“What?”
She shook her head. “Someone was in the alley. I thought it was just the security lights glinting off of something, but then it moved. And I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t see who it was or what he was doing, but I knew something was off.”
I slid my arm around her so that she knew she wasn’t alone. That she was safe. She shivered as she nestled against me, burying her head against my shoulder for a second.
“I was scared. I remember that. But I don’t know why.”
“Had something else happened?”
She didn’t answer me right away, but I had this feeling deep in my gut that there was more to this story than anyone had bothered to find out. Even me.
“Somebody broke into my car a couple of weeks ago.”
“Kate—”
She pulled back and looked at me. “This is Santa Monica. It’s not the crime capital of the world, but it’s not exactly a utopia either. I didn’t think anything about. They didn’t get anything that I could tell, so I didn’t call the police. I didn’t see the point of going through the hassle. But it left me a little spooked.”
“When did this happen?”
“Two weeks ago Monday.”
“Another Monday?”
“Yeah.”
“Whoever this is must know you work late on Mondays. They must have been watching you for a while.”
She shivered again. “Why would someone be after me? I’m a nobody.”
“I don’t know. An ex-boyfriend, maybe, who wasn’t happy to see your relationship end? Or a customer who’s obsessed with you?”
She shook her head. “I have had one boyfriend in the past three years and he…I don’t think he’d care enough to be unhappy. And I don’t really have customers. Just people I meet with maybe once and that’s when we sign papers. Most of our loan applications come in over the internet these days.”
“Maybe it’s someone you just didn’t know cared that much.”
“Maybe.”
I pulled her into my chest and ran my hand slowly down the length of her back. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, babe. I promise.”
We sat there like that for a few minutes. Then she slowly pulled away, kissed me gently, then stood and finished dressing. I followed suit, aware of her eyes on me when I turned my back to grab my pants. I knew she saw the scar. I knew she was wondering what had happened. But that wasn’t a story I was ready to get into.
“Donovan,” she began.
“We should go,” I interrupted. “Ash is probably back from your house, and he might have new information we need.”
Her eyes moved slowly over me, hesitating on the tattoo on my chest. Then she nodded.
“Okay.”
And that’s when I knew she was frightened. Really frightened.
The Kate I knew would never drop an issue she really wanted to pursue unless she had a reason.
She’d remembered more than she was revealing.
Chapter 15
At the Compound
“We have visitors.”
Ash walked over to David’s workstation and watched the car pull up to the front gate. He recognized Mr. Thompson the moment he leaned out the window to speak into the intercom.
“Hello?” they heard him say over the computer speakers. “Anyone there?”
David glanced at Ash, his eyebrow raised in question.
“Let him. I was going to head over to his house later, anyway.”
David just nodded, punching some button on the keyboard. Immediately, the gate began to swing back, making room for the compact Mercedes to slide through it. We watched on the screen as he drove down the drive, taking the subtle curves slowly.
The front door opened and Donovan came strolling in with Kate at his side. They weren’t touching, but a blind man could see that something had changed between them. Ash felt his spine stiffen. He was beginning to regret not taking Donovan off the case the moment he told him that this client was personal to him. He’d thought that by the way Kate reacted to him in the hospital and the way he responded that Donovan finally had put his past behind him. But now…if he’d known about the romantic aspect of his relationship with Kate Thompson in the past, he never would have let this go forward.
Donovan was his brother just as much as David was. He didn’t want to see him hurt. He’d been through enough already.
Ash strolled over casually, a fresh cup of coffee in his hands.
“Your father’s here.”
Kate looked up, surprise widening her hazel eyes. “My dad?”
Ash nodded. “Must have heard about the chaos at your house during the night.”
A thoughtful look crossed her face. “Yeah. One of my neighbors might have called him.”
Donovan moved up behind her and whispered something close to her ear. She nodded, and he stepped away, but not before Ash saw his hand linger on the small of her back.
Shit! Donovan…
Donovan headed off toward David’s workstation. Normally Ash would follow him, but he chose to remain with Kate instead. He gestured for her to take a seat on a low loveseat that as right there to her left.