There it was again, the confidence I always thought might be hovering beneath the surface, but she’d never shown before. And it was hot. My sexy little genius. Before I could go further down that line of thought, she picked up with the questions again, forcing me back to the subject I’d been avoiding.

“What does that leave? PI work? Do you enjoy it?”

Did I? I let myself answer honestly. “I don’t want to follow cheating spouses around ever again. I’ve had enough. Sure, it pays the bills, but it blows.”

She abandoned her fork on her plate and leaned her elbows on the table, dropping her chin on her hands to study me. “But you liked tracking down that guy’s family. That meant something to you.”

Hell yes, it had. Absolutely. That had given me just as much satisfaction, if not more, than closing a case as a detective ever did.

I nodded.

“Have you considered focusing on missing persons? You have the skills, and you’re building the independent résumé on top of the experience you had at the department.”

It was like a light bulb going off in my head, and Ari had flipped the switch.

Help people locate the loved ones they refused to let go of, and get them answers? The work could be just as hard as chasing down cheating spouses, just in a different way. But when the outcome was positive, it was a hell of a lot more rewarding. The more I turned the suggestion over in my mind, the more I liked it.

“That’s a damn good idea.”

Ari’s face lit up with a wide smile. “I’m glad you think so. Finding something you enjoy makes all the difference. I wouldn’t work as much as I do if I didn’t love it. You could change lives by helping people in a way that only you can.”

I soaked up her enthusiasm. “It’s something to think about. But first, I have to figure out . . .” I stopped short because we both knew where I was going.

“Is there any way I can help? I have skills, you know. Maybe not perfectly legal ones, but they’re helpful in the right situation.”

My gaze sharpened on her. “You’re talking about hacking into the department, aren’t you?”

With her chin still perched on her hands, she lifted her shoulders to her ears and dropped them. “It’s not like it would be hard. I got into Heath’s work computer in about twelve seconds, but that’s only because he’s not creative with his passwords. If there’s information on the inside that they’re not being up front about, you need to know. You deserve to know.”

I thought about what she was saying. Not so very long ago, my perspective on the world was very black and white. Things were either right or wrong, and I didn’t spend much time considering shades of gray. But that was before. Now I realized that life was more blurry gray lines than anything at all.

The department was holding something back. There was a lot more to the story than they were saying, and Heath’s position in IA meant that he should know what it was. Or he would if he hadn’t requested to be removed from the case due to a conflict of interest.

“What exactly are you proposing, Red?”

Her brain was wired differently than mine, so I couldn’t help but wonder what she planned. I could swear excitement lit her eyes at the question.

“Just some snooping around. See if maybe there are files they’ve tried to bury. Digital footprints are everywhere, even when you think you’ve erased them.”

“You don’t think they know how to cover their tracks?”

She lifted her chin and tapped her index fingers together with a sly smile. “I don’t think you realize how good I am at what I do.”

That smile. That confidence. This woman. She was the full package, and beyond intoxicating with that light shining in her eyes. And her loyalty—willing to do whatever it took to help me find answers—that was even sweeter.

“What do you need?”

“Only your permission.”

My grip tightened on my empty glass. “Do it.”

It was as if those words unleashed something in the universe, because at that moment, Ari’s phone rang.

25

Ariel

“I’m a little busy, Heath.”

“We have a big fucking problem.”

The panic sharpening my brother’s tone put me on edge. “What’s going on?”

“Dad’s gone. I can’t find him.”

I tensed as dread crawled through me. “What do you mean?”

Rhett’s eyes locked on mine as Heath explained.

“He wanted pizza from that place he loves that doesn’t deliver, so I ran out to get it. When I came back, the door was open and he was gone.”

I didn’t know that a disappearing parent could be my worst nightmare, but tonight, it was. “Oh my God. What are we going to do?”

Rhett tugged the phone from my nerveless fingers. “Hey, it’s Hennessy. What the hell’s going on? Your sister’s as white as a sheet.”

My stomach knotted as Heath filled Rhett in, talking loudly enough that I could hear every word. Frozen in place, I didn’t know what to do. Crisis mode required emotional separation and a rational, cool head. Business was business. No one was going to die regardless of the outcome of those decisions, and I could handle them with proper processing and analysis. But the thought of my dad wandering alone on the street, lost and confused, destroyed me.

There was nothing rational going through my head right now.

Not my daddy, please.

“We’ll be there in fifteen. Call the department. Call in every favor you have. Get everyone on the streets. Make a list of places he might go, or where he liked to go—his favorite bars, restaurants, hell, even your mom’s grave—and give it to everyone. We’re on our way.”

Rhett ended the call and yanked out his wallet. He tossed a handful of cash down on the table, rose, and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”

Like a robot, I followed him, thinking through every worst-case scenario. I couldn’t even form the words until we stepped outside. “What are we going to do?”

With his face set in a determined mask and his voice strong with conviction, he answered. “We’re going to find him.” He pulled me across the street to the parking lot and stopped beside my door.