“That’s what it looks like,” Shan confirmed. “The good news is that there are a lot of photographs of you at the bar.” A nod at Danny, her hair a shining black pulled back in a neat bun. “All over social media. We’re trawling through them to see if we can pinpoint anyone also caught on camera at the previous scenes.”

She’d felt Danny’s body tense at the mention of social media, took the lead. “The photos—any of them—?”

Detective Green was already shaking his head, his scalp a freckled paleness where it showed through his extreme buzz cut. “No compromising shots,” he said, then glanced from Catie to Danny and back, one eyebrow slightly cocked. “Unless you’re concerned about the images of you two with your arms around each other. Those are blowing up on every network that we checked.”

That was when Catie realized her phone was still on silent; she’d forgotten to switch the sound back on after leaving the hospital. Because no freaking way Veni wouldn’t have called her by now. Especially since the last message Catie had sent her best friend had been to tell her that she’d be missing their flight.

“We can handle that,” she said, nudging Danny’s shoulder—or, more accurately, a lower part of his arm. Seated, she was still shorter than him. “As if anyone would believe I’d hook up with hotshot here.”

Danny shot her a narrow-eyed look. “Did you or did you not see that I am considered the Sizzling Bachelor of the Year according to the biggest women’s magazine in the country?”

“The editors obviously need glasses.”

Coughing into her hand in a failed effort to hide her grin, Detective Shan rose to her feet. Beside her, Detective Green was making no such effort, his grin creasing his cheeks and bringing an unexpected twinkle to the hazel of his eyes.

However, that amusement had faded by the time they reached the door. “I’m sorry this happened to you,” he said to Danny. “But by reporting the incident, you’ve helped us gather more evidence.”

Shan nodded. “It might be exactly what we need to stop anyone else being ambushed.”

Catie saw a little of the tension go out of Danny’s spine. Again, she thought of Joseph and how he’d raised his boys. As protectors. It would matter to Danny that his actions might help someone else escape the same sense of violation.

“That does help,” he said to the detectives and held out his hand.

After everyone shook, the cops left. But Danny’s work wasn’t yet done. For one, he had to organize a copy of his medical report for both the cops and his agent.