Page 141 of Missile Strike

“Bella.” Her name tore out of him before he could stop it.

Silence.

Only seconds, but also a lifetime.

The detective cleared his throat. “Ah, no, sir. I’m calling regarding Omar Hassan.”

Danny’s legs gave out, dropping him onto the bed. His air-starved lungs filled with what sounded dangerously close to a sob. “Thank God.”

When he recovered his wits, he frowned. “Wait, homicide?”

“The medical examiner found a small puncture wound on Mr. Hassan’s chest that went unnoticed during his medical emergency, so she ran a toxicology screen.”

A brick formed in Danny’s stomach. “And?”

“There were trace amounts of a cardiotoxin that threw his heart into a fatal arrhythmia. His death is now a homicide investigation. We’re questioning everyone who had physical contact with the victim in the hours leading to his death.”

His shoulders tensed. “Including me.”

“I need you to come in for an interview.”

“I’m out of town on an assignment.”

“You were one of the last people to have physical contact with the victim, sir. Make the time.”

Danny sighed. “You’ve got my information. I’ll be back by the end of the week.” He hung up, his mind racing.

Someone had murdered Omar Hassan.

He was an obvious suspect because his job had been to protect Bella. He’d put a chokehold on Hassan and taken him down.

And he’d been more than willing to take the bastard out permanently to keep her safe.

But he hadn’t murdered Hassan.

So who had?

He tried calling Bella again.

No answer.

This time, he left a message. “Bella, honey. Please.” He stopped. Inhaled a ragged breath. “Please pick up the phone. I need you to call me back and tell me you’re safe.”

Opening his travel app, he looked for flights to Charlotte.

When his phone rang again, he glanced at the name on the screen and muttered a curse. Everyone was calling him except for the one person he needed to hear from.

His thumb hovered over the screen. He exhaled sharply before answering. “Ms. Flores.”

“Mr. Mayhew, I thought you’d call me back after the photo I texted you earlier.” Her tone sharpened. “Did you even look at it?”

The photo. He hadn’t done more than glance at it. After finding Agent Anderson with a bullet in her head, he’d forgotten about it.

“I was busy.” She did not want to know about his day.

“I did some digging into Omar Hassan’s background, curious as to what drove him to suddenly target Isabella Strickland after all these years.”

Heat erupted behind Danny’s eyes. “Let’s see. His father is released from prison, then dies. Shortly after, you write an exposé on Bella’s childhood trauma that makes the national news and triggers Hassan into seeking revenge.” His hand went to the back of his neck as he resumed pacing.