AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Maddie barked out a laugh, drained the rest of her wine, and for a split second, Grant thought she was going to throw the glass across the room. Instead, she firmly placed it on the table and paced. “As far as anyone is concerned, I know nothing. I will swear with my hand on the Bible that I don’t knowanythingaboutanything. And if you were smart, if you cared at all about yourself—if you cared aboutme!—you’d do the same.”
Last night Grant had been as scared as Maddie after hearing about Granger’s death. Today, Maddie wasn’t scared—she was enraged. Maybe it was a protective reaction to fear. That, he could see. But would she actually lie to protect Chase’s killer? Would she claim she didn’t know anything when, in fact, she’d helped him extract the files?
He didn’t want to hurt Maddie. If this was about anything—anything—other than his son’s murder, he would do exactly what Maddie wanted.
“Regan isn’t going to back down. If I don’t talk to her tonight, tell her why she found my number in Tom’s files, she’ll come back to the office, possibly make a scene. I need to tell her what I know.”
“I’m ajunior partner! You might survive the fallout, but I won’t, I’ll be fired, lose my license!”
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll protect you.” He paused. “I’ll say, under oath, that I accessed the files using your password. I will swear that you knew nothing about what I was doing.”
If that’s what Maddie needed, he’d give it to her. He owed her that much, though it pained him that she wouldn’t stand with him.
She didn’t say anything. Did she not believe him? He moved closer to her. “I love you, Maddie. This isn’t going away. Come with me tonight. United, we’re stronger.” He touched her cheek. Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Don’t cry, baby,” he said, kissed her lightly. Tasted the wine on her lips. “I’ll pick you up tonight, six thirty? Pack a bag, you’ll stay with me tonight. Longer, if you want. Okay? We’ll talk to Regan together.”
“I—I really don’t want any part of this,” she said, her voice cracking. She clung to him. “Tom Granger waskilled. He was a marshal and he’s dead. What if... God, what if Brock Marsh really is behind all this? And they know you were helping him? What if they come after the firm, if we expose them? Franklin? You? Me?”
The words were like a gut punch, but Grant had to stand firm.
“We have some of the pieces, Tom had other pieces, and between us, we’ll get real answers about what happened to my son. I want you with me. Regan will have questions, and you understand the accounting better than me. Please. I need you on this.”
She wiped away tears. “I really don’t want to do this. I don’t think there’s anything here, but if I’m wrong, if Brock Marsh is who Granger thinks they are, we’re all in danger.”
“Trust me,” he said. “I’ll pick you up, we’ll do this together. Then—we’ll disappear for a couple of days, okay? Once this is behind me, I can finally move forward. Once I know the truth about Chase, I can breathe again.”
He kissed her, hugged her trembling body.
He was just as scared as she was, but this was the right thing to do.
Twenty-Five
Jenna Johns thanked Lance for the hundredth time for letting her stay at his place last night, after she’d found her place ransacked. He’d even slept on the couch and given her his bed, which she hadn’t wanted but couldn’t deter him.
Now they ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Lance had a morning class and came back to talk to her before he had to go back to campus. She’d called in sick at the hospital, which she hated doing, but her mind wasn’t on her job and she didn’t want to make a mistake that might get someone hurt.
“Stop,” he told her. “I mean it. You needed help—I helped. End of story.” He reached out and touched her hand. The gesture felt intimate, and she didn’t know quite what to make of it. “Jenna, I’m going to help you get through this. You should never feel violated and scared like this. You can stay here as long as you need.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, picking up their plates and glasses and rinsing them in the sink. “But I need to go back. At least...for the afternoon. I told the police what I thought was missing—my laptop, my cell phone—but I need to go through more thoroughly and make sure that nothing else was taken. I didn’t even think to check my jewelry box—my mother’s wedding and engagement rings were there. They’re not worth a lot, but...”
“They have sentimental value,” he finished for her.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll take you, walk through the house, make sure it’s secure. Okay? Then when I’m done with classes, I’ll come back. You can decide if you want me to stay at your place or you want to come back here.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Iwantto.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
Yesterday, Lance had stayed with her as she gave the police a report about the break-in. He’d driven her to his place because she was too jittery to drive herself. Now he took her back and like he promised, walked through her house and made sure all the windows and doors were secure.
“Don’t answer the door. If anyone comes by that you don’t know, call the police immediately,” he said. “Okay? Better to feel embarrassed than have something bad happen.”
“Okay,” she said, and smiled to show him that she was brave. “Thank you.”
