unloading a piece of equipment, some black duffel bags, and a couple of plain boxes that looked pretty heavy. They put all of that on the ground and went inside.
Mr. V wasn’t with them, and I didn’t know how to feel about that.
A male voice spoke from behind me. “What are you doing?”
It was just loud enough to get one of the men’s attention. He stopped and scanned the area while I pressed a finger over Garrett Swopes’s mouth. It was warm under my freezing hand, his shadow scratchy and more than a little sexy.
Removing my finger from his mouth, I repositioned it over mine, then leaned back to see if the men had taken note of us. They were busy bringing boxes out of the shop.
“What is that?” I whispered to Garrett.
He leaned over me, gave the area a once-over, then whispered back, “Plasma cutter.”
I frowned. “Why would they need to cut plasma?”
He grinned down at me. “Want to tell me what you’re doing?”
“No.”
“Does this have anything to do with the shopkeep’s current state of captivity?”
I bolted upright. “You know?” I asked, amazed and relieved I wasn’t the only one.
He stepped back. “I saw the men in his shop today when I walked past. Add to that the fact that he looked really uncomfortable…”
“Right? I saw them, too,” I said, only partially lying.
“What do you think we should do about it?”
“I…” I just didn’t know. What if something happened to Mr. Vandenberg because of something I did? Something I said? He’d been scared shitless that morning, impatient for me to leave. I lowered my head. “Nothing.”
I started for the back door to the café.
“Nothing?” he asked. He leaned back against the brick and fidgeted with a rock he’d picked up, his breath fogging in the icy air. “You sure about that?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Why?”
“I don’t know. Just doesn’t seem in your nature to do nothing. To sit back and let people suffer.”
I winced at the implication, but Mr. Vandenberg wasn’t there. I would’ve felt him. If I tipped off the men holding him captive, what would they do to him?
“What if someone gets hurt because I got involved? What if I make it worse for Mr. V by reporting suspicious behavior? I think they have his family.”
“You’re right. That’s solid reasoning if I ever heard it. But if that’s truly the case, why are you out here?”
I nudged at the ice beneath my feet with the toe of my boots. “Just, I don’t know, curious, I guess. Gathering intel to give the authorities. If I can find where they’re keeping Mr. V and his family, the cops can rescue them before the captors even know what’s happening.” When he only nodded, I asked, “Do you have a better idea? One that doesn’t get Mr. V or his family killed? I’m very fond of his kids.”
He eyed me a long moment, then said, “I think your boyfriend’s getting worried about you.” He nodded toward the back door, where Ian stood, his figure a silhouette against the soft light streaming out.
“What are you doing out here?”
The shadows of Garrett’s face formed a soft grin. “Taking a piss.”
“I was telling Garrett we have a restroom inside,” I said, trying to cover.
Ian walked out to join us, flabbergasted. “You strolled outside while a man was taking a piss to offer him the use of your facilities?”
“It wasn’t like tha—”
“And pubic urination is illegal.”
Fuck. Ian was a cop. I tended to forget that little nugget of fun.
He leveled a hard gaze on Garrett, a man I was finding more intriguing by the moment, then took a step closer, waiting for a response.
“Yeah, well, I was on my way home when the urge hit.” He was not helping. Especially when he matched Ian’s stance and took a step closer himself. The challenge crackled in the air around us, the tension combustible.
“He wasn’t actually peeing,” I said, growing exasperated again. I put a hand on Ian’s arm to defuse the situation. “I’ll be inside in a minute.”
Instead of appeasing him, however, I enraged him. “Don’t patronize me,” he said through gritted teeth, turning on me this time. His anger stirred the wisps of hair on my face.
Garrett took a casual step back and leaned against the brick again, where he stood assessing the situation, thank God. I didn’t know what Ian was capable of, not entirely, but I could only imagine what would happen to Garrett if he assaulted a cop.