Witness Pursuit by Hope White Page B

tow.”
    â€œThat would be great.” Cassie started to hand Carol her keys and hesitated. The key chain was her touchstone to the future and her glorious travel plans. She removed the car keys and handed them to Carol. “I appreciate it.”
    â€œOf course.” Carol went back into the office.
    Cassie made the call to have Ruby towed, and Nate led her to the squad car. “I’ll drop you at the resort and I’ll go check on your friend.”
    â€œNate, please take me with you. I’m worried about her. I’ve even got a key to her apartment for when I feed the cat if she’s out of town.” Cassie jangled her keys.
    â€œI noticed you wouldn’t part with the key chain. Those charms mean a lot to you, don’t they?”
    â€œOh yeah. The cross and flower charms represent God and nature, and these three remind me I’m going to England, Australia, and France,” she said, pointing to the respective charms. “Although I keep thinking I should add a charm for Switzerland, but haven’t figured out what that is yet.”
    Realizing she was chattering away again, she stopped and glanced at Nate. A half smile curled his lips.
    â€œHang on, were you trying to change the subject? You were, weren’t you?” she said. “Nate, come on, we need to check on Becca, and the resort is half an hour in the opposite direction of her apartment. That’s a whole hour lost. Let me go with you.”
    Nate shook his head in surrender and opened the car door. “Okay, on one condition.”
    â€œWhat?” She shifted onto the front seat and buckled up.
    â€œFollow my orders. I know you don’t like to be told what to do, but I can’t worry about you and do my job effectively, understand?”
    â€œOf course.”
    He shut the door. He was worried about her? Could it be more than just an officer of the law worrying about a witness? It felt like more, but then Cassie didn’t have a lot of experience reading between the lines when it came to men.
    When he got behind the wheel of the car, he reached for the radio to call in. “Base, this is Chief Walsh. I’m heading to Becca Edwards’s apartment at...” He glanced at Cassie.
    â€œ543 Wilshire.”
    â€œ543 Wilshire,” he said into the radio.
    â€œCopy that, Chief.”
    He pulled out of the lot and headed toward town.
    â€œThanks,” she said.
    He shot her a quick glance, then refocused on the road. “For what?”
    â€œListening to me again.”
    â€œWhat... I don’t understand.”
    â€œYou respected my need to make sure my friend is okay.”
    â€œI respect a lot of things about you, Cassie.”
    â€œThat’s a first,” she muttered.
    â€œMeaning what?”
    â€œIt’ll sound dumb.”
    â€œTry me.”
    â€œI don’t feel like I get a lot of respect from my family.”
    â€œYou mean Aiden?”
    â€œAnd my mom, and Bree. Then again, Bree isn’t too bossy, but my cousin Madeline...” She shook her head.
    â€œWhat about her?”
    â€œNever mind.” Cassie glanced out the window, wondering why on earth she was exposing herself like this to Nate, of all people.
    â€œI’d like to understand why you’re thanking me, so maybe I can do it again,” he said.
    She snapped her gaze left and noticed a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
    Frustration eased from her chest. She liked it when he smiled. She could almost feel it herself.
    â€œYour cousin?” he prompted.
    â€œSometimes she makes me feel, I don’t know, small. She’s patronizing, and she teases me, and not always in a good way.”
    â€œHave you talked to her about it?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œDon’t you think you should?”
    â€œI wouldn’t know what to say,” she admitted.
    â€œFinding the right words is the toughest part.”
    â€œDid you ever have an