Page 36 of Fearless Protector

“Brian already said he didn’t have a record.”

“Maybe he was a juvenile at the time. They expunge those records, right?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that. And we shouldn’t be speculating about this. It’ll color our opinion of him before we even have a chance to assess who he is.”

“I think he was one of those creepy kids who used to burn ants with a magnifying glass and got a kick out of messing with animals. Then maybe one day, one of his little buddies at the park got in the way.”

“Stop.” Cleo slapped his shoulder. It was the most physical contact they’d had since getting back to Ronnie’s house. She worried that the little tryst they had would be just a memory rather than the start of something. She’d started and stopped it so many times it was on her if nothing happened again.

“Fine,” he replied, catching the hand that had slapped him and lacing his fingers with hers.

“What are you doing?” She cocked up a brow and looked down at their hands.

“I’m holding your hand.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s soft and cold, and it fits really well in mine.”

“That’s a weird reason.”

“And because when we get on the highway, you always get freaked out, and your hands show it first. You rub them together and get the jitters. But when I hold your hand, that doesn’t happen.”

“So it’s just your duty?”

“It’s my pleasure,” he corrected.

“Pepper shaker,” she muttered under her breath.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing,” she breathed out, feeling torn by how right Ronnie’s assessment was. “I don’t get nervous on the highway. It’s actually impatience.”

“Oh,” Nick said, nodding as if that was a perfectly normal statement.

“The car always feels like wasted time to me. I would much prefer to just magically teleport wherever I need to go.”

“That would be more efficient for sure, but you wouldn’t be able to hear my sweet tunes along the way.” He jutted his chin out toward the radio.

“What a loss.”

“I’m assuming you already scoped out the hotel, all the restaurants within walking distance, and the last known address of Clark.”

“I have.”

“And you’ve got the rest of this day planned for us?”

She rolled her eyes as if he were wrong but admitted he was right. “I do.”

“Good.” He squeezed her hand a little tighter. “I like when you do that.”

“No, you don’t,” she scoffed, turning in her chair a bit to make sure he could see her expression. “No one likes that. I have been me for my entire life. Like just picture a nine-year-old in pigtails with a map, a highlighter, and a travel guide. No one appreciates that.”

“I do. You pick good places to eat. You work the GPS like a champ. It’s nice having someone around who has their shit together.”

She gave him a snarly look and narrowed her eyes. “I think we should drive by his address first. Just get an idea of what the place looks like. We’re in no position to go talk to him yet, but the lay of the land is always helpful.”

“I like it,” Nick said, glancing at the GPS as she set it on the dashboard. “You’re always prepared.”