Page 34 of Night Prey
Clay’s broad smile said it all. “Best four months of my life.”
“You’re like the poster child for marriage,” Londyn said, her tone more serious than the comment deserved.
“You should try it.”
Londyn frowned. Ian, remembering she’d just gone through a breakup, stepped forward. “We should get moving. Lots to do.”
Londyn flashed him a thankful look. “I’ll call you later.”
She exited and paused only long enough to say hello to Brendan, who stood on the sidewalk out front.
Clay turned to Malone. “Straight into the vehicle.”
Malone nodded, and Clay took lead, Malone in the middle, Ian last. He didn’t expect any trouble, but he kept his head on a swivel until he was seated in the back seat with Malone and the door was closed tight. Clay climbed in on her other side.
Brendan hopped into the front, and Aiden wasted no time getting them moving. On the short drive, Ian updated the guys on their progress on the investigation. While he spoke, he couldn’t miss Malone twisting her hands together. She was nervous, but she’d done a great job at hiding it with only moments, like now, when she revealed her inner turmoil.
Aiden pulled into her driveway and parked next to her Mustang. Ian really didn’t like her driving an unsafe vehicle. She wanted to be close to her parents. He understood that. But he didn’t want to lose her in a crash the way she’d lost them.
She leaned forward and rested her palms on her knees, her fingers relaxed for the first time since she’d gotten into the SUV. Maybe arriving home brought her comfort. Being there could calm residual issues from her childhood, he supposed. His parents were still alive, and he would like some solace from growing up with them. Losing parents as a child would do an irreversible number on the child, especially when they were fabulous parents, as hers apparently had been.
Finding her parents’ killer could help her find peace. And in the time they had together, Ian could also do his best to help her get over any residual loss she might be feeling. For some reason, that was as important to him as bringing in a killer who’d been free for far too long, and that was a new experience for him. One he didn’t altogether hate.
Malone locked her front door, wanting to get straight to work looking at the other videos with Ian, but she couldn’t ignore her business. Her clients often had emergencies so she didn’t like to stay out of touch. She looked at Ian and found him watching her with an odd collection of interest and pity. She liked the interest, but why the pity? She would ask, but she needed to stay on a professional footing with him.
Especially after seeing him in his own environment at work. She’d thought it could help her peg him, but it didn’t. One minute, she’d thought she knew what he was like, and the next he changed things up. He’d come across as vulnerable and dangerous at the same time, a combination that seemed impossible. A combination that was very intriguing. And beguiling. Something she needed to guard against.
She took a breath. “I need to check my emails and return any messages I might have gotten today.”
“I could stand to review mine too,” he said. “I’m juggling several investigations.”
“Let’s use the kitchen counter again.”
He held up his computer. “Lead the way.”
She did and had to admit, even if she wanted to remain professional, she liked having Ian at her side while she worked. They were comfortable with each other, the silence not strained at all.
It took nearly an hour to handle the most urgent things, but when she finished, she closed her laptop. Ian was focused on his computer screen but must have felt her eyes on him because he looked at her.
A slow smile spread across his mouth, and his happiness sparked a warm, languid feeling inside. One she could easily get used to.
Despite digging deep for her usual willpower, she could barely resist tracing his full bottom lip with her finger. She swallowed and pushed off her stool. “I’ll get the leftovers out.”
“I thought we could look at the videos while we eat. That would still give us some time to finish reviewing the boxes in the garage for any other information that might give us a lead on their crash.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said, though she didn’t know if her appetite would hold up while watching videos, looking for a potential killer.
She got the food out and heated it in the microwave, the tangy spices soon filling the air. They plated their food, moving comfortably around each other in the kitchen. The time together felt easy, as if they were on a date rather than trying to clear her name as a murder suspect.
She set her plate on the counter. “I didn’t ask what time you’ll be going out to Peck’s place tomorrow.”
“Noon.”
She climbed onto a stool. “Can I come with you?”
He sat beside her and placed his loaded plate next to his computer. “Why would you want to? It’ll just be Emory and a criminologist processing the vehicle with the state lab expert overseeing it all.”
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I just have this deep need to go. Like it brings me closer to my parents or something. I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s how I feel.”
