Page 81 of Lion’s Den

Sedona hugged him tightly. “You’re amazing.”

“I’m contributing my skills to help those who can’t help themselves. If you were trained, you’d do the same.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Well, there aren’t many calls for voluntary high-wire acts.”

“I would hope not.” He shuddered. “I know you’re good at the work, but I really hope no one needs you to risk life and limb to save someone.”

“Unlike jumping into a lion enclosure?” She couldn’t resist teasing him.

“Tiger, don’t tease me about that. I don’t want to go through that again. My hair is turning gray just thinking about it.”

David tapped on the door. “Sorry to interrupt. Interrogation Room One. Five minutes.”

Sedona released Cam. “What does that mean?”

David wants to see us. Something’s happened.”

Her stomach twisted into a knot. “I hope it’s good.”

Cam’s expression was grim. “Around here, the news is rarely good.”

How did any law enforcement officer bear a job with such a dark outlook on life? She couldn’t do his job. She was a kindergarten teacher for a reason. Loving sunshine, kittens and puppies, and young children made Sedona’s job perfect for her. She didn’t want to face such a grim outlook on life.

She glanced at him as he seated her at the scarred wooden table in the interrogation room. Becoming an officer wasn’t in the future, but becoming an officer’s wife could be on the agenda. Although dealing with the worst of the citizens of Morgan County wasn’t part of her training, she’d have to help Cam deal with the aftereffects of his job.

“Do you want anything to drink? We have coffee, tea, soft drinks, and water. What would you like?”

“Water. I’ll go for hot tea later.”

He flinched. “If that’s what you want.”

Sedona laughed. “I know you’re not a tea drinker.”

“The cold and sweetened variety is great. The herbal stuff is unpalatable.”

The sheriff strode into the room with his brother, Elliot, a step behind. They sat on the other side of the table. “The Collector knows where Julio lives. We’ve had to move the family into protective custody.”

Cam stiffened. “What happened?”

“Caleb drove them home and found this.” David turned his phone around so they could both see the photos as he scrolled from one picture to the next.

Each photo showed more and more destruction. Holes in the wall, the refrigerator shoved onto its front, food tossed everywhere, and that was just in the kitchen.

As David swiped on, showing more damage in each room than the one before, Sedona grew sick to her stomach. Was she responsible for this? Had something she said or seen caused these people to lash out at Julio and his family?

Frustration filled her. If she had caused this, she didn’t know how. Nothing stood out except Julio talking about the three men who stared at him behind the school building.

But that made little sense. She’d been back there, too, and had seen nothing that should trigger this kind of payback. Sedona felt helpless, and she hated that feeling. She hadn’t experienced that since she joined the circus and didn’t appreciate having her peace and security ripped away again.

“Are they safe?” Cam asked.

“For now,” Elliot replied. “It won’t last long.”

“Why not?” Sedona asked.

“If The Collector is as good as he’s rumored to be, he’s already searching for Maria and Eddie. We can’t let Simpson get to them.”

“How can we help?” Cam asked.