Page 12 of Trapped (Sheppard & Sons Investigations #6)

Nathan

W hen I pulled up to Ashley’s grandmother’s house, all I wanted to do was talk. But she was standing on the front lawn arguing with some asshole.

An asshole who needed a lesson in manners. I volunteered, forming a plan to wipe the smug look off his face as I crossed the street.

Ashley wasn’t backing down, but her body language telegraphed her fear.

Neither of them noticed me. Never a good sign. If they were that focused on each other, they’d be easy targets if I’d wanted to harm them.

When he grabbed her wrist, Ashley pulled away. Fuck stealth . I closed the remaining distance.

I had to bite back the urge to rip the guy a new asshole. With my hands fisted, I stepped beside her. When I saw the bruise, it took every ounce of control I possessed not to kill the guy.

Demonstrating restraint that’d make a saint proud, I kept my hands to myself while I chased the guy away. He had to be an ex-boyfriend.

The idea of this guy touching Ashley didn’t help my mood.

When I asked what had happened, she said nothing. When I pressed, she gave me a lame-ass excuse, saying a cat tripped her.

All I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and hold her until her fear subsided. And protect her from every asshole on the planet.

But I had no more right to touch her than the asshole I’d chased away.

Ashley stomped away from me without answering another question. The fruity scent of her shampoo lingered after she walked away, driving me crazy.

Damn it . I didn’t like it, but it wouldn’t be hard for me to figure out who he was.

At the top of the list of ways to find out: Jamie. His wife was Ashley’s best friend.

I talked myself out of and into asking Jamie several times on my drive back to the office. I landed on asking. If he didn’t know or wouldn’t tell me, I’d find out for myself.

Before knocking on Jamie’s door, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. So far, my first week at SSI had been less than stellar, and I didn’t need to add suspected stalking to the list of reasons they had to doubt hiring me.

“Come in,” Jamie said when I rapped my knuckles on his door frame.

“Thanks. You have a minute?” I asked before pushing the door closed.

“Of course, what’s up?”

“I went to see Ashley.” His eyes widened, but he said nothing. “She was arguing with a guy on the front lawn. He got physical.”

Jamie’s curiosity shifted to concern, confirming my suspicions.

“My best guess, her ex, Finn. She dumped him before moving back to Weatherford to take care of her grandmother.” He coughed up the information without hesitation.

“Finn have a last name?” I planned on having a talk with her asshole ex and telling him to stay away.

Jamie leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, never taking his eyes off of me.

“Why?”

“So I can tell him to back off,” I admitted.

“Did Ashley ask you to talk to him?”

He knew damn well she hadn’t. If she had, I’d know his last name.

I shook my head.

“Let me talk to Ashley. If she wants our help, I’ll make sure she gets it.”

“I think he hit her.”

Now on high alert, Jamie leaned forward. “Did she tell you that?”

“I saw the marks. She claims she tripped over a cat, but I don’t believe her.”

“Prince,” Jamie’s shoulders relaxed as he laughed.

“Excuse me?”

“The cat’s name is Prince. She told Emily, he tripped her earlier today.”

“Just because this Finn guy didn’t hit her, doesn’t mean he’s not a threat.” I wasn’t ready to let it go.

“I’ll look into it. If she needs protection, she’ll get it.” He rested his arms on his desk and clasped his hands. “Like I’ve said before, Ashley’s family.”

I bit my tongue and nodded. “Yes, sir.” I saw him shake his head as I turned to leave.

Back in my office, which I’d eventually share with Matt, if I didn’t get fired before he started, I sat at my mostly empty desk and opened my laptop.

Glancing at Matt’s desk while it booted up, I sighed.

My desk didn’t look much different from his.

My SSI logo coffee mug was in a different location, and my laptop was open, but other than that, they were identical.

That’ll change soon enough . My desk would eventually be covered with files and pens and such once they’d assigned me more jobs.

I continued my research into Ashley York. If I were lucky, I’d find more information on Finn and pay him a little visit. If I spoke to him off the clock, I wouldn’t need permission from any Sheppard. One way or another, Finn would know it’d be in his best interest to leave Ashley alone.

I’d done just enough earlier to learn about her current situation and find her address, which wasn’t hard.

Ashley had posted on social media that she’d moved in with her grandmother in Weatherford.

For a woman who had friends in the PI and protection business, she posted stuff on social media that made it easy to stalk her.

Like I was.

Fuck!

Changing my mind about talking to Finn without her knowledge, I slammed my laptop shut. I won’t be that guy .