remark.He didn’t mean it, at least not entirely.The people in the commune might not be the savviest or world wise people around, but they weren’t all crazy.
But Donna’s ex, Noah, and the man she called Brother Jonah, who she said was in charge of the place, they were either smarter than the average person, and forward thinking, well planning conmen, which Sackett didn’t believe for even a moment.Or they were bug nuts.That he did believe.Even the bug nuts could be charismatic and well liked.It had happened so many times, and not even all that long ago.
He glanced up at Colt, wondering what was taking so long with getting her feet bandaged.The Corpsman met his gaze, mouthed the word glass then went back to work.Sackett went back to talking to Selena.He did his best to keep her distracted, but every now and then she’d flinch, as if something Colt was doing hurt.But she didn’t look at him.She carefully kept her gaze on Sackett, as if she didn’t want to know how bad her feet were or see what the kid was doing to them.
“Ok, so they took you from the parking garage.I wonder if your rental is still there.”
“I don’t know.”She reached for the bag she’d found in the building where she’d been held but stopped.“Can you hand me my bag.I don’t want to move too much.”
Sackett pulled the bag from where Maverick had put it, the passenger’s seat, and handed it to her.She stuck her hand in one pocket and pulled out a single key on a coated cable ring, much like the one still in the ignition of the SUV they sat in.
“If they took it, they put the key back.”She looked up and met his gaze.
Sackett didn’t know if it was hope or what, but there was some glitter in her eye that hadn’t been there a moment before.
“Do you want to check and make sure everything else is in there?”He nodded to the bag.“I assume you’ve got a hotel room.Is the key still there?And I know they had your phone.That’s how they called Donna.”He didn’t tell her that he knew because he’d been sitting next to her client at the time.
She dug around in the bag for a moment, checking all the pockets, then going back and starting again, as if she thought she might have missed it the first time.
“Everything seems to be here, except my phone.”She took a deep breath.“Of all the things they could have taken, that’s actually the easiest to replace.I keep everything backed up, so all I need to do is get a new device and I can restore it.”
Sackett watched her, wondering what was going through her head.She was oddly calm.Was she in shock or was she just uncommonly cool under stress?Would she break down later or manage to hold it together always?He usually hated to see women cry but something inside ached at the thought that she might not be comfortable showing them how she felt.That she probably wouldn’t even let him see.
He wanted to be her safe space, the place she went when she needed to be taken care of.
Sackett blinked and did his best to keep the surprise washing through him off his face.Where the fuck had that thought come from?
“We’ll worry about replacing your phone in the morning.What hotel are you staying at?We need to see if we can get a room for the rest of tonight.We can worry about going home tomorrow.”
She told him the hotel, he glanced at Maverick who nodded then stepped away from the vehicle.He knew his brother would be investigating the place, possibly getting a reservation so Gizmo or Krissi could hack the system and put them in a room as close as possible to Selena.
“Going home?I can’t go back yet.”She scowled at him.
