Page 74 of Girl Between

“I don’t need you playing detective in my personal affairs.”

“Don’t need to be a detective to see you two are making things more complicated than they need to be.”

Jake shrugged. “Gray’s a complicated woman.”

“Yeah. Smart as hell, too,” he added.

Jake couldn’t deny that. “Too smart, if you ask me.”

“She’s good at the job though. Cautious, careful, alert. You taught her well,” said George. “Girl’s got street smarts, too.” He smirked. “You know what she told me her name was when we first met?”

“Jane Doe,” Jake hedged.

George smirked. “Sure ‘nough.”

Jake huffed a laugh. “That’s my girl.”

“Is she though?”

“I told you, it’s complicated,” Jake bit out, his voice hard again.

“Do you think it’s the job?” asked George. “That makes it complicated?”

Jake’s face hardened. “What we did, what we do now… it makes everything more complicated.”

“Yeah,” George agreed, lost in his own silent demons for a moment. “But I think she’s here for it. I mean if she wanted out, she’d be long gone by now, right? Not volunteering to follow us into the darkness we’ve made our livelihood.”

Jake hated the truth in George’s assessment. “If you want answers you should go to the source,” he grumbled.

“Believe me, I’ve tried. She’s about as forthcoming as a haiku. Won’t talk about her last case other than to say it’s why she doesn’t trust her instincts anymore.”

“She said that?” Jake asked.

George nodded.

“What happened wasn’t her fault,” Jake said, his voice a low growl. “I’m here trying to make her see that.”

“Whose fault was it?”

“No one’s,” Jake snapped. “It just got personal.”

“Don’t they all?”

“Not like this. Gray doesn’t let people in. Neither do I.”

“Occupational hazard,” George agreed.

“Well, this time, we slipped up. We let someone in, someone we thought we could trust, and we got blindsided.” Jake’s jaw tightened. “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I know better. No one’s above suspicion. But I got too close, too relaxed. I never saw it coming.”

“Hardest part of the job,” George mused.

“That’s just it. Gray’s not on the job. She didn’t sign up for this life. She’s a fucking librarian.”

“Maybe. But you have to admit she’s good at this. You said it yourself. She’s an asset to every case you’ve worked together.”

“Yeah,” Jake swiped a hand over his face. “Maybe I got it wrong.”

“Maybe you didn’t.”