Anger spiked inside of her. It hit her with a shot of heat and spiraled through every vein. “Watch it, Evan. That tough talk might work with other people you handle. Not me.”

Their voices must have risen because a few diners sitting close by didn’t pretend to be busy with their breakfasts. They actually stared openly now. One of the older yarn store ladies frowned at Evan. Looked like she might smack him with a spoon.

The mood in the dining room shifted. Curious whispers took on a more pointed feel. Evan lowered his voice again. “Look, you’re right. I’ve overstepped, maybe gone off when I should have stayed silent, but all of this is because I’m concerned.”

Those few words were as close as she would ever get to an apology. “I get that, but Connor is off-limits.”

“He’s got a pristine reputation. If he knew what you did—”

“He does.”

That seemed to stop Evan for a second. He sat there, scowling but not talking. “Okay, but do you really know him?”

He pummeled her with every argument. Hit her from every angle. None of it would work.

“I will. But from him, not you.” Because that was the point of being whole again. She got to live her life, and that included making mistakes and going into free fall over a guy she barely knew.

“What if we confirm the PI was here for you? And we both know we will.” All of the anger had left his voice. He sounded reasonable and concerned now. Genuine in his need to get through to her. “Chances are he’s working for someone from your past. Someone who wanted to track you down and kill you.”

“Why would that be the case?”

“Does that matter?” He pushed his coffee mug out of the way and leaned in closer, dropping his voice so low that she had to strain to hear him. “The bottom line is you’re in trouble and because he’s sleeping with you, Connor is a target, too. Can his family really survive losing another child in a violent and unexpected way?”

This time the guilt slammed into her. Evan finally drilled down and hit on the one thing guaranteed to make her rethink everything.

“You made your point.” She closed her eyes for a second before facing him again.

“Answer my question.”

She thought about Alexis and Connor’s parents. About how Hansen had fallen into an angry spiral after losing his sister. So much pain and none of it their fault. She would not be the reason they experienced more. “If all of what you think is true and Owen Pritchard was hunting me down so that someone else can literally stalk me . . .” She swallowed hard and said the one thought she couldn’t kick out of her head. “I’ll reassess my decision on the program.”

Evan nodded. “Then you should start packing.”