Chapter Five
Audrey was about to get herself into trouble with her job. Duke couldn’t blame her. He also couldn’t stand by and watch her ruin her career.
“Let’s take a walk,” he said to her, trying to catch her gaze.
She refused to look at him. “No, thanks. I’m fine right here.”
“I can see that,” he said, figuring he needed to take a soft tack if he was going to keep her from digging a bigger hole for herself. Sheriff Ackerman’s face had already turned a darker shade of red, which wasn’t a good sign. “All I’m suggesting is that we take a walk together and catch our breath.”
Arms folded across her chest, she dug in further. “I’m breathing just fine right here.”
When Audrey closed up in the past, Duke was the only one who could get her to open up again. Usually, he accomplished it by taking her for a walk, giving her the room to breathe while he was by her side.
A lot had changed since they were sixteen. His old go-to tactic failed.
Refusing to give up, he turned toward the sheriff. “Would you mind giving us a minute?”
J.D. Ackerman offered a nod before walking over to the water’s edge where he began supervising Jenson’s removal from the lake. Clinton and Clifford had shaken off their emotions and moved in a robotic manner that was a little too familiar to Duke. Watching someone else in that mode struck him as odd.
When Ackerman was far enough away for Duke to have privacy while speaking to Audrey, he moved toe-to-toe in order to face her and get her attention. Touching her would be a mistake, so he fisted his hands to stop himself from reaching out to her.
Slowly, she brought her gaze up to meet his.
“We can stop by the Napier home to offer our condolences to Jenson’s family,” Duke said slowly and quietly. “We can bring a dish or flowers, let them tell us everything they want to about Jenson. Believe me when I say his mother might need a shoulder to lean on, woman to woman. You’ll get more information out of her this way without putting her off and causing her to turn quiet on you. His sister, Halsey, might know his habits. She might be willing to talk to us. As awful as this is, it’s better than being watched by the person we initially feared.”
Audrey studied him without giving away the slightest idea of what she might be thinking right now. Those emerald eyes could be haunting. This was one of those times that made him question whether he helped her all those years ago or not.
“Hey, I’m on your side here,” he said, trying to ax his way through the brick wall that had come up between them.
She bit down on her bottom lip, a sure sign she was at least contemplating his idea.
“This kid wasn’t a murderer,” he continued, capitalizing on the fact she was giving him her full attention. Audrey knew when she’d had enough. If she didn’t want him to keep talking, she would have walked away by now. “Let’s find out what he was really doing watching you and if there have been others.”
“J.D. thinks this is an open-and-shut case,” she finally said. “He doesn’t want to rock the boat with Jenson’s family.”
“I agree with what you said to him, by the way. You have a right to know the nature of why this young man was on and around your property as well as what his intentions were.”
The tension muscles in her face relaxed ever so slightly. “Thank you, Duke.”
“You gave your statement to him already, right?”
She nodded.
“How about the two of us get out of here and have another cup of coffee at your place?” he asked.
She held out her hand. It shook. “Coffee is not my best move right now and you need to get sleep at some point.”
“Then we’ll pick up some of that herbal tea you used to sip on at night,” he said, realizing he’d been awake over thirty hours. At this point, he’d been fighting sleep for so long he doubted he could sleep if he wanted to after the adrenaline rush he’d just experienced. “What was that?” He made an attempt to pronounce the name from memory and failed.
At least the corner of Audrey’s mouth turned up a tad in an almost smile. “Chamomile is the word you’re searching for, Remington.” Her expression changed when she said his last name. It was the way she used to refer to him when she was kidding around.
At least there was a glimpse of the Audrey she used to be hidden deep inside there somewhere. The spark had returned to her eyes, making her even more beautiful.
“Okay,” she relented.
“Hold on a sec,” he said, not wanting her to have to speak to her boss again. Intervening was no problem. He’d known of J.D. Ackerman for years. The two had a mutual respect for one another. Everything Duke’s grandparents said about the man indicated he was a solid sheriff who cared about keeping his county residents safe. He had a reputation for being honest and fair.
Duke jogged over and asked the sheriff if he had a problem with Duke accompanying Audrey back to her place so she could slow down and process what had just happened. Ackerman agreed it would be a good idea.
Despite being a well-trained deputy—and this would apply to any law enforcement agent or officer—the shock of being the victim still hit hard. Being the one in the so-called hot seat, for lack of a better word, was usually more nerve-racking than anyone expected it would be. He could only imagine how violated she must feel. The feeling of a perp getting one up on an agent, deputy or officer was the pits. Not to mention embarrassing. After all, they were the ones who were supposed to protect and serve everyone around them, not be the ones in need of protection. Duke had encountered this phenomenon multiple times over the course of his career, having gone after criminals who’d shot and sometimes killed peace officers or judges. The ones who recovered carried a sense of shame—shame that was displaced if anyone asked Duke.
Anyone could end up a target or become a victim, even law enforcement officers. It happened. It was the reason they wore vests. And it was the reason they endured hours of training to learn how to make themselves less of a target when walking into a hot situation.
Still. Things happened. Audrey needed to know she was not alone.
He had no plans to make a fool of himself by falling in love with her. Again. Pride overruled emotion. He would never fall down that slippery slope with her again. Not after the way his tender heart had been shattered years ago. He’d picked up the shards and moved on, figuring nothing good could come of rehashing the past. Closure, a little voice in the back of his mind said.
There was that.
Duke’s heart wasn’t young and naive any longer. He’d grown up. He’d learned to protect his heart at all costs. And he had been fine for a long time. Survival tip number one: don’t get attached to anyone. Ever.
He could handle swinging by her home for a few hours until the dust settled and she regained her bearings. Maybe grab an hour or two of shut-eye if his mind would relax.
After thanking the sheriff, Duke turned around to make the short trek back to where Audrey was standing. Chin up, arms folded across her chest, all signs of vulnerability were gone from her stance.
Emotional distance was good between the two of them. But she needed to deal with her feelings about what had just happened, or she would carry it around in her professional career for the rest of her tenure.
“THE SHERIFF AGREES it’s a good idea to get you out of here,” Duke said to Audrey.
