Especially someone as gorgeous as her.
Scarlett considered this a moment, her shoulders becoming a bit more relaxed with each second that passed. Feeling secure in the fact that she was no longer afraid of him, Olly started to inch forward. But as he came to a stop a foot from where she stood, he realized annoyance seemed to have replaced the woman’s fear.
Annoyance and…anger?
“So let me see if I’ve got this straight.” Scarlett cocked her head as if to study him intently. “In order to keep me from being scared out of my wits by someone sneaking up on me out here in the dark, you thought it would be best to…sneak up on me out here in the dark?”
Before he could keep from it, Olly felt one corner of his mouth curve upward. “Not my best plan, I’ll admit.” He held that sheepish grin. “Doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t be out here by yourself at night.”
When he thought about all the shit that could happen to someone like her in a place like this…
“So that’s really the only reason you followed me here?” she asked, keeping her gaze locked with his. “Because you were worried?”
No, that hadn’t been the only reason. Not at first, anyway. But damn it, somewhere between her hotel and this Godforsaken place, his following her had become less about mistrust or idle curiosity and more about keeping her safe.
But rather than admit that to her, Olly bypassed the question altogether and responded with, “It’s getting late, and nothing good happens in places like this after dark.” He slid a glancetoward her car. “You should call it a night. Go back to your hotel and get some rest.”
“Your concern is touching, but I’m not the one in danger. Rose is.” Scarlett looked back at that damn door. “Thomas…my P.I. He said this was where she worked. That this was the last place she was seen by anyone who knows her.”
The truth in her words left his chest tight and his gut churning.
“This was the restaurant owned by Dante Valdez,” he confirmed. “After he died, the feds swooped in and shut it down.” Along with a handful of the man’s other businesses in the city. “Through witness statements and other evidence, we know Valdez used this place as a front for a portion of his trafficking ring.”
“Thomas told me all about it,” she rasped softly. “He said the restaurant itself was legit, and that most employees here were just that. Regular cooks, servers, and bartenders. But Thomas also said Valdez would rotate other employees in and out of the business. Specifically, pretty, single women no one would miss if they disappeared.”
“Most in their early to late twenties,” Olly added to the list of disheartening facts she most likely already knew. “All single. No husband or kids. No boyfriend. Small social circle. Parents who were either dead, lived in another state, or were otherwise unable to be located. Women with no real family to speak of.”
“Rose has a family.” Scarlett looked back at him, and damn if the unshed tears glittering in the woman’s eyes didn’t crush him. “She has me, she just?—”
“Doesn’t know it yet,” Olly finished for her. Taking a step closer, his gaze remained fixed on hers as he said, “You know, Rose may not be my blood, but she’s like a sister to me, too. And I swear to you with everything I have that I will not stop until I find her and bring her back home, where she belongs.”
The woman’s pupils grew with a hope so strong, he could almost feel it. “Does that mean you believe me now?” Her delicate throat worked with a swallow. “You don’t think I’m some sort of swindler looking to use Rose’s disappearance for some sort of personal gain?”
His heart gave a hard kick against his ribs. “Never said I didn’t believe you, Red.”
“No, you didn’t,” she agreed softly. “Then again, you didn’t have to.” Those sweet lips of hers curled into a knowing grin. “The phone call I got from Thomas earlier today did that for you.”
Ah, hell.
“I was just?—”
“Protecting yourself,” she cut him short. “Thomas said as much when we spoke.”
“What else did your P.I. tell you?” Because now he was damned curious.
“Just that another private investigator out of Denver contacted him this morning. Said the man…Ivan, something or other…had called asking about me. According to Thomas, the other man wanted to know everything there was to know about me, including confirmation of my motive behind hiring Thomas to begin with. Almost as if whoever hired Ivan to look into me believed I was after something more than finding my only sibling.”
“And you assumed it was me?”
His lame attempt at subterfuge left her scowling.
“I get that I’m just an elementary teacher. And I know have no formal training for searching for missing persons, but…”
“But what?”
She blew out a frustrated breath and jutted her chin. “But I’m not stupid.”
His lips twitched, but he managed to keep his expression schooled. “Never said you were.”