Galen checked all the mirrors before he unlocked his SUV car door. Without waiting for him or his opinion, Natalie opened her own door and slipped out. Green dress, leather flats, long blonde hair swinging—she kept saying how she hadn’t done anything, but just maybe her beauty, inside and out, had attracted the wrong man.
His brother-in-law’s house was perfectly safe and he trusted Rafe to protect them all, but still. The open air brought tension.
Someone wanted to hurt Natalie, and he’d do everything in his power to protect her. He hopped out fast and walked behind her, like he might cover her if someone aimed for her back. At the door, Natalie waited for him to join her. He did and hit the doorbell.
Rafe immediately answered and motioned for them to come inside. “Natalie. Galen. Come in. Brandon’s playing in the backyard with Clara and my wife.”
Rafe, a former detective, was totally fine with his wife and son outside—which meant he didn’t fear a threat. Galen tried to rationalize his thoughts though his hair still stood on end.
Natalie walked into the foyer and asked, “You’re babysitting?”
Galen closed the door behind them as Rafe walked with Natalie into his living room. “Victoria needed time to heal so we offered for the day.”
Natalie turned toward him and stared at him with wide eyes. “What happened to your sister, Victoria?”
Galen explained, “She was run over at Damien’s wedding.”
Her face went whiter than he’d ever believe possible. She covered her lips but then dropped her hand. “I’m glad she’s recovering.”
Galen added fast, “And the person who hit her is now in jail. It isn’t related to this.”
Color returned to her face, and she took his hand as they followed Rafe. “That’s good to hear. Rafe, any news on who might be after me?”
He waved for them to follow him down a hall. Outside they heard children laughing which again told Galen everything was fine. His brother-in-law said, “Come to my office. I’m chasing two leads at the moment from the list you gave.”
The room had a laptop, listening devices, and microphones—the whole space could double as a base of operations, which it probably was. Rafe took security seriously.
Natalie adjusted the hem of her dress as she took her seat and waited for him. Galen joined her and sat in the empty leather seat while Rafe took the chair at the desk. Once they were settled, Natalie asked, “Okay, what?”
Rafe opened his laptop, pulled out a report and spun his laptop for them to see. “First, stay away from Rocco Dubois.”
Galen took the laptop and read the rap sheet on Rocco.
“Not a problem.” Natalie kept her attention on Rafe and asked, “Why? What does he want?”
Rafe leaned forward and told Natalie what Galen was reading in a nicer way. “I don’t know what he wants, but he’s a low level thug working for the Perez crime syndicate. He’s been in and out of jail for years.”
Rafe skipped telling her the part that read Rocco had been to jail four different times after having sixteen trials for charges that went from murder to arson.
Natalie clutched her cross in surprise. “Really? In college, he was always quoting poetry. It’s hard to think of him as dangerous.”
Perhaps Natalie wouldn’t ask to read the report where her ex had left poetry on a dead body, stapled to the victim’s torn clothes.
Rafe sat straight, his mouth in a firm line. “One of the cases I read had him quoting poetry while he assaulted a woman leaving a night club.”
That was in the file too. Galen glared at Rafe in warning.
Natalie swallowed and dropped her hands in her lap, her head down. “Wow. And I invited him into my apartment for his apology. That was stupid.”
Galen placed the laptop back on the desk and swung it toward Rafe. He caressed Natalie’s knee and said, “Rocco sent her flowers at work.”
Her lips parted as she gazed up at them. “That I took to the hospital and re-gifted to my mother.”
Rafe motioned for them to be quiet. “I’ll have my men investigate the flowers right now.”
He called over his radio and talked to security at the hospital.
Once he was done, Galen asked, “You said you had two leads.”
