Page 61 of Fatal Deception

“You know, it seems to me, Audra is surrounded by family now,” Duncan said, his tone polite, but very,veryfirm. “I’m not sure she needs you hanging around here unless it’s official police business.”

Copeland thought about that. How it would be easiest, maybe even best, if he took a few steps back. He could put everything he had, everything he was, into getting to the bottom of Austin and Karly Young. He could give her the space she likely needed, deserved.

But he’d never be able to focus if she wasn’t in his sight. He’d be worried, every second of every day, that something had happened. Someone had gotten through. Something had snapped.

And more, he understood that she knew how to manipulate all these players. Maybe it wasn’t a fair word, but she’dmaneuverRosalie and Franny, convince them everything was alright when it wasn’t. She couldn’t do that to him. Maybe someday she’d be able to, but not yet.

So he shook his head, even though he appreciated that there wassomeonein this world who was protective of Audra. Besides him.

“She might not need me,” Copeland agreed easily. He didn’t look away or let any of his own personal discomfort over his feelings show. Because maybe he was making every kind of mistake, the kinds of mistakes he’d made before, but for Audra it just wasn’t possible to step away. “But she’s got me.”

Chapter Nineteen

Audra’s temper fizzled through breakfast. Because Copeland was very clearly not welcome, but he settled himself at the table and filled in everyone on what had happened in a very matter-of-fact police way that didn’t leave much room for Rosalie or Franny to overreact too,toomuch.

And she knew that was by design, not accident. He was trying tohelp, even when he was doing what she expressly wished he wouldn’t.

She didn’t know how to fight him. He was too…reasonable. Too fair. And she didn’t know how to stay angry with him when he did things like sit at the breakfast table with just about everyone she loved and weather their hostility like it didn’t matter to him in the slightest.

Which was something he probably dealt with at work plenty. Not everyone liked the law poking around, and not everyone liked what a detective might find. She could sit here and try to convince herself that was all it was—work.

But it wasn’t.

“Whether she wanted to or not, Karly made it pretty clear Austin is our culprit. Or could be. We’re working on tracking him down, seeing if we can prove it,” Copeland explained in patient cop tones. “There’s a lot of anger and bitterness there, so it tracks.”

“Wow, they’re so unique,” Rosalie muttered, stabbing at her eggs. “Bitterness. Anger. Over our SOB of a dad. Weird how Ididn’t think to take it out on the random kids we didn’t know he had.”

Those words settled into Audra differently, because hadn’t she essentially said the same to Karly? They were the same. They were all victims of their father.

But the anger and bitterness she’d felt from Karly was geared towardher, toward the ranch. Not the situation. Not Tim Young.

With Rosalie back home, something about the entire interaction with Karly suddenly had a far more discordant note. Pretending someone didn’t exist didn’t mesh with anger. Anger was born of time and offense and hurt.

Then again, there’d been time—all these years—to nurture that hurt, so maybe it made sense, even if Audra didn’t feel the same. Not everyone was going to react to betrayal in the same way.

But something was chewing at her, deep in the pit of her stomach. She’d make sense of it, but she needed…work. Cold air, animals, physical labor. Some alone time.

“I’d better get started on chores,” Audra said, pushing back from the table. She wanted to clear the table, clean up after breakfast, but chores were more pressing and—

Duncan and Copeland stood, like they were some kind of partnered unit. Without even discussing it, they blocked her path.

“Duncan and I can handle it,” Copeland said, like he spoke forhernewly minted brother-in-law. And he must, because Duncan stood next to Copeland looking like just the same kind of brick wall.

“But—”

“Catch up with your family,” Copeland said.Ordered. “And lock the door behind us.”

She would have argued. She would have told him where to shove it, but he simply stepped forward, pressed a hard kiss to her mouth, then walked away, like that was that and he just got to…tell her what to do.

And kiss her in front of everyone.

She stood there, frozen with irritation and embarrassment and…something a lot warmer and nicer than those two things. But the darker emotions felt easier. Safer.

So why were the warmer, nicer ones winning?

“See?” Franny said, gesturing at Rosalie once the men were out of earshot.

Rosalie only scowled as she moved forward and locked the door.