Page 106 of Capturing You
“Out there, I can protect you. If I leave you here, anything could happen.” By the way his expression darkened, she guessed he was not happy with the arrangement. “You’ll have to come with me. There’s no other way.”
CHAPTERTWENTY
After Tuesday’s storm and Wednesday’s cool, crisp air, Thursday morning brought summer temperatures. It was already in the seventies—both the temperature and the humidity—when Forbes and Brooklynn left the estate.
A few minutes after they hit the state highway, Forbes noticed the tail.
Ten minutes later, the black Chevy sedan was still there.
It stayed a few cars back, and under any other circumstances, he’d think nothing about it. But he’d seen that car before, parked in his driveway when Bryce Dawson and the so-called Niles had demanded to search his house.
How long had they been staking out his property? Or had they attached some sort of tracker to his truck? Was that what they’d been doing in the garage the other night, not trying to get into the house but finding a way to track him?
Were their cohorts sneaking onto his property right now?
His cell phone hadn’t pinged an alarm.
“Can I come out now?” Brooklynn was tucked in the narrow space between the passenger seat and the backseat bench.
A glance behind told him she was sitting up and watching him over the console.
“Stay low. We’re being followed.”
He couldn’t see her reaction and managed to stifle the urge to look.
“Are you gonna try to…lose them?”
Lose them. Like he was about to start a high-speed chase.
He checked the speedometer—five miles over the speed limit. He didn’t want the thugs following them to know he’d spotted them. “Don’t worry. If they follow me all the way to Marie’s, I’ll take care of it. You’ll be safe.”
“Okay.”
No hesitation in her voice, no worry. No questions. Justokay.
She trusted him.
Her confidence in his ability to protect her felt better than it should. And worried him.
What if he failed?
All he’d wanted for years, decades, was to find the people who’d murdered his family. Until now, he’d have sacrificed almost anything to get justice for his parents and sister.
But he wouldn’t sacrifice Brooklynn. He hated that she was in danger. If it came down to choosing between justice for the dead or protection for the living, he’d choose Brooklynn.
It would be excruciating to give up on justice, but losing her would kill him.
Simple as that.
The night before, he’d managed to get absorbed in the comedy, enjoying the laughter, the silly jokes, the escape from his worries.
Until he’d realized Brooklynn had somehow ended up close enough that their arms touched. He’d blame her for scooting closer, but he’d somehow drifted her direction. Once he noticed the warmth of her, the feeling of her tucked against his side, it’d taken every ounce of self-control not to wrap her in his arms and kiss her.
Until this was over, he couldn’t allow any distractions.
He probably could’ve safely left her at the house, but he wanted Grandmother to meet her so she’d understand Forbes’s desire to tell her the truth.
He couldn’t share who he really was without getting Grandmother’s okay, not after the promises he’d made. Not after the sacrifices Gran had made for him.
