He hooked one foot on the rung of the stool. “So we can write him off.” In more ways than one.

“I’d say that’s a safe bet. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since the day we broke up. I did hear through the grapevine that he’s dating someone else. So I doubt I’m on his radar anymore.”

“You’re certain you have no other personal enemies?”

“Yes. This has to be related to my job.” She twined her fingers together in her lap. “You said a few minutes ago that the person who did this isn’t playing games. Does that mean you think this will escalate if I don’t shut up, like the message told me to do?”

“It could. I’d treat this as an active threat.”

“Meaning?”

“Use caution and common sense. Pay attention to your surroundings while you’re out and about. Stay away from dark alleys. Don’t wander around by yourself at night. Do you by chance have a concealed carry permit?”

She swallowed. “No. While I fully support the constitutional right to bear arms, guns make me nervous. Even if I had one, I don’t know that I could ever pull the trigger.”

“You might be surprised what you could do in the face of an imminent threat.”

She tipped her head, scrutinizing him. “Is that experience talking?”

Yeah, it was.

But he wasn’t discussing that subject today.

“Let’s just say I’ve been in a few dicey situations during my law enforcement career.”

“That’s the same kind of vague answer Cate gives me whenever I ask questions about her experiences on the street. But no worries. I respect people’s privacy. We all have subjects that are off limits. Any other advice?”

“Would your station spring for personal protection while we try to sort this out?”

Her eyes widened. “You mean like . . . a bodyguard?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that overkill?”

“I don’t know—and I don’t like unknowns. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.”

“Well, a bodyguard’s not going to happen. The station doesn’t have a budget for anything like that. I have a decent audience, and ad revenues have been rising as my reach expands with more and more syndication deals, but protection would have to be on my dime. And that would be a big price to pay for a little peace of mind.”

He couldn’t argue with that—and her answer didn’t surprise him. Few people had the financial resources to fund personal security.