PD. As in police department. Was Payton being serious? She was a police officer. Not just that, but a detective. He felt like an even bigger ass now. All this time he’d tied protecting her and treating her like a damsel, and she was a detective with the police department. If Nick were here, he’d be laughing his ass off at him.
Payton had tried warning him several times that she wasn’t a weak flower, but he hadn’t wanted to listen. His only concern had been to keep her safe and away from danger. He played it off as an egotistical thing, but really, he was terrified of something happening to her.
He cared for Payton, a lot. More than he’d ever admit out loud. More than he could admit to himself. When he saw her standing there with a gun shooting at two men, he felt a mix of pride and fear.
She’d looked like a beautiful amazon warrior. His cock had swelled seeing her standing there like a badass. Then fear had kicked in, and he’d gone into overprotective dick mode.
He was even more scared for her now. How much danger had she been in over the years that he’d never known about? Did anyone have her back in the line of duty? So many questions.
“I’m going to marry that girl,” Colin announced leaning next to him and whispering in his ear.
Over his dead body.
“Did you know?”
Colin cocked his head to look at him. “What?” he asked, though by the look in his eyes, Alex could tell he already knew what the question was.
“That she’s with the police department.”
“Yeah,” he said after a moment.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It wasn’t my place. Besides, Payton shouldn’t be defined by what she does, but instead by who she is. She was raised by the old man, same as you. She’s tough as nails. You just refused to see it. Why should I point that out?”
He had a point. “I feel like a dick. I was just trying to protect her.”
Colin turned to face him fully, his carefree attitude gone. He was in serious mode. “Then I suggest you stop trying to protect her, and work with her. She knows more than she’s letting on.”
Alex’s body tensed at the statement. He prided himself on being an excellent judge of character. Payton wouldn’t keep things from him, especially since he was helping with her father’s case. True, she’d kept being a detective from him, but he’d just made assumptions. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. “Why do you think that?”
“She’s not on this side of town just because she was run off the road. She was already over here.” Colin clasped him on the shoulder. Alex looked up and met his hard penetrating gaze, the one that Alex feared saw more than Colin would ever admit. “Work with her, not against her. That’s the only way she’ll let you in. Stop fighting the inevitable.”
“We’re good to go. Hank is going to call a tow for me,” Payton said coming up to them.
Colin stared at Alex expectantly. Alex didn’t necessarily agree with Colin about letting her help, but he also knew Colin wouldn’t let this drop. He’d let her tag along. “Good, how about we give you a ride to wherever you were going?”
A small V formed between her eyebrows as her gaze searched his like she couldn’t decide if he was being sincere or making fun. He hadn’t exactly been the easiest going with her so far, so he’d go with the latter. “That’s alright. I’m sure you have more important things to do than play chauffer.” Payton brushed past him to her car. “One of the guys can take me to rental place. I’ll be fine.”
Colin waved him on to keep going. He just glowered. Something he was coming to realize he was doing a lot over the past few hours. Payton was not making this easy on him. He didn’t know why he expected her to. There was a time in every man’s life that he needed to swallow his pride, and this was his. “I’m sure the PD has more important things to do than play chauffer as well. Please, Payton, I’m sorry I’ve been hardheaded about this, and I want us to work together. We’re headed over to Colin’s to look at the flash drive. Come with us.”
Payton, who had been bent over picking up the manila envelope from her front passenger seat, froze at his words and stared at him. “I thought you didn’t want my help. That I’d only be in the way.”
“I was wrong.”
Payton stood up, clutching the envelope to her chest as if it were a ward to keep everything away. Her face unreadable. “Just like that, huh?”
Alex didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t just like that. He still didn’t want her involved. Not only because of her dad killing him for endangering her, but he didn’t trust himself working closely with Payton. She’d always been a temptation, he knew he could never resist. But he had to. He owed everything to Nick. He could never betray the man who took him in, raised him, helped him become the man he was by being with his daughter. He wasn’t good enough for her.
Payton scoffed. “Look, you don’t want my help, and I don’t want yours. So just go about whatever it was you were doing, and I’ll do the same.”
Colin, thankfully, chimed in to help. “What Alex is trying to say, badly…” He glared at Alex out of the corner of his eye before approaching Payton. Alex didn’t think that was the wisest decision considering the woman was armed. “Is that he’s your father and you have every right to help bring his attempted killer to justice. You’re a great detective, Payton, and I feel your help will be invaluable.”
Much to Alex’s irritation, Payton smiled and looked away bashfully. Damn Colin. Alex had never been great with words. He preferred action. But his action had been less than stellar recently. He’d repeatedly hurt Payton, not just today but growing up. The woman was more likely to punch him than help him. Not that he could blame her. It was his own doing. He wanted her to hate him, and it looked like he’d succeeded.
“You’re such a charmer, Colin. I feel sorry for whatever girl captures your heart one day.”
“How about you save me the trouble and just marry me then, Payton?”