Page 64 of Defender
“Relieved why?”
Finn glanced down and then made eye contact. “Because it makes it a bit easier to admit I’ve been absolutely gobsmacked. I never meant to go behind your back or anything, Mikey, but I’ve quite fallen for your sister Eliza.”
“Wait. You’re Liza’s date? The one she’s been sneaking around with?” Now he really wanted to let a good jab fly. “You went behind my back?—”
“Now wait a second here. Neither of us meant to be sneaky or hide it. It all started out innocent enough. We were talking at your brothers’ game. Then that night, I came across a funny reel I thought she’d enjoy, so I sent it to her. Next thing I know, we’re chatting. We thought we’d go out on a couple dates and see how things went before we got anyone else involved. We’ve only been out once.”
“And?”
Finn looked him in the eye. “I like her, Michael. A lot. And it would mean the world to have your support. We’re all adults here, and she doesn’t need your permission. But we’d like to know it won’t cause any friction or resentment if we keep seeing each other.”
“And what happens if you guys break up?”
“Work might get a little awkward, but I expect you’ll loosen fists of fury on me and we’ll move on with it. But I’ve gotta be honest, it’s worth the risk. She’s one in a million.”
Yeah, but this was his little sister.
And his partner.
Who, he had to admit, was a stand-up guy. In five years on the force and living with two generations of cops before that, he’d seen and heard about his fair share of brutes or careless officers. Finn was neither. He’d been on the force longer, having gone to the police academy right out of high school. But he wasn’t hardened to the point of not caring. He worked hard. He had integrity. He was open about his faith and where he stood on values.
Better than Michael by far in that area.
What more could he ask for for his own sister?
He must’ve been quiet too long. Finn was starting to look desperate. “Look, Mi?—”
“It’s fine, Liam. It might take some getting used to, and you better not break her heart, but I get it. Just don’t let me know all the gory details of your dates anymore.”
“Righto, laddie.” Finn’s chuckle held a good deal of relief, and they started walking again to the warehouse. “So when are you going to tell Josh you have the hots for his sister?”
“Dani and I aren’t dating. I don’t even know if she likes me. And she wants to leave Renegade as soon as she can. And you know, she should. She belongs in a big city. I belong here. I have a lot going on. There really isn’t space in my life for a relationship. So…to answer your question, I won’t be telling Josh anything.”
Dani sat with Silas, Michael, and Finn in the main office, going over the video surveillance now that Silas was back in the office after handling a trucking accident with one of his semis. The footage suspiciously cut out right before six o’clock, when most of the men left the building.
Silas spun in his chair. “I don’t know what to say, officers, but I will be installing more cameras inside all the buildings and hiring security. I don’t take lightly to my employees being locked up or harassed. I don’t care if Dani’s been an employee for a few days or years. She should’ve been safe here, and I’m going to make sure nothing like this happens again.”
“Is there anyone else who wouldn’t be on your list of employees here?” Michael asked.
“That’s everyone on our payroll. Now, we do get trucking students or family members here from time to time.”
Michael read down the list of names. “Looks like we’re missing Kenny Henshaw and Judd Downey.”
“Kenny called in sick, and Judd is only here two days a week.” Silas looked at her. “Although, I never did hear why you stayed so late and were in the warehouse to begin with.”
Dani fought to keep a pleasant yet vague expression on her face. “I worked late because I had an appointment this morning. And I was missing some receipts from the parts manager. I thought I could find them myself rather than bother him.”
“So why were you by the reefer? The loading docks are on the other side of the warehouse.” Silas looked genuinely confused.
“I heard talking from that part of the shop, so I went to check it out.”
“And that’s when they shoved you in and locked the trailer, huh?”
Dani nodded. “Yes, Mr. Lochlear.”
He shook his head slowly, sadly. “I just feel awful about the whole thing.”
“It is possible this was more of a threat to you. Is there anyone who would want to taint the business, or do you have any enemies?” Michael asked the owner.
