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Jesse wasn’t surprised that Shaw had read the report. Grayson would have legally been forced to inform the ATF of the details of the investigation—especially since there was no proof that the ATF had any wrongdoing in this.
“No further contact,” Jesse assured the agent. However, he wasn’t about to forget what Bull had said.
You need to ask yourself about what really took place that night Hanna was shot.
Jesse had spent a good chunk of the night thinking about just that, and he still didn’t know what Bull had wanted him to figure out. That’s why he needed another conversation with Bull, but that wouldn’t happen until the man called him back or resurfaced.
“You need to let me know ASAP if you hear from Bull,” Shaw said, extracting a business card and handing it to Jesse. “You already have my cell number, but my office number is on there.”
“You do the same and let me know if Bull contacts you,” Jesse insisted. He didn’t have a card on him so he took a notepad from the kitchen counter and jotted down his number.
Shaw took the piece of paper, shoving it into his pocket, and he looked at Hanna again. “I’d appreciate your cooperation in this investigation. If you remember anything, I need you to let me know.”
She nodded after a long pause of her own, and that confirmation seemed to signal to Shaw that it was time to leave. He muttered a lukewarm thanks and turned toward the door.
“Don’t trust him any further than you can throw a herd of longhorns,” Mason muttered as he followed Shaw out of the house.
Good advice; Jesse was on the same page as his uncle. He locked up, reset the security system and looked at Hanna to see if she was about to lose it now that some of her annoyance had faded. Nope. She seemed all-business now.
“You believe anything Shaw said?” she came out and asked.
“Not sure.” Hopefully, that would change, and he’d be able to get some confirmation on things and maybe disprove others. “Are you okay?” He had to know.
She nodded then muttered something under her breath. “I’m very angry that Bull or someone connected to this is putting our baby in danger again.”
Jesse matched her nod with one of his own. Yeah, he was not happy about that at all.
“What about Marlene?” Hanna asked. “Is there anything in her background to suggest she could truly be head of the militia?”
“Nothing that jumps out at me, but I suppose it’s possible.”
Along with interviewing the woman multiple times, Jesse had also done a thorough background check on her. He’d known her for years, but now he tried to determine if everything he remembered added up to her running an illegal operation.
“Both Bull and she were born into money, and Marlene is nearly ten years older than he is,” Jesse added. “Their father was a hard man who, from all accounts, browbeat his kids. Bull had a falling out with him and left right after high school. Marlene stayed and, when he died, he left his entire estate to her. It was worth millions, and Marlene has kept the business going though she did move the operation from San Antonio to Silver Creek.” That move had happened years ago, right about the time Jesse’s mom had married Boone.
“Marlene sells real estate, right?” Hanna asked.
“Yes, and she specializes in commercial property and ranches. I ran financials on her when Bull was arrested. Just routine stuff, and I didn’t see any red flags. Still, a real estate business would be a good cover for money laundering and such that a militia might need.”
Her forehead bunched up as she obviously tried to process that. “Maybe Bull moved back to Silver Creek to investigate the militia and then found out his sister was involved. That could have possibly caused him to go rogue. Rogue enough, though, to attack and kidnap her? I mean, what reason would Bull have for doing that rather than just turning her over to the ATF?”
He paused, considered it. “Bull might not have taken her. She could have possibly staged the attack in her home.Possibly,” he emphasized. “It would have involved injuring herself or drawing her own blood.”
Even though this was an important and serious conversation, it occurred to him that they hadn’t talked like this in a long time. In fact, they hadn’t talked much at all since the shooting. It felt good, but he got an instant reminder of just how high the stakes were when he heard Evan’s and his mother’s laughter coming from the nursery. That’s where his focus had to be right now. Keeping Evan safe. Hanna and the rest of his family, too.
“Your shirt had blood on it,” Hanna said when Jesse walked back to the kitchen counter where he’d left his laptop.
He stopped, turned and stared at her. “What?”
Hanna swallowed hard. “The first time I saw you. Remember seeing you,” she corrected. She motioned toward his chest. “You had blood on your shirt.”
He drew in a slow breath. “Yes.” Another breath. “Noah had come running to restrain Bull, so I picked you up and took you to the hospital. I didn’t want to wait for the ambulance to get all the way out to the ranch.” He paused and blinked hard to try to erase some of what he was reliving in his head. “The baby kicked me.”
“What?” she asked, her tone very similar to his just moments earlier.
“When I was running to get you into my truck, you were unconscious, but I could feel Evan kicking. That helped me get through those moments.”
She nodded. “You were there with me when they did the C-section?”
