Page 39 of Shielding Serena

In celebration, Serena grabbed Walker by the front of his shirt and hauled him down for a long, thorough kiss.

Serena was feeling great when her phone rang a few minutes after they’d flipped the open sign to closed.

She had two happy customers, a dining room full of people who were lingering and chatting and looking at the other curiosities scattered around. The man who’d likely assaulted her was in custody, and now everyone in Rimrock Creek with two eyeballs had figured out she and Walker were together.

Gena had given her a not-so-discreet thumbs up, and Serena was pretty sure she’d heard all the women in the room sigh in disappointment.

“This is Serena,” she said, and everything within went still when Parker Gates’ furious voice filled her ear.

“You spiteful little bitch,” her father said, his tone full of pure malice.

“It’s nice to talk to you too, Parker,” she said dryly and looked up to see Walker coming back into the dining area. His eyebrows shot up.

“You set an investigator after me? Did you think I wouldn’t find out? I mean, I know you have a healthier ego than you deserve, but sending some shark after me is petty, even for you.”

“I did not sic a PI on you,” she said calmly and coldly, now as furious as Parker, but not willing to give him the satisfaction of showing it. “I was attacked last week, and the inquiry was part of the ongoing investigation.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” Parker said. “Call him off. I don’t need anyone in the firm looking at me sideways.” The line went dead. Not one question as to whether she was all right. How she was doing. What she was doing.

He truly didn’t care. Likely never had.

Dammit, she shouldn’t let him get to her like this. And she should have expected his call. Walker and Garrett had said they’d be checking him out, even if she knew it’d be a dead end like Marcus. But he’d surprised her and thrown her off balance.

She carefully put the phone down, drew in a deep breath, and looked at Walker.

He held out his hands in supplication. “I told you I was going to look into him,” he said.

It didn’t stop the irrational bolt of pure annoyance that went through her. She knew the feeling was unreasonable. She knew he was chasing down any and all leads to protect her. But it didn’t stop her from wanting to conk him over the head despite all the delicious sex. Despite the very public spectacle she’d made not half an hour ago.

“I understand that,” she said. “It doesn’t stop me from being pissed. It may be illogical, but it’s there. Your actions, no matter how discreet they were, caught his attention and brought him back into my life. I haven’t talked to him in years, and I would have been perfectly happy with that continuing.”

“If it makes any difference, his alibi checks out,” Walker offered, and she could tell he wished the words back the second he said them.

“Of course it does,” she snapped. “Just like Marcus’. I told you, I’m not worth their time or effort.” She stepped away from the counter. From him. “I need you to go away and let me be angry. Gena’s here and we’ve got a bazillion cameras everywhere. Hell, have Quentin watch me if you want, but I need space to work through this.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, and she could tell he meant the words. “But I’d do it again to keep you safe.”

“I know. Call Quentin, let him know I’m staying here, locked in Fort Knox, okay? I’ll text you when I’m ready.”

He stood there for a long moment, and with each successive second she got crankier. Then he nodded, his expression more bleak than she’d ever seen it. “I’m going to go into Cottonwood and talk to Bobby. I’ll be waiting for your text.”

She almost called him back as he pushed through the doors in the kitchen. Because she was pretty sure he was seeing something in her dismissal that mirrored his ex. But right now she had her own shit to go through, starting with the fact her father had never loved her.

CHAPTER 16

Walker contacted Quentin, asking him to keep an eye on the surveillance feed, then stewed on the ten-minute drive into Cottonwood. He knew, intrinsically, that he hadn’t done anything wrong, that he’d been performing due diligence. But he also understood that Serena’s relationship with her father was fraught, to say the least.

He should have told her that Parker was next on their list of queries, so she could prepare in case he called. But unlike Anderson, he hadn’t actually thought Gates would bother to pick up the phone. Ever. He’d obviously been mistaken, and now he was paying the price.

It’d hurt, when she kicked him to the curb like that. He knew she was nothing like Carrie, but old wounds were old wounds, and still sensitive when poked.

He pulled into the Sheriff’s Department and put on a professional facade. If he wanted Bobby to talk to him, he couldn’t walk in there looking like he wanted to rip everyone’s face off.

Gladys, the dispatcher, gave him a little wave but the area was empty with the exception of her and the desk sergeant, who took his information and informed him that Mr. Caldwell was with his lawyer and he’d see what he could do.

At least now he had a last name to go with the first.

As he sat, he got progressively twitchier. He shouldn’t have left Serena. Even with the cameras, even with Gena being there, he shouldn’t have left The Menagerie. He should have sat in his truck in the parking lot until she worked through her mad.