Page 33 of Jacques

Danny’s smile faded. “I can’t. I work through dinner. It’ll be a late night for me.” She frowned. “You don’t have to be there. Rene will see that I get to my truck safely.”

Jacques shook his head. “I’m on protection duty. I’ll be with or near you twenty-four-seven until we get to the bottom of this threat.”

Her brow furrowed. “What if we don’t find him? You can’t protect me forever.”

“We’ll find him.” Jacques pushed to his feet, gathered their empty plates and carried them to the sink.

Danny followed. “You cooked; I’ll clean,” she said. “And when you make jambalaya, I’ll be happy to do the dishes.”

Jacques stepped back and let Danny take over. More because being near her made him want to slip an arm around her and press a kiss to the top of her head or pull her into his arms and just hold her.

For the past year, he’d remained at arm’s length from her, though he’d wanted more. He’d recognized her skittishness around men and respected her desire for distance. The last few days had put them in close proximity, reminding him of his initial attraction to her and making him want so much more.

Danny wasn’t ready.

Jacques didn’t know when or if she ever would be. Was he a fool to hang around and wait for a chance that might never happen?

Her auburn hair, usually in a ponytail at work, hung loose and swung around her shoulders. She moved with quick efficiency, cleaning the dishes and pan, putting everything back where it belonged.

Realizing he was staring, Jacques ducked back into his bedroom, brushed his teeth and pulled on a pair of boots. When he came back out into the living area, Danny slipped around him and entered the bathroom. She left the door open as she brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her hair, pulling it back into the usual ponytail.

When she came back out, she shoved her hands in her back pockets and asked, “What now?”

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I don’t work until later this afternoon,” she said. “Deputy Taylor said something about reviewing security footage in the vicinity of the apartment. Could we swing by the sheriff’s office and see if they’ve found some?”

“Sounds good to me,” he said. “Let’s take my truck.” He gave her a crooked grin. “It has AC, and it’s supposed to be hot and humid again today.”

“Not into roughing it in my truck, huh?” She shook her head with a hint of a smile. “I could stand some AC for a little while. I don’t want to get too used to it, though.”

They left the boarding house and drove to the sheriff’s office. Shelby wasn’t there, as she’d been on duty the night before. They were shown back to Sheriff Bergeron’s office.

The older man rose from his chair, extended his hand to Jacques and shook it firmly. He nodded toward Danny, who stood halfway behind Jacques. “Ms. French, I’m glad you came in. We need to get your fingerprints. We’ve collected what we could from your apartment but will need to rule out those that match yours.”

He led them back into the hallway, laid out a card and an ink pad, and stepped back. “You’ve been in the Army. You know what to do.”

While Danny pressed her fingers into the ink one at a time and pressed them into the correct blocks on the card, the sheriff filled in what he knew.

“I read Deputy Taylor’s report. We have the prints she lifted from your apartment and were just waiting for yours before we started running them through the system. Deputy Cleyburn has been assigned to locate security cameras in that area. He’s still out. You can wait for him here, if you like, or go see what he’s found.”

When Danny finished with the ink, the sheriff handed her a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. “Use this, and then you can wash up in the bathroom at the end of the hall.”

She removed as much of the ink as she could, then hurried to wash her hands.

“I understand you’ve been assigned to protect Ms. French,” the sheriff said.

Jacques nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Good to know. We don’t have the staffing to do what your team does. You don’t know how much we appreciate the help.” He glanced down the hall. “Shelby gave me a brief rundown of what your team hopes to accomplish.” He held up a hand. “Don’t worry, the information is safe with me. She knew I needed to know what’s happening in the parish. If Danny’s past has followed her here, she might not be the only one in trouble. The more eyes watching out for her and the community, the safer we’ll all be.”

Jacques nodded.

“We’ll work things on our end, and I hope you’ll keep us informed with what you find on yours.” The sheriff’s voice lowered as Danny emerged from the bathroom. “If you need backup, you know where to find us.”

Jacques smiled as Danny joined them. “Ready to find Deputy Cleyburn?”

She nodded and held out her hand to the sheriff. “Thank you for helping.”