Eban rolled his eyes.

“I’m protective of her too.” There was an edge to Darby’s words. She hated pity.

“Yeah. I can understand that. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m here for you. Please trust me to help you, not only because Haley is paying me, but because I care as well, and I don’t want a bunch of local cops or FBI agents bulldozing you into a confession simply because it’s easier than putting in the work. I’ll see you in the morning but call me if you need anything. Anything at—”

The line went dead.

“Damn.” Darby checked her phone. “My cell died. I should call him back.”

“Call him back to say goodbye?” Eban snorted. “He’ll be grateful and then add it to the bill.”

She laughed softly and Eban felt a sliver of relief move through him. She may have been damaged but she could still laugh about the little things.

“Cynic. I suppose it’s overkill.”

She attached her phone to the charging cable he’d plugged in earlier. And suddenly they were alone again with the events of the past twelve hours hanging between them.

“Eban, I’m so sorry for—”

He cut her off. “Don’t apologize for something you had no control over.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d said that to her and they both seemed to realize it at the same time.

She blew on her hands. The car was toasty but she looked like she couldn’t get warm. “Did you tell Quentin and Haley I was being released?”

“Yep.” His boss had almost lost it and Eban knew exactly how the man felt. “I said you’d call them when we got settled for the night but first, I need to buy some winter gear.”

“You didn’t bring a jacket?”

“Nothing that doesn’t have FBI stenciled on the back and I was hoping to be a little less conspicuous.” He braced his arms against the wheel as he headed towards one of the malls in town. “I packed for Seattle in January not an Alaskan winter.”

Darby hunched her shoulders, and her gaze veered away from him into the dark footwell. “I am really sorry I dragged you into this mess.”

“Hey.” He reached for her hand, enjoying the physical connection more than he wanted to admit. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “This is not your fault.”

She tipped up her chin. “I seem to be in constant need of rescuing.”

“It so happens that rescuing people is part of my job description.” He tried to make light of it but with her being framed for her friend’s murder it wasn’t even remotely funny.

“It makes all the things you said about why we shouldn’t get involved more valid.”

Dammit. He clenched his jaw. As a negotiator assigned to her original case it was unprofessional for him to get involved with a victim, especially someone who’d been sexually assaulted. He wouldn’t risk abusing his status in some way. However, maybe enough time had passed by now that the rules no longer applied. There were other differences between them. Other incompatibilities, but almost losing her to the justice system today, and still not being completely in the clear, meant he would not waste the time they had together. But he wanted certain things out of his life, and he wasn’t sure if those things were compatible with Darby’s hopes and dreams. It was complicated and he needed time and the mental bandwidth to state his case. She needed recovery time.