Page 8 of Dark Memories
A cruel smile twisted his lips. “You think so? If it takes my every penny, I’ll do whatever I have to, to get my daughter back. And if that means buying the mayor and anyone else necessary to make that happen, I’ll do it.”
She blew out a breath. “You’ll just get in the way.” She understood the helplessness of wanting to do something but not knowing what.
“I won’t. I’ll stay out of your way and do whatever you tell me. But understand that I’m now your shadow.” He stared at his fisted hands a moment, then unclenched them before turning pleading eyes on her. “I’m sorry. It’s not fair to take my fear and anger out on you. But I can’t just sit back and do nothing, Delaney. Please don’t ask it of me. Besides, I have resources your police department can’t begin to imagine, but I won’t know what you need if I don’t know what’s going on.”
“I’ll have to get my captain to approve you being a part of the investigation.”
“Fair enough. Call her.”
“We’re on the way there now, so I can talk to her when we get—”
“No, that won’t work. If I’m being watched, I can’t be seen going into the police station.”
“Already you’re a pain in the butt.” But he had a point. She took out her phone and called her boss.
“Put it on speaker.”
She almost ignored his command but decided he might as well hear Eve’s refusal straight from her.
“This is Harry,” she said when the boss answered. “I’m with Zach Jamison and you’re on speaker.” She brought her captain up-to-date with what they’d learned from the bodyguard.
“The plates are probably stolen, but give me the numbers and we’ll run them now. By the time you get back to the station, we should know,” Eve said.
“Ah, about that.” She glanced at Zach, willing him not to lose his cool when his demand got a resounding no.
Zach didn’t gloat as Delaney stared at her phone in disbelief after disconnecting. “Unbelievable,” she muttered.
He’d had to do some fast talking during the conversation to convince her captain that he wouldn’t hinder the investigation. Along with his promise to stay in the background, the resources at his fingertips that the Dark Falls Police Department didn’t have at their disposal certainly helped.
“I guess I’m your shadow,” he said.
She shoved her phone back into her purse. “Guess so.”
When she stared out the window, refusing to look at him, he sighed. He hadn’t enjoyed strong-arming her or her boss, but he couldn’t regret ensuring that Kali had Delaney’s full attention.
“Where do you live?”
“Why?” she asked, finally sparing him a glance.
“We need to swing by there so you can pack a bag.”
“Because?”
Her scowl didn’t surprise him. There might still be chemistry between them, but she didn’t like him much. She was going to like him even less in about ten seconds.
“You’re staying with me until we find Kali.”
She made an unladylike snort. “Funny one, Zach.”
“Feeling far from funny today. It makes perfect sense for you to stay with me. I have an office with anything you need at your disposal, a lovely guest room with an attached bath, and a chef who will happily feed you. What’s not to like?”
“If you can’t figure that out for yourself, you’re not as smart as I thought.”
“Okay, then how about this? What if I get a call in the middle of the night from the kidnappers telling me where I can find my daughter? Or what if she manages to find a way to contact me, letting me know where she is? I won’t take the time to come get you, so if you think you should be included if something like that happens, you need to be with me.”
He could tell that she wanted to argue but couldn’t think of anything to counter his reasoning.
“You know it’s for the best. I swear I’ll be a good boy and not invade your space.” He paused, almost convinced himself not to say another word, but lost the battle. “Unless you want me to.”
