Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
“Of course I do.”
Noah had never seen Danica like this. She was one of the most confident, assured women he’d ever known. But right now, redness rimmed her eyes. Her face was drawn, her skin pale. Her hands were shaking.
“Someone altered the footage,” he repeated. “Now, we’re going to find out who. And we’re going to track down each and every person who’s responsible for going after you.”
She exhaled, nodding. Her fingers swiped at her eyes, though not a single tear had fallen.
“Let’s talk through this,” Noah said. “Who would’ve had access to the video footage? Detective Murphy, we already know. And West Oaks PD.”
Danica bent her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs. “The people who work at the museum, I would assume.”
“What about your security team?”
“Well…yeah. It’s possible. Blake has been working closely with the detectives from the beginning.” But she couldn’t imagine him doing something like that. More importantly, why?
“Do you know exactly who got the camera footage from the museum? Was it a police officer, or was it someone working for Blake?”
“I don’t know. Lindley said something about the police coming and downloading the videos, deleting the originals.
But if the police are involved in the kidnapping attempts?
Or Blake? That’s… That’s…” She was shrinking into herself, and Noah could almost see her mind going to a dark, desperate place.
“I don’t think I can trust anyone.” Her eyes lifted. “Except you.”
Back when they were younger, Noah had looked up to her. But now, he wanted to take care of her. Prove to her that nothing would happen so long as he was around.
“You can trust me. We’re going to find who’s doing this. And I’m going to protect you.” Noah rested a hand on her shoulder. But Danica got up from the couch. Like she had restless energy and needed to move.
Immediately, he started running through logistics in his head.
“We’ll have to get you to a safe house as soon as possible.
I’ll talk to my co-captain, figure out the best location, and assign a team of bodyguards to be there around the clock while we investigate the kidnapping plot.
It’ll be tough to get it all into place, but—”
“Whoa. Wait a second. A safe house? You mean, going into hiding?” Danica had stopped her pacing. She looked incredulous.
“That’s the best way to make sure these people can’t find you.”
“No. No.” She was shaking her head like she couldn’t believe he’d suggested it. “That’s not going to work. The museum gala is on Thursday night. I have to be there. Absolutely no exceptions.”
He got up from the sofa, matching her posture. Arms crossed, head back. “It’s a fundraising event. Compared to your safety? It doesn’t even rank.”
“But it does to me. You don’t get to decide what’s important, Noah. I’m not going to run away and hide and let these people control me. And if it’s someone within the police? A safe house might not be enough.”
“All the more reason to make their job harder.”
“But I’m not giving up my freedom. That’s final.”
Damn it. She was making this difficult.
But he could improvise.
“Okay, then we stay here,” Noah said.
“And we tell no one about me hiring you. The plan hasn’t changed. Whoever’s doing this, I want to catch them by surprise.”
“That’ll leave you more exposed.”
They held one another’s gaze, neither backing down.
Then Noah dropped his hands to his hips, taking a step back. He had to deescalate this conversation. If this was going to work, they had to be on the same page.
“Dani, I’m serious. You said you trust me.”
Her eyelids shifted down, lashes heavy. “I do.”
“I get that you’re used to taking charge. But during this assignment, you’ll need to let me take the lead and make the decisions that’ll affect your safety.”
“I’m not so good at taking orders.”
He respected her for that. But this wasn’t the typical situation. “A hierarchy of decision-making is essential to be effective. In any team. You know that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. I know.”
He could tell they might clash later on about that subject. But for now, he moved on. “There’s something else we should talk about. We can’t actually get involved. Putting on a show for whoever’s watching is one thing. But we can’t really end up in bed together.”
For a long moment, she just stared at him, eyebrows slowly raising. “You’re making a lot of assumptions.”
“Just being up front.” Really, he was saying this to remind himself. But her cheeks were turning red. It wasn’t easy to make her blush.
“You’re the one who’s been flirting constantly.”
“A little. But you’ve been staring at my mouth. And at the rest of me.”
“In your dreams.”
“Straddling my motorcycle? How much more metaphorical can you get?”
“I can assure you, I won’t be flirting with you anytime soon. Can you promise the same?”
“Yes. I can be completely professional.”
“So glad that’s settled. Can we keep working on the investigation now? I want to get this rolling.”
“You got it, boss. Whatever you say.”