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Ainsley and Ace returned to the living room. Her gaze zeroed in on the clear bag in Spencer’s hand, and her stomach dropped as she saw its contents.
Spencer lifted his arm, showing Ace the gun. “We’re going to need you to come down to the station and answer a few questions.”
Three hours later...
Ainsley sank into her desk chair with a sigh, feeling wrung out. She was tired, both from the events of the afternoon and her struggles to manage Ace’s reactions to everything.
Her brother had immediately and emphatically insisted the gun that Spencer’s scent hound, Boris, had discovered was not his. She believed him, but the police weren’t quite as willing to take him at his word. And why should they? A woman had called in a tip saying Ace had a gun in his closet, and lo and behold, they’d found it. It was a compelling piece of evidence, and possibly the weapon that had been used to shoot Payne Colton.
Except, it was all so very neat and tidy. Too neat, in Ainsley’s opinion. The more she thought about it, the more plausible Ace’s theory about a business or personal rival sounded. It was the perfect way to punish Ace for his steamroller business strategy, and she was willing to bet there were a lot of disgruntled souls he’d left in his wake as CEO of Colton Oil.
But as much as she wanted to help her brother, she was going to have to call in reinforcements. It wouldn’t be appropriate for her to handle Ace’s legal issues while still working for Colton Oil. Besides, she wasn’t a defense attorney, and after the discovery of the gun in Ace’s closet, her brother had now become the prime suspect in their father’s shooting.
“Don’t leave town,” Spencer had cautioned after he’d declared Ace was free to go.
“We’ll definitely have more questions for you later,” Detective Kerry Wilder, their adoptive brother Rafe’s fiancée, had added.
“I’m sure you will,” Ace had grumbled. “I’ve always been a suspect.”
Ainsley had managed to drag her brother away before his temper had flared again. She understood why he was so upset, but every time he got emotional it only made him appear more guilty.
“Stay here,” she’d told him, dropping him off at his condo. “I know the best defense attorney in the state. I’m going to call in a favor.”
“I don’t want someone else,” Ace had said. “I want you.”
“You can’t have me,” she’d told her brother. “This isn’t my specialty. Trust me, this guy is good. You don’t need to worry.”
“I’m worried as hell,” he’d grumbled. “But I do trust you.”
She’d been touched by his admission, once again feeling a spurt of pride at the fact that her big brother was relying on her. Now, in the privacy of her office, she allowed herself a little smile.
Her cell phone sat on her desk. She reached out and traced her fingertip along the edge, gathering up her courage to take this next step. She’d promised her brother the best defense attorney in the state. She owed it to him to deliver.
Even if it meant calling the man who’d broken her heart.
She took a deep breath and picked up the phone before she could change her mind. She’d deleted Santiago’s number years ago, but it didn’t matter. Her fingers danced across the keypad without hesitation, punching in the numbers she still knew by heart.
He picked up on the first ring. “Ainsley.” His voice was deep and smooth. A tingle shot down her spine and she closed her eyes, wishing he hadn’t answered so quickly. She’d wanted a few more seconds to compose herself, to prepare to speak to him again.
She cleared her throat. “Hello, Santiago. How are you?”
“Better, now that I’m talking to you.” He’d always been so charismatic. It seemed the years had done nothing to diminish his charm. “To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?”
Ainsley swallowed hard, pushing down her pride. Ace. She was doing this for her brother. “I need your help.”
“Of course,” Santiago replied. “Are you in your office?”
She frowned. “Yes. But—”
“Excellent,” Santiago said, cutting her off. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“You’ll what?” she exclaimed. But he’d already ended the call, leaving her with nothing but a dial tone.
Ainsley hung up and placed the phone on her desk, her thoughts a jumbled mess. He couldn’t be coming here. That wasn’t the deal. She’d bargained on talking to him only, giving him Ace’s information and letting him take things from there. She hadn’t intended on seeing him again.
And what was he doing in town anyway? He didn’t live in Mustang Valley. It was the only reason she’d been able to get over him after he’d broken her heart years ago. If she’d had to see him all the time, she’d still be pining for the man. His move to New York after their break-up had been a bit of a gift. She’d heard through the professional grapevine he’d returned to Phoenix, but she hadn’t expected to find him in the comparatively sleepy town of Mustang Valley.
She lifted her hand, brushing it over her hair. This was really happening. In a few minutes, Santiago Morales was going to walk through her door.
