Page 15 of Once Removed (Blackhawk Security)

Chapter 5

Too angry to sit, Brody paced Lainey’s living room while she packed a bag. If he looked in a mirror, he was pretty sure he’d see steam coming out of his ears. Had Lainey faced this every time she called the sheriff because Ron was beating her? Had the deputies taken Ron’s side instead of hers because he was one of their own?

If so, Pete Jacobs needed to be kicked through the department’s door onto his skinny ass. Brody’d thought Jacobs was a good guy. Apparently he’d been wrong.

Someone needed to run against Jacobs in the next election. Boot him out of office.

Brody didn’t have the time or inclination to do the job, but he knew a few people who might be interested. Jacobs had run unopposed the last two elections. Clearly, it was time for a change.

“I’m all set,” Lainey said, her voice overly bright as she walked into the living room. She had a large duffel slung over one shoulder and a briefcase in her hand.

“Let me take those,” Brody said, reaching for both bags. “Anything else you need from the house?”

She frowned. Flicked a glance in the direction of the garage. “There are several boxes of Ron’s paperwork and files in the garage. I didn’t want anything of his in the house, so I stuffed them in banker’s boxes and put them out there.” She swallowed once. “Maybe whatever the prowler was after is in one of those boxes.”

“Have you looked through them?” Brody asked carefully.

Lainey shook her head. “I didn’t care what was in them and didn’t want to look through them. I just wanted to forget about him.”

“I’ll put them in the truck,” he said. “You can go through them when you’re feeling less raw. I’d offer to help, but it’s probably something you’d want to do alone.”

Lainey shook her head vigorously. “Not at all. I know I have to go through them, and I’m not looking forward to it, but having someone help would make it easier.”

“Someone?” The word slipped out before Brody could stop it. He didn’t want to press Lainey for anything, but he needed to help her. Whenever she needed help.

A tiny smile lifted her mouth. “I might have someone specific in mind.”

Was Lainey flirting with him? Hope roared through him, but he ruthlessly tamped it down. She was exhausted. Had been terrified. Then treated badly by the deputy responding to her 911 call.

If she was flirting with him, it was a moment of weakness that would pass. She’d be back to her controlled, collected self before long.

He turned to the door, and Lainey hurried to open it for him. He stowed the bags in the back of his truck, then headed toward the garage door that was groaning its way open. The few pieces of furniture looked worn and drab in the harsh light from the garage ceiling. A stack of four banker’s boxes sat against one wall.

Lainey stood backlit in the open door from the kitchen. “Stay there,” he said. “I’ll load these in my truck while you close and lock the door to the garage, check the doors and windows one final time. Then we’ll head out.”

After sliding the boxes onto his truck bed beside Lainey’s bags, he closed the cover and returned to the front door. Hesitated. Finally stepped inside her house. “Need any help?” he asked in a carefully neutral voice.

“The curtains are still taped together. I’m setting timers now so the house won’t look deserted,” she called from one of the bedrooms. Her footsteps sounded on the hardwood floors, and she exhaled as she reached the living room. “I bought some smart plugs a while back, so I can use your WiFi to turn the lights off and on at different times every night. Make it look as if I’m still here.”

“Great idea,” Brody said, impressed. He’d read about smart plugs, but hadn’t tried them yet. After all she’d been through today, Lainey was still thinking clearly. Strategically. “You’re a smart woman.”

She glanced at him, her cheeks turning pink. “Because I’m setting timers?”

“No, because you’re using technology to make it look like you’re living here. Maybe your prowler will be more cautious. Less eager to break in.”

“I hope so,” Lainey sighed. “But if he does break in, there’s not much for him to find. I’ll have Ron’s boxes with me, and the only things in this house that really matter to me are my books.” She nodded toward his truck. “I packed my meaningful jewelry in my bag.”

“Then let’s head out. You must be exhausted.”

She gave him a wan smile as he helped her into the truck. “Yeah. Even though I slept like the dead until someone tried to get into the house, all that adrenaline did a number on me.”

“I won’t be offended if you fall asleep on the way home.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. Home made it sound like they were heading to a shared dwelling. Truthfully, he’d imagined Lainey in his house. In his life. But for now, she’d be his guest. He’d keep her safe. Help her figure out who had killed Ron. And why.

He’d ached for Lainey for a long time, and he’d survive until she was ready. Anything more than ‘friends’ would have to wait.

For now, he would focus on keeping her safe.

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