Page 124 of Forced Into Your Arms
“I’ll be out there,” I told her. “Door locks if you want it locked.”
Milan looked at me. “You think I need to lock it?”
“Nah. I’m telling you so you know.”
Her expression softened. “Okay.”
I stepped toward the door.
“Vice.”
I looked back.
“Thank you.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me.”
“I know.” She glanced around the room. “I’m still going to.”
I nodded and left her to settle in.
For the next hour, I handled calls from Mace, building security and the detective. The picture didn’t have any usable prints besides Milan’s. The cameras at the restaurant were old enough that the footage wasn’t as clear as I wanted, but one angle showed a man standing near the window with his phone raised.
His face wasn’t visible and the car he left in had stolen plates. Every lead ended exactly where these people wanted it to.
By the time I put my phone down, it was after midnight. I poured myself a drink and stood near the windows, looking out over the city while trying to make sense of everything.
Sam had been digging into my mother’s past and someone killed him before he could tell me what he found.
Milan heard enough of the conversation to make her a problem, and now they were watching her even after she moved.
That meant they were scared she remembered something… Or they wanted to use her to get to me.
Neither option sat right.
The sound of footsteps behind me pulled my attention away from the window.
Milan walked into the living room wearing a long T-shirt and shorts, her hair wrapped up for the night. She looked different from the woman I’d watched get dressed up for our date. Softer. More comfortable.
More at home in my space than she probably realized.
“Can’t sleep?” I asked.
She shook her head and walked closer. “Every time I close my eyes, I see that picture.”
I set my glass down. “Come sit.”
She joined me on the couch, folding one leg beneath herself while I sat at the other end.
“What did Mace find?” she asked.
“Nothing useful yet.”
“So they got away again.”
“For now…”
Milan looked down at her hands. “I keep trying to remember if I saw anybody outside the restaurant that day.”
