Page 7 of Earning Her Trust

He didn’t answer. Was it because he was just as puzzled by this weird electricity between them?

For an excruciating moment, they stood locked in silent challenge. Then his fingers loosened from her wrist, sliding away with an intentional slowness that left a trail of heat on her skin. She took several large steps back from him and turned, intending to walk away, needing to get away for her own sanity.

“You’re not what I expected,” he said.

That stopped her.

She glanced over her shoulder. “Meaning?”

He hesitated, and she saw a single flicker of uncertainty in that fortress of a face. “Never mind.”

It spiked her temper all over again. “Say what you’re going to say. I can take it. I don’t break.” She’d spent a lifetime proving that to everyone who thought she was a frighted, skittish little rabbit. The idea that Ghost might see her the same way made her flush with indignation.

He considered. “You push. You don’t give up, even when everyone else already has. Even when you’re outnumbered.”

"I learned a long time ago that the only way to make them see us is to be loud as hell. Uncomfortable. In their faces." Thankfully, her voice came out steadier than she felt. "So yeah, I push."

He shrugged, and she watched the movement ripple under his jacket. She’d spent most of her twenties training with men who thought brute force meant power, but Ghost was all economy. Not a single action wasted. Even the way he braced his feet on the pavement said “try me.”

“You’re all fury and no sense.” His gaze dropped and again lingered on her mouth for just a second too long. She felt an answering tug low in her belly.

“Why’d you come tonight?” she asked, low and rough.

A muscle in his cheek jumped. “I said I would.”

“Most people don’t keep promises to me.”

His gaze was impossible to read in the shadows, but his posture shifted minutely, shoulders tensing beneath the dark jacket. “I don't make promises I can't keep.”

The parking lot had nearly emptied now. Only a few stragglers remained, voices carrying in the cool night air. Behind them, the community center's lights began to switch off one by one.

She should go. Check on her grandmother. Help the Padillas. Do something productive instead of standing here arguing with a man who clearly wanted to disappear.

But, no, that wasn’t entirely accurate. She had a feeling if he actually wanted to disappear, he would’ve already.

But something kept her rooted to the spot, drawn to his intensity like a moth to flame.

"I think," she said carefully, "that you actually care about these women. More than you want to admit."

His jaw tightened, but he didnt reply. And, honestly, she hadn’t expected him to.

“You said you’ve been mapping the cases,” she pressed. “Do you have files? I need everything you’ve got. Dates, patterns, sightings. Witnesses.”

He nodded once. “It’s not safe to share here. I keep the hard copies at the ranch. Digital’s wiped after every session.”

Of course it was. “Old habits die hard?”

“You could say that.”

She weighed her options. “Does tomorrow work? I can come by Valor Ridge.”

His brow furrowed, and for a second she thought he’d refuse.

But he surprised her. “I have a window at 0600. After that, the ranch gets busy.”

“Six a.m.?” She let the skepticism show, mostly to see if she could get any reaction.

He just shrugged. “After that, the ranch gets busy. Take it or leave it.”