Page 32 of Finding Carly
“Yeah, angel?”
“I had a good day.”
“I’m glad,” he said with a small nod.
“I know you can’t spend every day hauling my butt around and babysitting me, you’ve got a job and all, but I appreciate you giving me the kick in the ass I needed to jumpstart my life again.”
“You would’ve gotten there without me,” he said with a shrug.
“Maybe.”
“No maybe about it, angel. You would’ve.”
He had more confidence in her than she did herself. “Did things with Theo go okay?”
“Of course. He’s unusual, but a good man,” Jag said.
“Did you see the mural he drew in the back room?”
“Yup. Couldn’t believe my eyes when I first saw it,” Jag told her.
“Did you, um, see anything unusual when you were walking around?” Carly couldn’t help but ask.
“Why? You feel someone watching you today?” he asked quietly.
“No, not this afternoon, actually. I was just wondering.”
Jag reached out and took her hand, and just his touch made Carly feel better.
“If you feel uneasy at any time, I want you to tell me. I don’t care if you think you’re just being paranoid, I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve got a meeting with Baker set up in a few days. Maybe he’ll have more information.”
Carly shivered. She was torn between wanting to know everything and not wanting to knowanything. There was some peace in not knowing the details about someone out there, possibly stalking her. But that would be stupid, and she didn’t want to be that person.
“If it’s all right with you,” Jag continued, “I thought I’d sit down with Baker and the rest of the team, hear what he’s found out and discuss what our next steps should be. Then you and I can talk about it.”
She sighed in relief and nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Good. I want to protect you from living and breathing this shit every day. You need to keep moving forward, and constantly thinking about the case won’t be good for you. Do you trust me to pass along the information I think is pertinent?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “But I don’t want you to live and breathe this either. I don’t want or need a bodyguard, Jag. I think that would irrevocably change the relationship I’d like us to have. You’ll see me as helpless and someone who needs to be looked after. I don’t want that for us.”
“Agreed. But there’s no way I’m stepping out of the investigation altogether,” he warned her. “At this point, Baker’s basically in charge of the information flow. He’s pissed about the entire situation and is determined to figure out who might’ve been working with Keyes.”
“I still don’t really understand that, but I’m selfish enough to be okay with it,” Carly replied. “Am I going to get to meet this Baker guy at some point?”
“Oh, Lord, here we go,” Jag muttered.
“What?”
“You’ve been talking to the other women,” he said.
Carly frowned in confusion. “Yeah, but we didn’t talk about Baker.”
“You didn’t?”
