Chapter 43 TENSION 2
As we stepped into her compound, Troy followed closely behind, with Alba trailing after him.
“I think you should wait up for me,” I suggested, not wanting to make Miss Carter uncomfortable. But she stopped in her tracks and said—
“That’s fine. He’s your assistant, and I have enough room for all of us.”
Our gazes held for a moment longer than necessary. I couldn’t quite read her, but I could tell there was something heavy weighing on her mind.
“Mum!”
The sound of Miss Carter’s daughter’s voice shattered the moment. She turned just in time to catch the little girl running toward her, scooping her up into her arms.
“Hey, honey. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner,” she whispered softly, though her gaze flickered briefly to me before she set her daughter back down.
“It’s okay, Mum. I was with Uncle Kelvin the whole time, but…” Her eyes moved from me to Troy, then to Alba. Her little face lit up first with surprise, then with excitement. She leaned closer to her mother and whispered, “I thought you said Uncle Jaxon isn’t your friend?”
I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips at her innocent curiosity.
“Hi, Renna,” I greeted.
She immediately waved at me.
“Hi. I like your dog,” she said, letting out a soft giggle.
“Thank you,” I replied, returning her smile.
“What’s his name?” she asked eagerly.
“Alba.”
“Alba,” she repeated, clearly pleased. “I love it. Can I pet him?”
Before I could answer, her mother shot her a sharp look.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said, gently but firmly ushering her daughter away.
“Honey, can you stay with Uncle Kelvin until I’m done with our visitors?”
I watched the interaction between mother and daughter more closely than I intended to.
“Wow,” Troy muttered. “Is it just me, or does Miss Carter’s daughter look a lot like a Lennox?”
I glanced at him. “Why would you say that? Because of her eyes? Troy, we’re not the only family with blue-eye traits.”
“I know,” he replied, unfazed. “But there’s something about her. That resemblance is striking. It almost feels like she looks like you—or should I say, Mr. Randy?” He gave me a sideways look.
I shook my head. “You, my friend, have an overactive imagination.” I paused, my attention drifting back toward the house. “And right now, I’m far more interested in whatever information Miss Carter is about to share than in speculating about what her daughter looks like.”
Miss Carter, who was now urging her little girl to give us the privacy we needed, seemed to be struggling with it. Still, I noticed that Renna’s eyes were glued to Alba, following his every move. As much as I wanted to ignore the frown forming on Renna’s face—one that looked like it could crumble into tears at any moment—I couldn’t. I made my way toward her and her mother, but the sudden, guarded look Miss Carter shot me made me stop in my tracks.
“Will you allow me to talk to her?” I asked calmly, but the words earned me a sharp, dagger-like glare.
“No. I would appreciate it if you leave us alone,” she replied, her voice firm, her posture defensive. There was a look in her eyes—one I found uncomfortably familiar. The same alert, wary look I had seen from the very first day we met at the sheriff’s office.
“I’m not going to bite, Nancy,” I said, deliberately calling her by her first name just to gauge her reaction. Finding Ravyn Vale wasn’t the only thing I wanted from Miss Carter anymore. I wanted to understand that look she always gave me—like I was something she needed to protect herself from.
“I know how best to handle my daughter, Jaxon,” she shot back, calling my name with force, her eyes hard and unyielding. And yet… I liked it. Hearing her say Jaxon instead of Mr. Lennox stirred something I didn’t care to analyze.
A small smile crossed my face, but hers only hardened. Her lips pressed together in irritation. I should have backed off. I should have left like she clearly wanted me to. But I couldn’t ignore the small pair of eyes watching me.
I looked down at Renna, and a smile immediately softened my face. Her oversized apron swallowed her tiny frame, making her look impossibly adorable. Every time I saw her, I was reminded of a little girl who once looked just like her—a girl I failed to protect.
I crouched down to her level.
“Hey, princess,” I said, deliberately ignoring Miss Carter’s sharp gaze burning into me.
“Princess?” Renna echoed, giving me a sideways look before glancing at her mum. “I’m not a princess. I look like a palace maid,” she said, staring down at her clay-stained apron before flashing me a smile I couldn’t help but return.
“Still,” I said gently, “I think you’re a princess. A very hardworking one.”
Her smile widened instantly, followed by a soft giggle.
“Well, Uncle Kelvin said that too,” she replied proudly. “So maybe I really am a princess.” She puffed up a little, though her eyes still flicked toward her mother, who looked far from pleased.
“Princess,” I continued, lowering my voice conspiratorially, “I really need to talk to the queen, and it’s going to take a bit of time. I need someone brave and responsible to watch over my dog. Do you think you can do that?”
Before I even finished speaking, her eyes lit up. She rushed toward Troy, immediately crouching beside Alba, who wagged his tail enthusiastically at her attention.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” Miss Carter snapped, the anger in her eyes flaring.
“Distracting her,” I replied simply, “so you can tell me what I need to know.”
She stepped forward, clearly furious. “Look here, Mr. Lennox, I will not have you set my daughter up with your—”
“Alba is harmless, Miss Carter. He is a dog trained around kids, and he is very good with them. I am not the monster you portray me to be, so please relax.
And if that would make you feel more at ease, we can have this conversation on your porch so you can keep an eye on her.”
Nancy’s POV
His words didn’t soothe me at all. If anything, they only tightened the knot in my chest. Fair enough, the dog was gentle with Renna, but he wasn’t my concern. He was. I didn’t want Renna anywhere close to the kind of man standing in front of me.
Yet seeing how gentle he was with her—how easily she laughed around him—only made me angrier. It didn’t take long before Renna’s laughter filled the entire compound as she chased the dog around the farm, her joy ringing through the air like a betrayal of my caution.
But what other choice did I have? The sooner I spoke with him, the sooner I could get rid of him and his unsettling presence.
“Fine, but next time I’d prefer if we don’t meet at my parents’ ranch,” I said sharply before storming toward the porch, my boots crunching against the ground as the two men followed behind me.
“Another thing, Miss Carter,” he began, and I stopped abruptly, turning to glare at him.
“Why don’t we drop the formality? I mean, we are working together. We might as well—”
“Whatever,” I snapped, cutting him off. “I don’t care about anything else but the deal. I help you find Ravyn Vale, and you leave my parents’ ranch alone.” My voice was firm, final. I didn’t know why he insisted on pushing, and I hated how effortlessly irritating he was.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Nancy,” he replied, calling my name again, and I despised the way it rolled off his lips so naturally, as though he had every right to say it.
The moment we stepped onto the porch, we all took our seats. I handed him the video footage of Ravyn Vale near his hotel in Brentmere, my fingers lingering just a second longer than necessary before letting go.
“It seems your private party wasn’t private after all,” I said, my eyes glued to his face, unwilling to miss even the slightest reaction.
But there was nothing.
He watched the video twice, his expression unreadable, before passing it over to his assistant without a word.
“Is that all the information you have?” he asked calmly. “Where is he currently? Tell me how to find him.”
And then I saw it.
The fire in his eyes.
Not just anger—but something far deeper, darker, and far more dangerous.