Chapter 22 #2
Her stomach dropped. This wasn’t a temporary inconvenience. She was looking at a long, grinding confinement.
Alec was alone, which was disappointing. She would have liked to see Emily.
“Don’t worry,” Alec said as he set the case down inside the bedroom door. “Em packed it, not me.”
“She couldn’t come with you?”
“Sorry. In protective custody, we try to keep traffic to a minimum.”
They talked about the investigation, which was stalled with no new leads—even more discouraging. Callan had gone over all the surveillance data, and there was no sign of the killer.
“It’s driving him nuts,” Alec said. “The guy was like a ghost, and he can’t figure out how.”
The talk turned to other cases and staffing, and Julia got bored. She wandered to the window to look out, jumping out of her skin when the alarm shrieked.
“Like I told you,” Leland said as he hit the reset. “Stay away from the doors and windows. The sensitivity is on full.”
“Sorry,” she muttered. “I’ll just go change.”
Alone in the bedroom, she sank onto the bed, unsure how she would ever survive this.
She showered before she unpacked. Leland had tons of closet space and two empty drawers.
That passed an entire hour of the day. She’d heard Alec leave a while ago but wasn’t ready to join Leland in the living room for more silence or small talk.
So she wandered around his room, checking out his books, mostly crime-solving nonfiction, and flipped through a police journal.
Neither interested her. The framed photo on his dresser stopped her cold, however.
A younger Leland smiling—actually smiling—with a woman wrapped in his arms. She had dark hair with a bright smile. Her hand rested on his chest, a diamond ring catching the light.
Her gaze swept the room for a wedding picture. But the one she held was the only photo she saw. Julia stared down at it, a million questions whirling in her mind. Number one: what happened to her?
Whatever came after, they looked happy that day. If it was a breakup, why keep the picture on display all these years later? It had to have been something much worse.
There was a knock on the door. Julia quickly replaced the frame exactly where she had found it.
“Come in.”
Leland entered. “If you’re done in here, I’d like to shower.”
His gaze landed on her, standing on the far side of the bed then shifted behind her to the photo. She’d put it back but hadn’t moved far enough away.
“What happened?”
“She died.”
That was it. He made no pretense of not understanding. No elaboration. No emotion. He simply walked to his dresser, grabbed clothes, and disappeared into the bathroom.
Julia stared at the closed door. When she heard the rush of water, she fled. Not wanting images of Leland in the shower stuck in her head.
In the living room, she paced as scenarios spun through her head. Was it an accident? An illness? Was this why he refused to commit?
She reached for the secure phone Leland had provided. Cari answered on the second ring.
“I wondered how long before you called.”
Julia huffed a quiet breath. “It should have been before now.”
“Mm-hmm, I know that tone. You’re at his place. How’s it going?”
“I’m bored out of my mind.”
“Protective custody will do that,” she said. “But consider the alternative. You don’t want that.”
Julia swallowed. This was true, and Cari would know, having been through a similar trauma.
“How are things between you and Leland?”
Julia hesitated. “There’s a photo.”
“That sounds ominous. Who of?”
“Him. And a woman with an engagement ring.”
Julia heard Cari’s sharply indrawn breath.
“Do you know what happened?” she asked. Then quickly, “Actually, no. Don’t answer that. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Of course, you should,” Cari countered.
“No. Really—”
“Yes,” she insisted. “Especially since that stubborn man refuses to tell you why he’s commitment resistant.”
Julia blinked. “You think so?”
“I know so. He’s in love with you but refuses to admit it,” Cari stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
She actually laughed. “We’re talking about Leland Hale.”
“He punched a gate, a car, and that idiot dom who hurt you. Now, he has you living under his roof when you could have stayed with me and Nick. Connect the dots.”
Julia hesitated. “He has a pretty elaborate alarm system.”
Cari snorted. “We have gates, surveillance, and perimeter alarms. Dev would’ve had patrols running 24/7. The house is only a step removed from Fort Knox.”
“That wasn’t presented as an option.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Leland insisting he’s the one in control of your safety isn’t a strategy, Jules. That’s a frustrated protector who’s in deep.”
She looked toward the closed bedroom door. Could she be right?
“I’ll do some checking and let you know what I find,” Cari said.
“Oh, but—”
Too late for protests. The call had ended.
Julia stood there, phone still in her hand. The house was quiet except for the muffled sound of the shower running. Leland. Close enough to touch, impossible to reach.
Heat curled in her stomach despite everything weighing on her. All that muscle and inked skin slick with soap. She could join him.
Would he turn her away?
It wasn’t her nature to be the aggressor. If this case dragged on, she might find out. Because living in his space, sleeping in his shirt, and in his bed, was wearing her down. And she wasn’t sure how long she could keep pretending she didn’t still want him.