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They reached the alley without incident. Jenna yanked open the back passenger door for Claire, making sure the girl was safely inside before sliding into the front seat beside Griff. The moment she closed the door behind her, Griff hit the gas.

“Where are we going?” Jenna asked when Griff made several turns, first heading in one direction and then switching course to head in another. “I suppose you’re taking us to the police station?”

“I should, but I’m not willing to do that yet. Not until I understand what’s going on.”

Jenna could barely hide her surprise. Griff always followed the rules. “A hotel, then?”

Griff shook his head. “We’re heading to my place.”

His place? She tried to hide her shock. “Don’t you think a hotel would be safer?”

“No. I believe the guy shot at me because I’m the one who interrupted the assault on you, but there’s no way he could know my name or where I live. I have a spare bedroom that you and Claire can share.” He paused, then added, “Besides, it’s almost dawn and we need sleep. In the morning we’ll use my computer to start investigating the mess that we’ve stumbled into.”

Jenna couldn’t argue his logic, even though the thought of going to Griff’s place was unnerving. She was capable of taking care of herself and Claire, but considering the fact that Griff was now in danger, as well, he was right to encourage them to stick together.

She glanced back at Claire. “Are you okay with the plan?”

Claire nodded. “As long as you’re there with me,” she said in a quiet voice.

“I will be,” Jenna promised. She turned back around. “All right, then. I guess that’s settled.”

Griff drove for several more miles, then doubled back, before pulling into his driveway. He parked in the garage, and Jenna waited until the garage door closed before unbuckling her seat belt and pushing open the door.

She looked into the back, surprised to see Claire’s head propped against the window, her eyes closed as if she’d finally given in to the exhaustion that plagued her. There were pizza crumbs scattered across her lap, indicating she had helped herself to some leftovers. Jenna was relieved the girl had food in her system.

For a moment Jenna simply stared at her, wondering about this young woman who looked so much like her.

“Need help?” Griff asked.

“No, thanks.” Jenna pulled herself up short and opened the car door, shaking Claire awake. “Come on. We need to go inside.”

Claire blinked in confusion, but nodded. She struggled to get out of the car, managing with Jenna’s help to stand on her own two feet.

Griff led the way, flipping lights on as he went. Jenna was curious about the place her boss called home, but tried not to be too nosy.

“The first door on the right upstairs is the guest bedroom, and the bathroom is across the hall,” he said. Then he frowned when he realized Claire was sagging heavily against Jenna. “I was hoping we’d get some more information out of her tonight.”

Jenna shook her head. “You’re the one who pointed out it’s almost dawn. She’s not going anywhere. It’s better for her to get some rest.”

Griff nodded reluctantly, took the duffel bag upstairs and set it inside the guest bedroom. Then he hesitated near the doorway. “Good night, Jenna.”

“Good night, Griff.”

He surprised her by flashing a devastatingly handsome smile before turning to leave them alone in the room. Jenna stared after him for a moment, trying to understand why he’d looked so happy.

It took a few seconds to realize she’d broken her self-imposed rule by calling him by his first name.

And for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why her slip would make him smile.

* * *

Griff managed to get a couple of hours of sleep before his internal alarm clock kicked in. He dragged himself out of bed and felt a little more human after a quick shower. He pulled on a pair of black jeans and a black SWAT sweatshirt.

There was no sound coming from the guest bedroom, so he headed down to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. He still had trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that the assailant had tried to kill him. Claire’s escape must be a significant threat if the guy wanted her back badly enough to risk shooting a cop.

After gathering eggs from the fridge, he began breaking them into a large bowl. Working in the kitchen wasn’t his strong suit, but he could manage to throw something edible together so they wouldn’t starve. Ham-and-cheese omelets with toast would have to suffice.

While the omelet was cooking, he took a sip of his coffee, nearly spilling it down the front of his sweatshirt when he noticed Jenna standing in the doorway.

“Good morning. That coffee smells good.”

He pulled himself together and gestured toward the pot. “Help yourself. Breakfast will be ready soon.”

“Looks great,” she said, opening the cupboards to search for a mug. She poured a cup of coffee and then rummaged in the fridge for milk.

Watching Jenna making herself at home in his kitchen created an intimacy he wished he hadn’t noticed. In the last year of his marriage, there hadn’t been many Saturday mornings like this. Helen worked way too many hours at the law firm, including weekends, even the ones he happened to be off duty.

Griff concentrated on making sure the omelet didn’t burn, then turned to push the toaster handle down. Jenna was standing so close he could smell the strawberry scent that seemed to cling to her skin.

He gave himself a mental shake, reminding himself that she and Claire were in danger. He couldn’t afford to be sidetracked.

Especially not by a woman who reported to him. A woman who reminded him of a life he didn’t deserve to have.

A few minutes later the food was ready and he was relieved when Jenna took the seat across from him. When she bowed her head to pray, he remembered his grandmother doing the same thing and found himself looking down at his hands as he waited for her to finish.

“We need some sort of game plan.” Jenna dug into her omelet and took a bite. “Wow, this is good.”

“You were expecting poison?” he asked drily.

She laughed, the husky sound sending shivers of awareness down his spine. “No, of course not. I just didn’t realize you were a great cook.”

He wasn’t, but quickly filled his own mouth with food so he wouldn’t make a bigger fool out of himself.

“Claire’s hiding something,” Jenna continued as if she hadn’t knocked him sideways with her laugh. “I understand she’s scared, but we need to know exactly what we’re up against.”

“I’m sure she’ll cooperate now that she’s safe,” he said.

Jenna took another bite, looking thoughtful. “I don’t know. I get the feeling there’s more to her situation than she wants to tell us.”

Griff frowned. “Are you saying you think she may have participated in something illegal?”

Jenna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in a familiar gesture. “Yeah. I hate to say it, but that’s the vibe I’m getting.”

He always told his deputies to trust their instincts. Jenna in particular knew how to read abused women. If she thought there was something else going on, then he believed her. “Maybe you should talk to her alone.”

She glanced up at him in surprise. “Really?”

He knew better than to micromanage his team. “Yeah. Why not? Claire trusts you.”

“Okay.” She took a sip of coffee. “Have to admit, it was creepy finding that newspaper clipping of me in her pocket.”

He couldn’t agree more. “I’ll start a background check on her while you two talk. Hopefully there isn’t a warrant out for her arrest.”

Jenna’s expression turned grim. “I guess I wouldn’t be too surprised if there was.”

There was a muffled thump from upstairs, indicating Claire was awake. Griff finished his breakfast and then rose to his feet, intending to make Claire’s omelet.

“Good morning, Claire.” Jenna greeted the girl as she hesitantly stepped into the kitchen. “Help yourself to coffee.”

The girl wrinkled her nose and slipped into the vacant chair closest to Jenna. “No, thanks. I’d rather have a diet cola.”

Griff took a soft drink from the fridge and handed it to Claire, noticing she was wearing her charm bracelet. It didn’t take long for Jenna to comment on it, too.

“Who gave you the bracelet?” she asked. “A boyfriend?”

Claire paled and shook her head. “No, my mother gave it to me shortly before the stupid woman from child protective services took me away from her. It’s all I have left.”

Now it was Jenna’s turn to go pale. She pushed her plate away and wrapped her fingers around her coffee mug as if craving warmth. “What happened to your mother?”

Claire grimaced. “I don’t know. I’m going to try and find her.” Jenna lifted a curious brow. “I know she had problems, but they had no right to take me away.”

“Drugs? Alcohol?”

“Drugs,” Claire admitted with a heavy sigh. “She’d stay clean for a while, but then one day I’d come home from school and find her strung out.”

Griff tightened his grip on the spatula, imagining what Claire had suffered. Maybe she had broken the law at some point. He only hoped that the crime wasn’t so bad he couldn’t help her get out of it.

He slid the omelet onto a plate, added toast and set it beside Claire. She glanced up and gave him a nod of thanks.

Jenna paused for a few minutes, allowing her to eat. Claire eagerly dug into the simple meal, making Griff glad that he’d taken the time to cook a hot breakfast.

He’d fully intended to leave them alone, but since Claire seemed willing to keep talking, he decided to clean up the kitchen a bit, admittedly eavesdropping on their conversation.

“How old were you when you entered the foster system?” Jenna asked in a gentle tone.

“Eleven, almost twelve, and I hated every minute of it,” Claire said flatly. “My mother’s rights were terminated a year later. I was adopted by an older couple, but I didn’t handle it well. I caused a lot of trouble for them, so I couldn’t really blame them for giving me up for re-adoption.”

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