Chapter 7
7
ETHAN
We were deadlocked on this case, and we all knew it. Max Skinner wanted Beth, but we had her under lock and key so he couldn’t get to her. The problem was that if he knew he couldn’t get to her, he wasn’t making any moves that could land his ass back in prison where it belonged. Mila and I did surveillance one more time before Brody pulled us back in, knowing it was a huge waste of time, especially after we told him we’d been in the house and found nothing.
I’d been spending more time with Mila alone than anyone else, and I was starting to feel frustrated. Not with her, but with myself. The more time I spent with her, the more time I wanted to spend with her, even knowing nothing could happen. Not only because Brody asked but also because I knew Mila wasn’t interested. That didn’t stop my mind from conjuring up all kinds of situations where she was.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I sat on the bench and grabbed my phone from my duffel bag—another quiet Saturday at the office. I’d been finding myself here a lot more now that I had some frustration to work out.
Me: How’s the packing?
I tapped my phone against my leg, waiting for Everly to reply. I’d offered more than once to go to Florida and help her pack, but she refused. She hired a moving van to drive her things to North Carolina next weekend and said she was taking it slow, packing a little at a time. She planned to be in town on Saturday to give her a little time to get settled before starting her new job on Monday. I was relieved when she found a townhouse for her and Riley. That meant less maintenance, and I felt a little better knowing she was in a community with good security. I offered to look for a bigger place than my one-bedroom apartment so she could just live with me, but again, she refused. She was determined to make it on her own, and I understood that all too well. The truth was, I respected her for it, but as her brother, I also wanted to take care of her.
My head snapped up when I heard the door open seconds before Mila walked through wearing nothing but yoga pants and a sports bra. My body tensed and flooded with heat when her eyes landed on me, and she smiled.
“Here on a Saturday?” She threw her bag down. “You must be really committed.”
“Could say the same about you,” I grumbled.
She looked a little surprised, and I knew why. I’d been less friendly with her lately, pissed that I couldn’t get a handle on my attraction, and even more pissed that I was having trouble hiding it. We’d been spending too much time together, and today was supposed to be my reprieve, but here she was, standing in front of me wearing next to nothing.
Her eyebrows drew together. “You good?”
“Yeah, why?”
She shrugged. “You just looked at me the same way Striker does.”
“How does he look at you?”
“Like I don’t belong here.”
I didn’t want her here, and she was perceptive enough to know it. Not only that, she wasn’t afraid to call me out, but there was still no way in hell I was admitting anything. She wouldn’t have any problems asking me why I felt the way I did, which wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”
When my phone beeped, I shifted my attention back to my phone and grinned.
Everly: Slow. Especially with your niece asking me the same question over and over again .
I heard Mila moving around in the gym, but I kept my attention on my phone.
Me: What question?
Everly: When am I gonna see Uncle E?
I snorted out a laugh before typing again.
Me: Tell her I have a surprise for her.
Everly: Absolutely not. She’ll never stop asking what it is. Gotta get back to packing.
Me: I’ll call you later.
Everly: K
“Your sister?”
My head snapped up when I heard Mila’s voice and realized she stood in front of me.
Tossing my phone in my duffel bag, I pushed off the bench to my feet. “How’d you know?”
“The only time I see you smiling like that is when you’re talking to her or about her.” I didn’t really have an answer for that, but it turned out I didn’t need to when she continued. “When does she get here?”
“Next Saturday.”
She frowned. “Wish we could say this case will be over by then, but I doubt it.”
“Me too,” I admitted. “You think going out tonight with Striker and Beth is really going to help?”
“I’m not sure.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, and I tried like hell not to look, but it was a challenge. She’s just one of the guys , I reminded myself in an effort to force myself to believe it. The truth was, she was just one of the guys to everyone else, but I didn’t see her that way, and no matter what I told myself, I couldn't stop looking at her as something more.
Her voice shook me out of my thoughts. “But I think we need to try. It’s better than just sitting around and waiting for something to happen.” Her eyes held mine. “Sometimes you have to make something happen, you know?” She took a step closer, but I didn’t move, wondering what the hell she was doing. “Let your instincts guide you.”
Was she talking about me? I honestly couldn’t tell, but she studied me closely. My cock roared to life when she dropped her arms and took another small step, putting us so close that if I inhaled, our chests would touch.
“Don’t you agree?”
It was then that I saw the sparkle in her eye and realized she was playing a fucking game. Either she knew how I felt about her or she was just being funny, but it was pissing me off.
Taking a step back, I shook my head. “Nope. I think some things are better left alone.”
“Not much of a gambler, huh?”
When it seemed as if she would step closer again, I turned my back to her and considered my options. I could stay and finish my workout or get the hell out and save myself the misery of watching her work out.
“Nope. Never understood the lure of playing a game you weren’t sure you could win,” I answered honestly.
“Me either,” she admitted. “I just haven’t met many people who feel the same way.” I shifted so I could see her and watched her drop her bag on the bench. “Most of the guys I’ve worked with need adrenaline rushes, so everything they do is in an effort to chase that feeling.”
“What feeling?”
“The feeling you get when you know what you’re about to do could end you. It’s like staring down the barrel of a gun and having no idea what the shooter is thinking. It’s a rush.”
“You don’t feel the same way?”
“No.” she shook her head. “But I played that I do for so long that I’m not sure how to shut it off.”
“That why we snuck into Skinner’s house?”
“No, that was instinct.” She put her hands on her hips. “My gut’s telling me what we need is in that house.”
“We searched a lot of it and found nothing.”
“That doesn’t mean that something isn’t there. It just means we didn’t know where to look,”?she pointed out. “We need to get back in there when we have more time.” She dropped her arms. “Maybe tonight?”
“We already have plans tonight,” I reminded her.
“After that.” She flicked her hand in the air. “Striker’s not going to stay out long. He’s too concerned about putting Beth in the spotlight, so after we finish with them, we can drive to Rick’s house and do another search.”
“They might be home.”
“We won’t know unless we try.”
Knowing she was right, I made a quick decision. If I was going to spend all night with her, I couldn’t spend all day too. Reaching down, I grabbed my duffel bag and threw it over my shoulder. “That’s true. Guess I’ll go get some shit done, then.”
I'd just started past her when she spoke. “Want some company?”
Twisting my neck, I looked over my shoulder. “Company?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “I could give you a hand.”
She was trying to arrange exactly what I was trying to avoid. Shaking my head, I turned toward the door and replied while I was walking. “Sorry. The shit I need to do, I have to do on my own. See you tonight.”
“You picking me up?”
I closed my eyes briefly before reaching for the door handle. “Yeah.”
“See you at seven.”
I mumbled, “Yeah,” and quickly left, putting some much-needed space between us. Maybe I couldn’t do this anymore. I could always call Brody and request a new assignment. I was sure Kyle could handle the shit I was doing and was probably better trained for it.
It was the most logical decision.
So why the hell did it piss me off to think of her and Kyle working that closely?