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Maggie practically jumped back a foot. “There is no way in hell that I am going to let you sleep in this house! Not after you just ruined my career!”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Maggie
“Ruined your career? What the hell are you talking about, woman? I’m trying to save your life, not ruin your career. One has nothing to do with the other!”
I lunged forward, grabbing his shirt and practically smashing my nose into his. “I’ll have you know that you did totally ruin my career. I quit my job at the paper! I was going to be working for your company, and now I’m banned from that! It’s all your fault!”
I saw the desire in his eyes, witnessed his pupils dilate, his nose flare. I was turning him on, and strangely enough, I was totally turned on myself. If I didn’t watch myself, I’d end up naked and back on the counter again. Oh, please!
Greg took me by the shoulders and urged me back. “Maggie, Jake isn’t letting you go because the police don’t want you to leave the area right now. This has nothing to do with me or him.”
I frowned. “Bullshit!”
“I’m serious, Maggie. Detective Highmore came to see me this afternoon. He told me what’s been going on. He said that you need to stay in town because you are the only eyewitness that can ID Len. When they find him, they are going to need you pretty quickly for the preliminary hearing.”
“Are you trying to tell me that Chuck won’t testify against him? I thought they were going to try and get Chuck to flip on Len.”
Greg’s eyes shifted off to the side, and he sighed as his chin dropped to his chest momentarily. Whatever was about to come out of his mouth was not good. “Chuck is dead.”
“What?” My voice squeaked, and suddenly, the anger I had at Greg went up in smoke, and I was thankful that he was still holding my shoulders. “What do you mean, he’s dead? And wait, did you say other people were dead too?”
The alcohol was hiding some of his words, but I fought to clear the fog out of my mind.
“Yeah, look, let me get you a glass of water, check the house real quick, and then I’ll explain.”
“Check the house for what?” My voice began to rise again, and he pursed his lips.
“Maggie, get yourself a glass of water and have a seat. I just want to check the doors. Is your mom home?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, what is the code to your alarm?”
“Why?”
“Because I want to arm it.”
I told him the code and watched him walk out of the kitchen and down the hall toward the front door. A moment later, I heard the alarm pad beeping, and then his footsteps echoed back to me as they grew further away. I shivered. Who was dead? Was it a coincidence? Or was it all related?
I did as Greg told me to do and poured myself a glass of water, along with one for him, and set them both on the table. I was about to sit down when I glanced up at the window and then rushed around the table and yanked the curtains closed.
My heart thudded a little harder as adrenaline rushed through my veins and began to burn the alcohol off. Why had I drunk all those shots? Why? Oh, because I’d been planning on wallowing in the misery caused by my high school sweetheart.
I put my face in my hands and heard Greg arrive back in the kitchen. “Oh, good, you closed the shades. I did that in the rest of the house too.”
“Sit down and explain what the hell is going on, Greg.” I lifted my face out of my hands as he took a seat. “You said other people died. Who died, and how?”
“Five right now, I don’t know who, but they were all at the café. The detective said that Chuck supposedly committed suicide in jail, but an informant said it was a hit, and there were hits out on everyone who was there that day.”
“Why? Why would Len want to kill all of us? Just to stay out of jail? Doesn’t he know that his sentence is just going to get longer and longer until he rots in a cell?”
“I don’t think it’s Len that is responsible for the killings. I have a feeling that Len might already be dead.”
“What?” I stared at him, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. “If Len is dead, then why do they want the rest of us dead?”
“Because Len was involved with a cartel, and he owed them big money. He did the jewelry heist to try and square things up.”
