Page 122 of His Wounded Heart

“Dex, I don’t have the heart to tell her anything until we know something for sure. But we’ve got to do something. As much as I enjoy being holed up with a beautiful woman and her kick of a kid, I need to shake the tree to get things moving so I can put this thing to bed.”

“I have an idea,” Dex says.

“Actually, so do I,” I respond.

“Why are you packing?” she asks.

“It’s just for one night,” I assure her.

“That wasn’t what I asked,” Trenda says firmly.

Uh-oh, I’m getting the mother voice.

I turn to look at her. She’s in the yoga pants I love so much. It’s great living with her and seeing how she dresses when it’s just around the house. I get to see the cropped tank tops when we’re close to the fire. Those are the best nights.

“Simon, concentrate. Tell me where you’re going and what you’re planning on doing. Or should I tell you? You’re impatient, so you’re going to Nashville, and that’s why Aiden and Evie are downstairs.”

I cross the bedroom and take her into my arms. “You’re perfect for me. You can even read my mind.”

She pushes at my chest so we’re not quite as close. “Yeah, well, I still don’t know what you’re going to be doing, so please enlighten me.”

“I’m going to visit with all the beneficiaries, and see what bad apples fall out of the tree. Not Kevin of course, I’ll be talking to his delightful mother, Carla.”

She bites her lip as she looks up at me. “I don’t like this. I don’t like it at all. I’ve been thinking about that car crash. I don’t think that was just a warning. I think they were actually trying to kill us.”

I do too, but I don’t say it aloud.

“Trenda, us just sitting around waiting is accomplishing nothing. We need to end this.”

“Why not wait for the police?”

I raise my eyebrow.

She bangs her forehead against my chest. “Oh yeah, the sheriff is working the case. We’re so screwed.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow at the latest. You can call me any time,” I promise.

“You promise?”

“I just did.”

I get a call from Dex as I’m driving to Nashville.

“You there yet?”

“Nope. I’ve got another hour before I hit the outskirts, then thirty before I hit the hotel. I need two hours before the meeting to buy something besides jeans and a t-shirt. All three of them have agreed to meet me. Richard and Carla were falling all over themselves to meet somebody who represented the other beneficiary. Not one of them gave it away on the phone that they knew I was representing Trenda. I want to see if they do when we’re in person.”

“That’ll give our guys time to get the GPS tracking and Bluetooth listening set up.”

“And Evie and Aiden can afford this?” I question again.

“Aiden is loaded; trust me, ten or twenty grand won’t be missed. He even probably has one of those black American Express cards.” Dex chuckled.

“And why did this guy we’re working with decide on this hotel?”

“It’s all valet express. They don’t park any cars in front of the hotel, and the parking is all underground. He knows his shit around Nashville. He was also able to get you a meeting room at the last minute.”

“Okay.”