“Thank you.”
“Of course.” River’s warm hand lingers on top of mine for a few moments before he pulls it away, but doesn’t break contact. Then, he turns to step out of the driver seat where he proceeds to swiftly walk over to my side. With a soft opening of the door, he extends his hand. “Let’s go.”
I look at his gloved hand for a moment, before slipping mine into his. For some odd reason, my nerves instantly settle. Almost like I can trust he will take care of me and that he has everything handled.
We make our way across the street, up the short driveway, and through the back fence. I don’t have the time to admire the tailored backyard with a swing set, pool, and mini putting green as River drags me beneath the covered patio to prevent us from being drenched even further from the downpour of rain.
River releases my hand to pull out a metal rod from his pocket, and I’m shocked at how disappointing it feels not to be connected with him anymore. With one swift motion, he unlocks the back door and we walk into a giant kitchen that looks like something out of an interior designer catalog.
Chapter 14
River
“Where should we start?” Lux whispers, standing flush against my back.
I’m not used to having someone tag along during this process and question my every move, but to my dismay her proximity is a comforting nuisance. Besides, the closer she is to me, the better—the safer she is.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
“His office.” I keep my voice low out of habit while scanning the house. It’s the same typical coastal-style, like every other house I’ve seen in the neighborhood.
How mundane.
“You know we’re the only ones here, right?” She matches my volume with a hint of sarcasm, but I ignore it, needing to stay focused.
We walk past family photos lining the walls, feeding into this fake reality that men like him hide behind—a facade of the perfect family man with two kids and a dog.
“These look like the stock photos inside the store-bought picture frames,” Lux remarks, her face only inches away from the glass.
“Do you have trouble with your vision?”
She peers at me with a raised brow. “No, what makes you say that?”
“You’re like an inch away from the pictures.”
“It’s how I take in my surroundings. Focus on your own spying.”
“Don’t touch anything.”
“I won’t,” Lux hisses, clearly unhappy with my constant hovering.
“Good.”
She shakes her head in exasperation, but remains close behind me while I inspect each room on the bottom floor. I debate on whether to ask her for space because I can’t seem to concentrate when she’s rubbing against me like this, but we make it to Rich’s home office before I get to think about it too much.
I barely make it inside the musty space when suddenly, a loud thud echoes behind me. I bend to grab my knife strapped to my ankle, but stop short when I see it’s still only Lux and me.
“Sorry!” Lux shouts in a whisper, her hands up in surrender. I find a small table lamp at her feet. “I accidentally bumped into it.”
“I told you not to touch anything,” I snap, releasing my grip on the handle and rising to my feet.
Lux carefully places the object back onto the table. “It’s not like I did it on purpose.”
“I didn’t say you did iton purpose, but you have to be more careful.” I don’t intend for my words to be chastising, but I’m used to working alone. My urge to protect her and the need for control of everything is putting me on edge.
Lux folds her arms across her chest. “How many times have you done this?”
My brow furrows at her question. “I’ve lost count. Why does it matter?”
