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that resemble the sketches, so there are some scared parents out there who are trying to work this on their own, but we’ll find them, Bailey. I promise. We could never have gotten this far if you hadn’t put your life at risk for those kids.”
    “You’ll find them?”
    “Promise, baby.”
    She yawned. “Why am I so sleepy all of a sudden?”
    “I gave you a muscle relaxer as well as your oxy.”
    “Sneaky,” she said on a yawn.
    Brock slid his body down, settled his feet on the coffee table and pulled her up against his chest. “Sleep, baby.”
    “On you?”
    “Yeah.”
    She yawned again. “’Kay.”

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    O NE W EEK L ATER , Bailey padded into the kitchen in search of her pain meds and something that might help her sleep. She found the pill bottle with her Oxy, but couldn’t quite maneuver the childproof cap. “Crap.”
    “Bailey?” Brock whispered.
    She squeaked in fright and faced him, drawing in a quick breath at the sight of his bare chest. She got less than a second of a glance as he pulled on a T-shirt and obstructed her view, but it was enough to make her want more.
    “Sorry, did I wake you?” she asked.
    He shook his head. “I was looking over some notes when I heard your door open. Are you in pain?”
    She handed him the pill bottle. “A little, but I can’t get this open.”
    He smiled and popped the cap, tipping a pill into her hand before closing the bottle again.
    She dropped it in her mouth and took a swig of water. “Thanks.”
    “You okay?”
    Bailey shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know. I can’t sleep, but I don’t know if it’s because I’m freaked or in pain…or maybe both.”
    Brock crossed his arms over his chest and studied her. “You know nothing’s going to happen to you, right?”
    Bailey bit her lip. “Not really, no. I mean, I know you’re a highly skilled, badass and all, but that doesn’t mean when these people are caught and the trial is over that they can’t get to me some other way.”
    “I’m not gonna let anyone touch you.”
    “I know you believe that, but what happens if it takes forever to find them? I mean, you didn’t sign up to watch me indefinitely. Plus, am I going to be stuck inside all the time? I might go a little crazy if that’s the case, and you might go crazy babysitting me twenty-four, seven.”
    Brock chuckled. “Take a breath, babe.”
    “These are the things that go through my mind at one a.m. in the morning when I can’t sleep.”
    He smiled. “Well, why don’t we talk then?”
    “But…” She cocked her head. “You’re a guy.”
    “Glad you noticed.”
    “What I mean by that is that you are a man and in my experience, limited though it might be, men don’t typically like to talk.”
    “I’ve got three sisters, Bailey, which means, I learned pretty quickly that women sometimes need to process verbally. If they don’t, all hell will break loose.”
    She bit her lip. “You have three sisters?”
    He nodded. “Two older, one younger.”
    “Are you the only boy?”
    “Yep.”
    “Wow.”
    “Sure. We can go with ‘wow,’” he said with a shrug. “I had a love/hate thing going with the fact I was the only boy, mostly because since I have a natural tendency to protect, I got in a few fights defending their honor, but now they have families of their own and I wouldn’t change anything.”
    “Hence the nieces.”
    “Exactly. Three of them.”
    “Wow.” Bailey followed him to the sofa and sat facing him, her back against the armrest and her legs crossed in front of her. “I always wanted an older brother.”
    “Just a brother?”
    “Yes. I hated being an only child, but I also knew that if I’d had a sister, there would be competition. Ali’s the first woman I’ve met who doesn’t manipulate. Again, I’m not the expert, but there’s nothing worse than trusting someone and finding out they had it in for you all along.”
    “Did that happen a lot?”
    Bailey shook her head. “No. Once.