Page 47 of Justified Fear

Ryan nodded.He understood that she had a lot on her plate.Not only had she been at a murder scene, but her grandmother was in the hospital.

“Do we know what happened with her grandmother?”

“Tutu.”

He frowned.“What?”

“We—meaning Hawaiians—call our grandparents tutu.And yes.Unfortunately, she fell and broke her hip.”

Again, he rolled his shoulders.

“You need to take her mind off of everything.I tried, but I don’t think I’m her favorite TFH member.”

Cat was blinking up at him innocently.He knew better.The woman was the best sharpshooter he had ever seen, and she was brilliant.

“How much do you have running on the bet?”

“What?”Her tone was filled with mock outrage.“I don’t gamble.”

“You and everyone else at TFH need to understand that I don’t believe in crossing the line with victims.Had a bad experience with it in LA.Don’t want to go down that road again.”

Her face softened.“I don’t think you need to worry about that with Keely.”

“You know?”

“I do, but I don’t think there are many on the team—mine or yours—that do.One thing I learned was that holding back like that from your family isn’t good.And just like Lilo said, we are O’hana, whether you like it or not.”

He nodded but said nothing.

“I almost lost Drew, you know?Thought it was my fault.That if I’d stayed away from him, he would be safe.Didn’t work.We can’t control anything in life.That’s a crock.”

The woman was usually not so poignant.“Still, her safety is what is most important.”

She nodded.“Keep telling yourself that lie.”

“It is what is most important.”

“Oh, I get that, it’s just that you’re trying to control the situation.It won’t work, because we’re not in control.Sometimes, it’s nice to let go.”She sighed and opened her car door.“Now, I’m heading back to headquarters since the love of my life is probably helping Elle.”

“Thanks again.”

She gave him a blinding smile and slipped into the car.Ryan watched her drive away, then took his time as he headed back into the house.He stepped inside and heard Keely talking.It took a second for him to realize that she was talking to Maya,

“We aren’t telling Ryan how many biscuits I gave you, okay?We’ll keep it a secret between the two of us.”

His mouth twitched.Maya had had a little nibble in the car, but she hadn’t really had her full dinner yet.That was in his bag, sitting on the counter.He stepped into the doorway and watched Keely and his partner interact.

“Okay, I’ll give you one more, then that’s it.I don’t want you getting a stomachache.”

She had her hair down tonight; the long, thick, dark strands curled slightly at the ends.The t-shirt she was wearing sported the name of a Texas football team, and she was wearing board shorts.No makeup.

She was more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen.

He moved, which drew her attention.She took the bag of treats and hid them behind her back.She looked guilty as hell and sexy as fuck.

“Have you had anything to eat?”

He shook his head, trying to dislodge the need he had for her.He needed his damned brain to control the situation, but since the moment he’d met her, he hadn’t been thinking straight.