Page 20 of Justified Fear

“Mr.Templeton,” he said.

“Riki, please.And I’m sure you know what I want to know.”

Why was Ryan eye-fucking his daughter less than forty-eight hours after she had been attacked?

“Hey, I get it,” Kap said, stepping in.He was always smoother with victims and their families.Ryan tended to be too quiet, and it freaked people out.“But there’s only so much we can tell you about the investigation at the moment.”

Another glance between them, then Riki’s gaze connected with Ryan’s.“Is that true?”

“As per directive, it’s against policy to reveal anything in an ongoing investigation.”

“You suspect my daughter.”

Not a question.“No.”

His eyebrows rose.

“At least not now.We had to check her out.”

Instead of getting mad, he nodded.“Thank you for your honesty.”

He wandered off, looking out over the pool.“I thought this would be a new start after the debacle with her ex-partner.I didn’t like her being so far away, but she seemed to thrive from the moment she stepped on this island.Then this.”He sighed.“She has refused to move back to Texas.”

His heart seemed to stutter at that announcement, which made no sense.He had just met her, so the reason he was worried had to be about the case.

“It would be best if she stayed here,” Kap said, tossing a glance at Ryan before he looked at Riki again.“We need her for the investigation.”

“She’s fragile,” her father insisted.

Ryan snorted, earning him a narrowed look.“What?”

“Your daughter?Fragile?That is not close to being the truth.”

“Ryan,” Kap said, his voice darkening with a warning.

“You don’t think a woman who has been attacked is fragile?”

“No.I think she might be vulnerable due to the circumstances, but the last thing I would call your daughter is fragile.”

Her giant of a father crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Ryan.“Explain.”

Usually, he would refuse, but seeing as how this was her father, Ryan felt he should.

“The moment she heard gunfire, she fell to the ground.When she heard them getting closer, she ran into the forest, not out front.Most people would do that.”

“But my daughter didn’t.”

He shook his head.“She ran into the safety of the forest.She spent all night avoiding the perpetrators, not to mention feral pigs.The last thing I would call your daughter is fragile.”

“She needs protection.She should come home.”Ryan was starting to understand that Riki thought of Texas as home.He had a feeling Keely disagreed.As if to prove his point, her voice rang out across the yard.

“That’s because I’m a grown ass woman who was raised by two people who taught me to be independent.”He looked at her and saw her studying all of them.He had no idea when she’d stepped out on the lanai.“French toast is ready.”

As they followed her father into the house, he shared a look with Kap.Yes, his daughter had been in a situation, but this was a little overbearing.There was something definitely there, something maybe from her past they weren’t forthcoming about.As they all sat down, he directed Maya to lie in the corner.She happily curled up into a ball and promptly went to sleep.

“Does she go with you everywhere?”Monica asked.

“Just about.We’ve been partners for five years.”