Lena flinched in his peripheral vision at his last words, and he wished he hadn't said them out loud. Maybe he should take the phone in the bedroom to talk.
He walked into the bedroom and shut the door.
"Sorry," he said. "I don't want to hash out all of this in front of Lena. She's been through a lot."
"That's okay. I understand. So, what are you thinking?"
"First of all, Emil didn't hire someone to crack his own safe. So, as slimy as he is, I don't think he killed her."
"Unless he walked in and caught her red-handed."
"He wouldn't have to bury her like that, trying to cover it up. He's not going to face any charges for killing a thief in his own home on Isadora Island." He rubbed his temples, cycling through the possibilities. "It's possible the safecracker opened the safe, retrieved the jewels for whoever hired her, and then her boss killed her to tie up loose ends. But that doesn't track with the desperate body dump."
"Agreed. The murder wasn't planned."
Nash worked a kink in his shoulder. "They must have argued. About her cut. Or maybe the safe was empty, and she wanted to be paid, regardless."
He heard a muffled noise on the other end. The next voice he heard was Jason's. "I like your thinking. But it'sobvious we don't have all the pieces yet. Stay sharp and see what you can learn at that fancy party."
"That's the plan."
"How's Lena holding up?"
Nash lowered his voice. "She's okay, I guess. She was really freaked out last night. But I can't blame her. It's obviously not safe here. I don't want to let her out of my sight."
"She really should have left the island. She shouldn't even be there," Jason said.
Nash picked up on his irritation.
"I agree with you one hundred percent. But short of carrying her onto the plane and strapping her in against her will, I'm not going to be able to get her out of here until she sees Cassidy. And to be honest, she's the only reason we've been invited to this party. So I guess I should be grateful for that."
"I still don't like it," Jason said.
"And you think I do? I don't want her getting hurt." Emotions he'd kept corralled for years threatened to bolt loose. "And that's not going to happen. I guarantee it."
Throbbing memories pulsed in rhythm with his surging adrenaline. He tried to mitigate the effect on his tone, buthe was failing. Miserably. "If I have to carry her off the boat, I will. She'll leave after the party. She'll talk to Cassidy. After that, whether she likes it or not, she's going to get out of here. I won't let her put herself in danger."
Deafening silence on the other end confirmed he'd failed at feigning his normal cool-as-a-cucumber professionalism.
"Hey, man," Jason said after the silence got awkward. "I didn't mean to hit a nerve."
"Yeah. Sorry. I'm just saying I'm not going to let her get hurt."
"I know you won't." Jason cleared his throat. "What about Delphine or the guards, Frank and Manny? Are they suspicious of you being so protective of Lena?"
"Actually, we were handed a pass on that one. Delphine's decided Lena and I are having a summer fling, so she expects us to spend time together."
A chuckle crackled through the phone. "I see. Well, I guess that's convenient. Does it bother Lena?"
"It didn't seem to. She understands the assumption will help keep our cover."
"Okay, good luck with that." Another chuckle.
"I'm glad you find this so amusing."
"Oh, I do, my friend, I do." A muffled voice in the background said something to Jason. Probably Allie. "Okay, Nash, I gotta go. Keep us posted."
"Will do."
