Page 52
“She found the discrepancies first.”
His chin dipped. “I know.”
“I don’t think this was an accident.”
“Neither do I.”
Oh, God. Poor Carol.
“They killed her, didn’t they?”
“We can’t know for sure yet, but my best guess is yes.”
The quiet answer he gave settled heavily between them.
They want me dead, too.
Devon’s most recent thought made her breathing change. Of course, Blake noticed immediately.
“Look at me.” His hands settled on her upper arms.
She forced her gaze to his. His blue eyes were fierce and full of anger.
“Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“You can’t know that for sure.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Blake, listen—”
“No, you listen to me.” He inched closer. “Whoever is behind this, they don’t get to take another damn thing from you. You got it? And they damn sure don’t get to decide whether you live or die.”
The conviction and raw emotion in his voice caught Devon off guard.
“You can’t say that for sure. Not when we don’t even know what it is we’re dealing with.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
She blinked and then frowned. “Why are you doing all this?”
“All what?”
A sad smile formed as she lost herself in his stare. “You built a program that searches for Billy around the clock. You came to St. Louis because I sounded scared. You fought some psycho in my apartment, then put me on your team’s private jet and brought me here, to your home.” Her voice softened. “Why?”
She had to know.
There has to be a reason.
He studied her closely, his blue gaze filled with emotion, yet impossible to read. There was almost a nervousness there that didn’t fit for a man as strong and brave as Blake.
His throat worked a hard swallow. “You want the truth?”
“Always.”
Blake took another moment before surprising her once again.
“Somewhere along the way, you stopped being just Janie’s friend—the woman I wanted to help. You became my friend. One of my favorite people to talk to.” His mouth curved faintly. “The person whose name I look for every time my phone goes off.”
