Page 80 of Protected
“We’re not asking Carrie, Kitten. We’re asking you.”
She took a deep breath and shuddered. “OK. We had just finished our first pitcher of cider and were talking about leaving to go to some place Elise wanted to check out. Before we could leave, this guy—Kyle—came up with another one.”
She closed her eyes trying to remember the conversation.
“I commented on the fact that he’d been my driver the other night and he laughed. Then a group of drunk girls bumped into him from behind and he dumped the entire pitcher of cider into my purse.”
The investigator glanced at Peter for a split second and they seemed to communicate something because Peter nodded and slipped out of the room.
“He helped me clean up. Took my purse behind the bar and got the sticky out of it for me and rinsed off my wallet and keys. Luckily my phone was on the other side of the table and didn’t get sticky.”
“And did he ever leave your sight with the keys and purse?”
She nodded slowly as she realized where he was going with this.
“He took them into the back room. But he was only gone for maybe ninety seconds.”
The man nodded. “That’s enough time to make a mold of your key to duplicate later.”
“Fuck.” Darci closed her eyes. “That’s the night my apartment got broken into.”
Darci felt like an idiot.
Peter came back into the room. “That Uber driver got suspended when it came to light that his ID was fake. Did he look familiar to you at all, Darci?”
She closed her eyes and tried to picture his face. “No. He was just an average guy.”
She was tired and the invasive interview was exhausting her.
“Tell me about Kaden Laramore,” the PI said.
Just then, Bradley came in. He took one look at her and asked the investigator if they could take a break and he took her hand and led her into the bedroom. Wrapping her in his arms, he held her tight.
His hug was her undoing, and she burst into tears. She sobbed for what seemed like hours, though it was probably just a few minutes. Bradley just held her, kissing her hair occasionally.
Finally, she raised her head from his chest and looked up at him. With swollen eyes, a red nose, and mascara streaming down her face, she was sure she looked hideous. The look in his eyes told her he didn’t see it that way. Catching her breath as the last of the sobs subsided, she smiled.
“I’m sorry I got your shirt all wet.”
With gentle fingers, he brushed some wayward hair behind her ear. “Don’t be sorry, baby. You can cry on me anytime.”
“I just want today to be over.”
“It’s late. Let me tell the investigator you’re calling it a night. We’ll hide out in here for the rest of the evening. I’ll hold you until you fall asleep.”
It sounded like the best idea she’d heard all day. Standing, he kissed her gently.
“Why don’t you go wash your face and get ready for bed? I’m going to chat with the guys for a few minutes.”
• • •
The next morning, Bradley went into work late. Darci needed and deserved extra attention after the trauma of last night, but he also wanted to make sure she was fully on board with the new security protocols that were being put into place.
Now, they sat in his home office with Peter as they went over the changes he wanted to make.
“I know you’ll hate this, Kitten, but I need you to cancel all public appearances for the next week,” Peter said from his perch on the corner of the desk.
Darci scowled at him. “Peter, I can’t. I’m the fucking media spokesperson for the organization. Public appearances are kind of my thing.”
