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“Seriously, this is not a good idea,” Jordan tried again.
“Why not?” Marley and Justin asked in unison as they turned toward him. Marley noticed he looked a little green around the gills. Was it lingering effects of the alcohol last night, or the thought of dealing with the law?
Jordan leaned close to Justin. “What if they want to investigate?” he asked in a low tone.
“That’s the point,” Marley said.
He cast her an irritated glance, but his words were for his twin. “You can’t do this, Justin. What if our names get dragged into it? What if this is the same guy who blackmailed us? If they investigate and uncover something Granddad did, it’ll ruin us.”
Marley held her own temper with effort as Justin’s jaw tightened. He shoved up from the table.
“I’m going to forget you just said that,” Justin bit out. “You’re not thinking straight this morning.”
“I’m thinking fine. Why can’t we just go with her?”
“He said to come alone,” Marley snapped.
“Then we definitely shouldn’t call the cops,” Jordan argued.
“We don’t know what this guy is capable of,” Justin said. “I’m not sending her in there without some sort of protection—” his gaze swung to hers “—other than that damn gun you’re so fond of.”
Jordan didn’t reply. Marley saw he was torn and felt some of her anger—the part aimed at him—slip away. If she stopped to look at it from where he sat, she couldn’t blame him for his concerns, self-serving though they might be. If the roles were reversed, she couldn’t say if she’d want to take the chance of losing her company, either.
Jordan let out a deep sigh. “Would you at least consider calling Colton first?” he asked. “Wasn’t his brother-in-law Joel a cop, or an investigator?”
“Jordan—”
“He could help. Or he might know someone who—”
Justin shook his head. “It’s got to go through the police or the only way any of it will end is in a way that I’m not willing to ever consider.”
****
Marley shifted in her seat. The tape holding the wire for the recording device pulled against the sensitive skin between her breasts. If only the police’s attempts to trace the blackmailer’s call had yielded something other than one of those untraceable, throw-away cell phones.
She restrained the impulse to pull open the front of her shirt to look again. The tiny microphone had been fine the last three times she’d checked it. Her head dipped anyway as her hand rose.
Justin reached over from the driver’s side of her truck to guide her hand back to her thigh. His touch calmed her nerves while at the same time sending heat through her with the memory of last night.
“Don’t be nervous, we’ll be right around the corner.”
“I’m not nervous. I can handle this guy.”
“Promise you’ll use the signal if you feel even the least bit uncomfortable.”
She coughed, twice, just like they’d discussed. His hand tightened on hers.
“Marley—”
“Well, I’m uncomfortable, the tape is pulling. It’s going to be a bitch taking it off.”
He gave a gruff chuckle that faded fast. He did care. She was touched by his concern; had been all day. It made her hope for tomorrow, or even later tonight when all this was behind them. In fact, maybe when they were alone again they could talk about the future.
Her heart thumped, and she swallowed hard. That made her nervous.
She closed her eyes. Ran through the instructions from Detectives Powell and Turner once more.
Remain calm.
