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But honestly? It was also curiosity, and considering what they say about curiosity and cats, if I were a cat, I’d be worried for my safety.
Either way, it was time to fill her in just enough to keep her from getting in the way—or hurt. “I was hired by a man who believes Hope’s grandpa has something valuable that belongs to him, and he wants it back. So, Colt and I are here to recover it.”
“Why didn’t he go to the police?”
I could feel her eyes on me, sharp and curious, always pushing for more answers. She wasn’t the type to let things slide. “He did, but there wasn’t anything they could do for him, so they said.”
She narrowed her eyes, arms crossing over her chest as she studied me. “Did Adam tell you that?”
“What?” Her question caught me off guard.
“Did Adam confirm that? Or is that just what your client told you? To me, ‘recover’ sounds a whole lot like ‘steal it back.’”
I stared at her, my mind whirling, trying to decide how much to reveal. She was too clever for her own good, always jumping to conclusions that weren’t far off. Her ability to pick apart a situation was unsettling.
“I’m just sayin’,” she went on, holding out her hands in that casual, matter-of-fact way that somehow still managed to get under my skin, “before you go and do that, you should probably find out what really happened when—or if—your client went to the police.”
Puzzle pieces started to click into place in my mind, and I groaned, pushing off the tree and stepping toward her again. “Oh no.”
“What?” She blinked, genuinely curious, but I could see the glimmer of mischief in her eyes.
“You’re one of those.”
“One of what’s?”
I paused, giving her a look before lowering my voice like I was revealing a dirty secret. “A true crime junkie.”
Her face lit up in a grin, all too pleased with herself. “And?”
“And, that means you’re gonna be even more of a pain in my—” I stopped myself, holding up a finger between us, silently warning her not to make another butt joke. “Don’t.”
“Oh, come on. You almost walked right into it,” she teased, her voice dripping with amusement as if this was all just a game to her. She had no idea how close she was to driving me crazy. “Anyway, what’s wrong with being a true crime girl?”
“A lot.” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You know just enough to get yourself killed.”
She huffed, the sound half-indignant, half-playful. “Rude. You have to admit it’s a good point about whether or not he went to the cops. Maybe he didn’t.”
“Wildcard, you’re missing my point.” I stepped closer, watching her expression shift slightly as I lowered my voice. “This case…”
I paused, just long enough to see the flicker of concern in her eyes. “Yeah?”
“Something’s not right. I don’t… Well, I don’t want you around it.”
Her brow furrowed as she tilted her head, whispering, “Around what, exactly?”
“I don’t know yet. But it feels… dangerous.”
I thought I finally had her convinced, thought maybe, just maybe, she’d back down for once. But then, in true Dakota fashion, she waved off my warnings with a roll of her eyes. “You’re just sayin’ that because you got shot.”
“That’s a good reason to say it.”
“Maybe so, but I’m only here because it concerns my friend,” she said, her tone softening but her resolve still firm. When I met her stare, unwavering and just as stubborn as ever, she crossed her arms defiantly. “What, so you, Colton, and your little brother can be around this dangerous thing, but I can’t?”
I fought the urge to laugh at her logic. “It’s literally our job. As for Austin? I didn’t have a say in that since he followed us here without me knowing.”
She waved me off like I’d just said something she had no time for. “We’ll come up with a plan to keep Austin out of harm’s way?—”
“We?” I almost sputtered the word. “There is nowe.”
