“Vest, please.” Mitch nodded at her bulletproof vest.

  She didn’t argue but put her coat on and slipped the vest over it. Mitch grabbed his jacket, and they all headed down the hall.

  At the door, Mitch turned to Kat. “If you don’t mind waiting here, I’ll pull up the car.”

  Tommy faked gagging himself. “What happened to you, partner? ‘If you don’t mind, would you pretty please.’ Enough already. I’m gonna be sick.”

  Kat started laughing, her eyes so alive Mitch had to draw in a breath.

  “I never thought I’d say this, but he’s right,” she said after her laughter stilled. “I like the real Mitch Elliot better.” She smiled softly up at him, and when their eyes met, his heart exploded with warmth, and he couldn’t look away. The gaze heated up and everything around them blurred. He could look into those honey-brown eyes forever.

  Tommy cleared his throat. “Uh...hello? Are you getting the car or are we gonna stand here all night?”

  Mitch reluctantly pulled away and with one last look at Kat, he navigated slippery sidewalks to the parking lot. He’d been kind and polite, yet she admitted liking the real him. Maybe there was hope for him after all. He probably shouldn’t be thinking this way, but how could he not after that intense gaze.

  And her laugh. He smiled as he climbed into his car. A full smile that rang true in her eyes. He could get used to seeing her like that. Actually, he wanted to get used to it—wanted to see her laugh like that again and again.

  “Get a grip, Elliot,” he mumbled to himself. “It was just a laugh.”

  He brought his car to the front and noted the sound of the tires crunching over a thin layer of ice. Could be a dicey ride home.

  Tommy opened the front door and leaned in, a good-natured smile on his face. “Might want to cool it, partner. Another look like that one and you’ll scare her away.” He backed out, made a sweeping bow like the gentleman he rarely was and grinned at Kat as she climbed in.

  “See you tomorrow, Justice.” He shut the door and pounded on the roof.

  Mitch navigated the slick streets lined with trees glistening with white ice crystals. But the road was another matter. It was coated with black ice, the dangerous kind of ice. The kind you couldn’t always see and prepare for, and mimicking the way he was feeling about Kat. One minute they were sharing longing looks the next he did something stupid, and she wasn’t talking to him. Then they were back to the looks, but he didn’t really know where they stood.

  He glanced at her as she peered out the window. “You never said if I’m forgiven for calling Cole.”

  She met his gaze, and he made sure his eyes were filled with the sincere contrition he felt.

  She shook her head as if she didn’t want to forgive him, but she would. “We’re good, but don’t ever do something like that again.”

  “I won’t,” he promised and hoped he could keep his word. A car pulled out ahead of him and as he slowed, the rear end of the SUV fishtailed before he brought it under control.

  “The roads are worse than I thought,” Kat said, sounding and looking worried.

  Not like a former cop to be this concerned about a little ice. At least not for her own safety. He glanced at her and saw the same look as when she’d found out he’d called her family and put them in danger.

  Right. The other Justices were on the road.

  “You should call them,” he encouraged as he eased the car forward. “It’s the only thing that’ll give you peace.”

  She focused a narrow-eyed gaze on him. “So now you can read my mind, huh?”

  “It’s not hard to see you’re concerned about your family.” He felt her intense study, but concentrated on the icy road. “You’ll worry until you know they’re fine.”

  She didn’t say anything so he looked at her again. Her eyes had narrowed even more. He’d said something wrong again, but he didn’t know what. “Kat?”

  “It’s okay. I don’t need to call them.” She spoke with quiet, but desperate firmness.

  He slowed at a red light. “I won’t think less of you, if that’s what’s stopping you.”

  “Actually it’s not. I’m trying not to worry so much and trust that God will take care of us.”

  “Good luck with that.” He shot off a quick response, but when a look of uncertainty came over her face, he regretted it.

  “You don’t think I can do it?” She ended with her cute little jaw angled defiantly.

  “I think you can do whatever you set your mind to. I’m the one who can’t seem to find solid footing with God again.”

  She studied him intently. “You know, Mitch Elliot, for a cop, you’re a pretty nice guy.”

  He laughed. “Wish that hadn’t been couched with ‘for a cop,’ but thanks.”

  “Wait, I didn’t mean it to sound so bad. I meant, cops can sometimes be hard and cold. But you’re not.”

  He winked at her. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  Color rushed up her neck and over her face, and he couldn’t help but smile over the effect he seemed to have on her.

  Her phone rang, and she quickly busied her hands by digging it out, but he could see the tough little ex-cop turning a deeper shade of red. Even more charming. Too charming. Strong and soft at the same time.

  The light changed, and he shamelessly listened to Kat’s conversation with Dani while navigating the slippery streets. Sounded like none of the siblings’ visits had produced a lead and they were soon going to call it a night.

  She hung up, and he felt her eyes on him again. “It seems to me,” she said, “you know a whole lot about me and I know next to nothing about you.”

  “Hey!” he protested and gave her a quick smile. “You know that I’m a nice guy.”

  “Quit avoiding the subject. Tell me more about your family.”

  “Not much to tell, really. My dad died when I was fifteen. Cancer. My mom about ten years ago. Cancer again. Angie is my only sibling.”

  “Great job on giving me the facts. Now how about telling me something about them.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like does your sister live in the Portland area?”

  “Yeah, somewhere in town. We kind of lost touch when I stopped enabling her drug problem.”

  She stayed silent for long moments. “That must hurt to know she’s close but not be able to see her.”

  “Honestly?” He glanced at Kat and saw the concern in her eyes making him want to be open with her. “It’s harder to see her suffering than not to see her at all. That sounds cruel, but watching someone you love fall apart and realize it’s all your fault is tough.” He tightened his fingers on the wheel.

  “Your fault?”

  “After my dad passed away, it was my responsibility to keep the family going. Between my mom’s long illness, working to help with the bills and going to school, I missed seeing Angie get involved with the wrong crowd until it was too late.”

  “That’s a whole lot of responsibility for a fifteen-year-old, Mitch. Sounds like you’re being a little hard on yourself.”

  He slowed and eased the car onto his driveway. “You feel the same way about what happened to your mom.”

  “That’s different.”

  “Seems like the same thing to me.” He killed the engine and shifted to look at her to bring his point home, but before he could continue, he spotted someone sitting on the steps. Just a shadow of a person really.

  “There’s someone on the stoop.” He pointed at his back door. “Stay here and stay alert.” He climbed out and drew his weapon as he made his way toward the door.

  “About time you got home.” The female voice was as familiar as his own.

  “Angie?” he said, spotting his sister curled in a ball on the steps.

  She was shivering and soaked. Her hair was stringy and her clothes dirty. The same condition as when he’d seen her a year or so ago.

  “Why are you here, Angie?” he asked, hating that he sounded so distrustful, but she only stopped by when she needed something.

  “I wanna get clean.” Her words were slurred.

  He sighed and tried to read her expression, but she was high and it was dark. She’d claimed to want to get clean a hundred times before and he’d fallen for it each time.

  He should just send her packing, but God help him, he couldn’t do it. Not even after all the experts recommended letting her hit rock bottom for her own good. He was going to cave in and let his only living family member come inside and maybe, just maybe, let her tromp all over him again.

  * * *

  Mitch leaned on the wall of his small living room while Princess curled at his feet. He cast a wary eye at Angie as she wolfed down a turkey sandwich and chips. She sat on the sofa next to Kat, who was studying Angie intently. Not that there was much of Angie to see.

  She was thin, so thin, but then food took second place to paying for drugs and getting high. Like she was right now. Her eyes glassy. Pupils dilated. Her skin, once soft and peachy, was now sallow and dirty.

  His heart broke from the pain. Pain for her. Pain for himself for failing her. Pain for God allowing this.

  She finished the last bite of her sandwich. Time to get the show on the road. He went to sit across from her. “So you want to get clean?”

  She nodded and took a long drink of her soda, the ice cubes clinking on the glass as her hands trembled.

  “Then we should get you checked into rehab.”

  She leaned back. “Not tonight, man. I need a good night’s sleep first.”

  Here come the excuses. “You can sleep at the clinic.”

  “Are you kidding? With all the noise in that place?”

  “You can’t stay here tonight.” Mitch tried to sound firm, but he could hear the uncertainty in his tone.

  “What? Why not?”

  He took Angie’s hands. They were cold and clammy. “You know what happened last time we tried this.”

  “But that won’t happen again. I promise, Mitch. I won’t do it again.”

  But she would. Always did. She couldn’t resist stealing from him when the craving for drugs got too strong. “I’m sorry, Angie, but either we go to rehab tonight or you hit the road.” He cast a quick look at Kat and saw disappointment. That hurt almost as much as this conversation with his sister.

  She sank to the floor and put her hands on his knees. The cold penetrated his jeans. How could he send his sister out into weather like this? Only a heartless person could do that. Well, maybe his heart had hardened enough, and he was heartless now.

  “Please.” She begged not just with her words but also with her eyes like a sad little puppy. “Just one night. I’m only asking for one night.” Tears formed in eyes so like his, he couldn’t look at her anymore and stay strong.

  He rose and crossed the room to get away before he caved. Seeing her reminded him of the months after their dad had died and Mitch comforted her when their mother was too distraught to do so. The days he made sure she had food to eat when their mother was too sick to cook. Nights he’d held her when they were both so lonely for their parents.

  Angie came after him and tugged on his arm. “Don’t do that, Mitchy. It’s me. Your little bug. Remember when you used to call me that?”

  He’d never forgotten, but this woman in front of him wasn’t his little bug. She was hardly even his sister. “I only have one spare bedroom, and with the way the roads are getting, I think Kat will need to stay there tonight.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” Kat jumped up. “Don’t use me as an excuse to turn her out.” She crossed over to Angie and put a protective arm around her shoulder. “If I have to stay, she can share the room with me.”

  “See,” Angie said, her voice hopeful. “Even your friend agrees that I should stay.”

  Mitch gave Kat a thanks-a-lot glare.

  “I’ll go take a shower and get cleaned up to give you time to think about it.” Angie took off down the hallway, her steps confident and secure. She was biding time because history said if he didn’t get her to leave right away, he’d eventually agree to let her stay.

  He rubbed a hand over his face as if he could erase the problem. A problem he’d been dealing with on and off for fifteen years now.

  Kat stepped in front of him. “You’re doing the right thing, Mitch. She needs you.”

  “What do you know about this?” he snapped out and hated how harsh he sounded. “Your brothers and sister are all decent law-abiding citizens. Not drug addicts waiting to con you out of your house and home if it’ll get them their next fix. And then making you feel guilty when you try to stop enabling them.”

  Kat looked up at him, compassion on her face. “But she said she wants to get clean and she sounds so sincere.”

  “You were once a cop. How many times did you hear that from junkies on the street?”

  “More times than I can count, but this isn’t some junkie on the street, Mitch.” She paused and held his gaze. “This is your sister.”

  “Right now, yes, she’s my sister. But tomorrow she’ll be that junkie again.”

  “It’ll be fine, Mitch.” Kat laid a hand on his arm, and the warmth penetrated his sleeve. Maybe his heart. “You should let her stay.”

  “I want to. Believe me I want to. But...” He let his thought drift off before he made another mistake with Angie.

  “I’ll help you with her,” Kat offered.

  “What?”

  “Tonight. I’ll stay here with the two of you. If there’re any problems with her, I’ll help in any way you need.”

  He looked into Kat’s sincere gaze, and he couldn’t hold out any longer.

  “Fine,” he said though something inside warned him not to.

  Thanks to Kat, his sister could spend the night.

  No, that wasn’t fair. Even if Kat hadn’t been here giving him hope that Angie would change, he still needed to believe she could. The day he stopped believing his sister could return to a normal life, would be a day he’d rather not live to see.

  ELEVEN

  Kat woke to sun streaming through the bedroom window. Maybe this was a sign that today would be a good day. She looked at her cell phone.

  Oh, no.

  Her alarm hadn’t gone off. She should’ve gotten up two hours ago. She couldn’t believe she’d slept at all, but she had. Deeply. And now she might be too late to go with Mitch to see Nathan’s boss.

  She jumped out of bed, and hearing low murmurs drifting down the hall, she decided to see what she’d missed. She slipped into her robe and slippers that Dani had tossed in her suitcase yesterday and Mitch had retrieved from his car. She smiled over the memory from last night when a clean Angie had emerged from the bathroom looking more normal. And of Mitch, wrapping those powerful arms around his sister as if welcoming home the prodigal son.

  Kat’s heart took a leap at his caring—she would never forget the look in his eyes. The softness. The warmth. The love. Maybe because if she searched deep enough inside, she’d admit she wanted him to look at her the same way.

  She padded down the hall, her slippers whispering over the wooden floor. She found Mitch alone in the kitchen seated at a round table and talking on the phone.

  He turned, his eyes angry and worried at the same time. He put a hand over the phone. “I made coffee. Mugs are in the cupboard above the pot.”

  She poured a cup, but opted not to join him at the little table. Too small a space for the emotions radiating off him. She leaned against the counter and watched.

  He wore jeans again and a dark green shirt, tailored at the waist and emphasizing his broad shoulders. His hair, still damp in the back, curled over the collar.

  “Sorry I slept so late,” she said when he glanced at her again.

  “The roads were too slippery to go out anyway.” He met her gaze. “Besides, you needed to sleep.”

  “And what about you? Did you get any rest?”

  He held up a finger and went back to his call. “Are you sure?” he asked, those strong shoulders pulling back as he listened to his caller. “Well, thanks for checking.” He hung up and stood, sending the chair crashing into the wall. “Angie’s gone. I’d hoped she’d decided to check herself into a clinic but I’ve called all of them in the area. No one has seen her.”

  “I’m sorry, Mitch,” Kat said, feeling her apology wasn’t enough after she’d been the one to convince him to let his sister stay the night.

  He shrugged, but the pain remained in his eyes. “It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. At least she didn’t empty my wallet this time.”

  “I’m still sorry.” Thinking a touch on the arm might help, she took a few steps toward him, but stopped when a shutter dropped over his eyes.

  “I made an appointment with Weichert,” he said, his voice all business now.

  “Did Tommy come through with the warrant yet?”

  “Not yet. I’m hoping he’ll call before we actually get in to see Weichert.”

  “We? Does that mean you’re not going to argue about me coming with you?”

  “No, and I also made sure Cole’s fine with you joining me if you want to.”

  “Yes, of course,” she answered quickly and ignored that nagging irritation over the two of them deciding what she could or could not do.

  “Good. FYI, the only way Cole agreed to this was if Derrick tails us for added security. You okay with that?”

  No, but she nodded agreement or they wouldn’t let her make the trip.

  “We need to get out of here in thirty minutes if we’re going to be on time.”

  “I’ll get ready.” With only thirty minutes, she hurried through her shower. She dressed in black pants and a brightly striped shirt that matched the colors of the bruises on her face. With Mitch waiting, she didn’t take the time to cover them with makeup, but she would do so in the car. She grabbed her jacket and dropped her cell into her purse, then went back down the hall.

  Mitch was still in the kitchen looking at his computer. When she entered the room, he arched a brow. “That was quick.”

  “You said I had thirty minutes.”