“What?”
“The attitude.”
She nearly laughed.
Instead she said, “Officer, you entered a private backyard, ordered me out of a swimming pool and refused to let me pick up a towel. Asking why isn’t attitude.”
Grant moved closer.
“It’s not complicated.”
Elena looked at him.
“Somebody sees someone who doesn’t live here using the property, they call.”
Elena’s gaze hardened.
“And you established I don’t live here how?”
Grant glanced toward Cole.
Cole smirked.
“You live here?”
Elena answered honestly.
“No.”
Cole’s smile widened.
“Then we’re making progress.”
Elena shook her head.
“That doesn’t mean I’m trespassing.”
“Whose house?”
“Rachel Bennett’s.”
“Full name.”
Elena stared.
“Rachel Anne Bennett.”
Grant laughed.
“Look at that. Somebody studied.”
Elena looked at him.
“Studied what?”
“The name.”
Cole chuckled.
Elena’s expression went completely still.
“You think I memorized the homeowner’s name because I’m trespassing?”
“I think people come up with all kinds of stories.”
Elena glanced toward the upstairs windows.
“Call her.”
Cole crossed his arms.
“You don’t tell us what to do.”
“She is thirty feet away.”
“Supposedly.”
“Her car is in the garage.”
Grant’s mouth curved.
“You seem to know a lot.”
Elena looked at him.
“I’ve known her nine years.”
Grant’s eyes moved over her body again.
“Sure.”
This time Elena caught it directly.
She did not ignore it.
“Keep your eyes on my face.”
Grant laughed.
Cole smiled too.
“Careful.”
Elena looked at him.
“With what?”
“You’re in no position to start giving orders.”
Elena took one small step toward the towel.
Cole immediately moved with her.
“Stop.”
She stopped.
Then asked:
“Am I detained?”
Cole frowned.
“What?”
“Am I being detained?”
“You’re being investigated.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Grant sighed theatrically.
“Here we go.”
Elena ignored him.
“Am I free to walk inside and get the homeowner?”
Cole stepped closer.
“Stay where you are.”
Elena nodded once.
“Then you’re detaining me.”
Cole’s jaw tightened.
“Put your hands where I can see them.”
Elena slowly raised both hands.
“I’m wearing a swimsuit.”
Grant laughed.
“No pockets.”
Elena stared at him.
Grant moved closer anyway.
Too close.
Elena stepped backward.
“Give me space.”
“Relax, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me sweetheart.”
Grant glanced toward Cole.
“Oh, she doesn’t like that.”
Cole’s grin returned.
Something about the encounter shifted inside Elena.
At first she had assumed incompetence.
Now she began recognizing enjoyment.
They were not verifying anything.
They were not gathering facts.
They were enjoying control.
Grant looked toward the towel and then back at Elena.
“Got ID somewhere?”
“Inside.”
“Convenient.”
“My clothes are inside because I was swimming.”