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He nodded.
“Are you sure?” Violet asked. “You trusted the rest of your squad mates and they turned on you.”
“These guys served with us over in the Sand Box. I’d bet my life and yours on their loyalty to me and Noah.”
He got them moving toward the parking lot, slowing when he saw Knight waiting by the SUV, his attention supposedly riveted on his phone. That never happened. Knight was aware at all times. Having his attention focused on his phone was unheard of.
Seth noticed Teagan and Violet slipping free hands into their pockets, no doubt to have access to their weapons if Seth and Noah were wrong. “Wait,” he murmured. He didn’t want Knight injured.
Neither woman stood down, but they also didn’t brandish weapons either. He’d take the small win.
Knight waited until Seth was a few feet away before he slid the phone into his pocket. He said, “Donovan’s in the back room,” and walked away.
“Inside,” Seth murmured. He unlocked the SUV and lifted Teagan to the shotgun seat and buckled her in. By the time he climbed behind the wheel, Noah and Violet were inside as well.
He drove from the parking lot and turned in the opposite direction of Donovan’s. He drove squares for a while to be sure they weren’t being followed, then headed for the restaurant.
Seth prayed he wasn’t taking Teagan and the others into a trap.
CHAPTER TEN
WHILE SETH DROVEthe SUV in squares to spot any potential tails, Teagan sent a message to the rest of her teammates to update them on the latest events. Seth might trust his friends but she didn’t.
Fury burned a hole in her gut at the actions of Detective Wilson. What was the man thinking, cornering her in a room with a witness to his actions?
Teagan deliberately focused on the anger and pushed aside the building nausea when she remembered other, more violent confrontations in her childhood before she’d escaped the cult and joined the military.
After sending the message, she slid her phone into her pocket and stared out the side window. Although she should watch for a tail, Teagan couldn’t see anything but the past, a past so horrible her breath stalled in her lungs at the memories.
A hard hand wrapped around hers and squeezed gently. Seth said nothing but his touch was enough to allow Teagan to breathe.
What was wrong with her? She’d beat this dragon down successfully many times to go undercover with Artemis. Why was this time different? Something to think about when she was alone. Now was not the time to get lost in her head. Seth’s life depended on her. He said nothing but the morning’s events had devastated the handsome detective, no matter if the confrontation with his commander was staged.
Forty minutes later, Seth parked at the back of Donovan’s and came around to open Teagan’s door. He lifted her from the passenger seat and set her down. Instead of stepping back, he glanced at Noah. “We’ll join you in a minute.”
Soon, Violet and Noah entered the restaurant through a door opened by Knight.
Teagan wrapped her arms around Seth’s neck. They were under observation by at least one of Seth’s fellow cops. “What are you doing, Seth?”
“What I can for the moment.” He traced the line of her cheekbone with his forefinger, his touch light. “It’s not enough but will have to do for now. Are you all right, sweetheart?”
She wanted to give him a blinding smile and offer a pretty lie. She couldn’t. “No.”
“How can I help?”
The ball of ice in her stomach melted. “You already are.”
Seth stared into her eyes for a beat, then slid his hand to her nape and urged her to rest against his shoulder. As though they’d been a couple for decades instead of hours, Teagan nuzzled the side of his neck and relaxed against him. The detective’s other hand pressed against her back, his hold secure. “I’ve got you, Teagan.”
“We need to go inside,” she murmured.
“They’ll wait for another minute. You’re more important.”
Touched, she kissed his neck. “I wish we’d met years ago.”
“Me, too, babe.” Finally, he eased her back. “Better?”
“More than you know.”