holding all the cards,â Kyle assured her.
She twisted in her seat to face him. âWhat do you mean by that?â
He ducked his head a little guiltily. âI told Joe what was going on.â
âWithout running that by me first?â she cried. âYou know whatâll happen if they find out weâve involved the Sheriffâs Department!â
âAbby,â Kyle said, keeping his tone even, âwe need help on this. Mac mightâve played along with your story, but heâs not an idiot. Who do you think trained me how to assess a crime scene? Odds are good that heâs going to be back there as soon as the sunâs up, taking another look. If weâre going to keep him off the scent, there needs to be some misdirection. Joe can keep him focused on the burglary angle while we pursue our leads. But I think you underestimate my dad. I sure as hell donât see eye to eye with the guy, but heâs not going to do anything that would get Emma killed. If you were just straight with himââ
âNo!â Abby interrupted. âIâm not telling anyone else about this until my sister is home safe and sound. What if it were one of your brothers?â
She had a point. Thereâs nothing Kyle wouldnât do for one of his brothers. Even as strained as his relationship was with Gabe, heâd still throw down against anyone who threatened to do him harm, consequences to himself be damned.
âOkay. Fine,â he relented. âWeâll play this your way.â For now . âBut, uh, you should know I also asked Joe to look into the phone number.â
âOh my God,â Abby moaned. âKyleâ¦â
Good lord, I wish she was moaning that phrase in a totally different contextâ¦
âI trust Joe with my life,â he reminded her. âHeâll know what to say to Elle McCoy to get her to request the search warrant so we can see the cell phone records.â When Abby gave him a doubting look, he added, âSheâs the deputy prosecutor, Abby. We had to go through her. Iâm sure Joe will just use the olâ Dawson charm to convince her to keep things as quiet as possible.â
âYouâre a bit out of the loop,â Abby informed him. âGabeâs been trying to get into Elleâs pants for years, and she keeps turning him down like a hot stove. I hate to tell you, Kyle, but sheâs immune to that âolâ Dawson charm.ââ
âGood thing I didnât send Gabe to do it then, eh?â he said, offering her a half-grin. But when that didnât lessen her concern, he told her solemnly, âWe had to try. This guyâs got us by the short and curlies, Abby. We need to get some kind of leg up on him.â
Abby nodded. âOkay. Youâre right. I justââ A single sob shook her shoulders. She hissed a curse under her breath and pressed her lips together in an angry line.
God, it was breaking Kyleâs heart to see her going through this. The fucker who was holding her sister had better hope Emma came home okay, or Kyle would tear the bastard limb from limb. That protective urge heâd always felt toward Abby surged with a vengeance, making his blood boil with anger. He had no right to the feeling; that was for damned sure. But it didnât stop him.
Not knowing what else to do, he reached over and grasped her hand, giving it a squeeze. What he wanted to do was pull over and drag her into his arms, hold her close, and kiss her lips until she melted into him and let him take away all the pain and sorrow for a few fleeting moments. But he had to settle for just holding her hand.
âWeâre gonna get Emma back,â he said. âI promise. And weâll figure out if that was Curtis in the photo.â
Her hand shifted a little in his grasp, and for a second he thought she was trying to withdraw from his touch. But, to his surprise, she twined her fingers with
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