“Don’t. You and I know that you have spent years poring over the details. We looked into their personal lives.”
“But not enough. There has to be something that connects all of you. If it isn’t the job, then it is something in your background.”
“And the hit on her last night?”
“That is the anomaly. I am going to do some research on an idea I have.”
“Sam,” Eden said, worry threading that one syllable. He looked over at her.
“No, I’ll be careful. Don’t really need to hack anything. I know I have something that connects all of you in some way.”
“You could have called me tomorrow about this. Why now?”
“Well. Your brother was very excited, and I was worried that maybe you and the very handsome Officer Hanson might be indisposed.”
Eden’s face flamed, and Kap chuckled.
“Do you need any help from Charity?” Kap asked.
“No. I got this. It’s all the files I came up with on my own. I need to sit with them and look. I know something is there.”
“Thanks for the call.”
“No problem.”
Then the line went dead.
“She’s not good with normal human interaction.”
“You know this, Sam? She’s the one who helped us when Jin and then when Autumn was in trouble.”
She nodded. “El and I have known her for years.”
“Do you know why she’s on the run?”
She nodded, sadness filling her expression. “She helped me find El against orders. She wasn’t directly ordered not to, but she was aware of the rules. Then, she started poking around for us on her own. She knew we were getting frustrated, so she jumped at the chance to help. I know we aren’t the only reason. When she began searching for information for us, she discovered something else. Not sure what it was, but our actions caused her to find something that sent her into hiding.”
Kap now had a better picture of what was going on and why Eden felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. Guilt was the cloak that dampened her shine. He had thought he was seeing the true Eden months ago when they ran into each other for the first time. Instead, he thought he might have it backwards. Now, she hid her feelings, and he hated that he was part of the reason why.
“Hey,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her into his embrace. It seemed like the most natural thing to do. For three years, he had been trying to get her out of his system, but none of that had worked. And now, he could see why. He understood on a level that maybe he hadn’t been ready for all those years ago. “We’ll figure it out.”
She pulled back enough to look at him. “We?”
“Woman, I’m not about to leave you hanging. Even if this wasn’t my case, I would help you.”
“Don’t be nice to me, Kap. I can’t handle it.” Her tone had turned brittle. It was as if he said one word wrong, she would fall apart.
“Well, get used to it, Eden.”
She swallowed. “Just…don’t be nice to me for the investigation. I can handle anything but your being nice.”
“You want me to be mean to you?” he asked.
“I can’t handle you being nice to me, then not.”
Understanding slammed into him. He had wounded her more than he had known, and it was his own damned fault. His fucking ego had been damaged. Kap had struck out, fear being the main reason. In the following years, he had convinced himself that he had been right. That she had lied to him made her untrustworthy. Now, he understood more, and maybe, just maybe, he’d never get her to trust him again. Panic clutched him by the balls at that thought.
“I know I was an ass before, but I promise not to turn my back on you. We are in this to catch the killer.”
