Page 43 of Smoky Mountain K-9
His voice cracked, and Mara couldn’t stop herself. She darted a hand out and wrapped it around his arm. He took his hand from his pocket and laced their fingers, then squeezed, the grip just shy of painful.
Carter cleared his throat. “Did the video reveal any more?”
“Actually, yes. It caught a car driving past at a high rate of speed not long after the hooded figure ran off. We weren’t lucky enough to catch a license plate, but the car was a light-colored mid-size SUV.”
A new sort of tension filled Carter’s muscles, and his grip on Mara’s hand loosened as he rocked slightly forward on the balls of his feet. “Could you tell make and model?”
Ben nodded and gave them the information. “I’ve got deputies on the lookout for it. So does the city. I forwarded the information to Agent Porter as well. We’ll find them.”
Mara felt the anxious energy humming through Carter’s body. He wanted to go look for the car.
Ben’s gaze narrowed as he stared at Carter. “Go home. Get some rest. That’s what I plan to do soon too. The guys know to call you if they bring someone in.”
“He’s right.” Mara tugged on his hand. “Let your colleagues do their jobs.”
“Besides,” Ben chimed in. “You can’t be anywhere near the arrest. It’s best if you go home.”
Carter snorted. “It might be best, but it doesn’t change my desire to go find the person responsible.” He shook his head. “But you’re right. I don’t want them to walk because I got involved. Tell them to look at Amy Spalding. She threatened to come after me and Mav after I arrested her husband for felony drug possession. Of all the people I looked at, she stuck out the most.”
Ben nodded. “Will do.”
Carter took a step back, tugging on Mara’s hand. “We’ll be at Mara’s. I can’t go home until I get my house cleaned.”
Ben nodded. “Okay, I’ll text you the number for the restoration cleaners. You can call them in the morning.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Ben.”
“Yep.” He made a shooing motion. “Get out of here, so I can finish up and go home myself.”
A smile tugged on one corner of Carter’s mouth. “Yes, sir.”
Mara waggled her fingers at Ben, and they left. Passing through the building, they stopped long enough to turn her badge in, then headed for his truck. Once inside, Mara pointed the vehicle toward her house for the short ride home.
“You okay?” She glanced over, taking in his tense posture. He drummed his fingers on his knee and stared straight ahead.
“I’m fine.” He didn’t look at her.
Mara scoffed. “Yeah, okay.”
Carter sighed, and his fingers stopped their tattoo on his leg. “I’m fine enough. How’s that?”
“Better.” She offered him a soft smile.
This time, he looked at her. His features softened. “Thank you.”
A frown wrinkled her forehead. “For what?”
“For being here. For doing what was needed without question. For keeping me from running off and doing something dumb. I know you didn’t jump into the driver’s seat just now to keep me from going out to look for that car, but if you weren’t here, I might have done just that, consequences be damned.”
Mara patted his knee, then wrapped her fingers around his hand. “You might have, yes. But you’re smart enough to realize you’d need someone else to make the arrest and would have called for backup.”
He quirked one eyebrow and tipped his head. “Maybe.” His gaze returned to the windshield, and he shook his head. “It’s been a long time since something made me this angry. They want to target me? Fine. But leave my dog—and you—out of it.”
She’d prefer they left him out of it too. She wasn’t sure she’d make it through losing another man she loved.
Her eyes widened as that thought ran through her head, and she turned her face away so Carter couldn’t read her thoughts. Did she really just think that? Her mind spun as she analyzed her feelings behind her thoughts. She wanted to deny it—it was too soon for her to be in love with him. Never mind that she knew she was falling in love. That was completely different frombeingin love. Falling in love took time. She spent months falling in love with Blake. It hadn’t even been three weeks since her first date with Carter.
But she couldn’t deny what was in her heart. She’d fallen for the quiet deputy. His steadfast, loyal nature and quick, charming smile blasted past the walls she’d erected after Blake’s death. Her heart knew it had found someone who would take care to consider her feelings and treat her with love, respect, and patience. He would bend over backward to ensure her happiness. And she wanted to do the same for him. She wanted to be his rock in the storm. Just as much as she was sure he’d be hers.