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“It has to be here, and it has to be tomorrow,” Paisley replied more firmly this time. The part she wasn’t saying to Izzy was the reason. They could control the scene here. It wouldn’t be a flood of people trying to snap a picture of her before she went on air on a talk show. No studio audience. Anyone in the crowd tomorrow would be a resident of the area, some camera crews from local media, and people who were highly motivated to be in the same place as her. The people who worked hard to get in her orbit and do her harm. They had been waiting since the night Doug was poisoned for her to turn up again, and they’d find a way to get here. With any luck, they’d be easy to spot. Judging by the note in the flowers, whoever was watching her already knew she was in town. All she had to do was stand in front of a camera and wait for something to happen. She hoped that wasn’t the last thing she did.
“Let’s go eat,” Izzy said with a forced smile. “Then we can look into getting your nails done.”
“We’ve got to go,” Paisley said, shooting Ben a look. “Thanks for setting this up. I’ll see you tomorrow in front of the school.”
“You don’t want to...” Izzy’s voice trailed off as Ben and Paisley left the library and stepped out into the street.
“That felt like shit,” Paisley admitted, putting her head on Ben’s shoulder as they strode away. “Izzy would never be in on this. I’m treating her like a criminal. Like she wasn’t my friend for all these years. She’s done more for my career than anyone else. I just walked away from her like she didn’t matter to me. She matters. These people have been my family.”
“On the other side of this they’ll understand. Your life is in danger. People who care about you will still be there when this is over. You can’t take any chances. It might sting now, but it’s the best you can do.”
“Do you think I need a few hours of hair and makeup?” she asked, tipping her head up to look at him.
“Come on lovebirds,” Mick said with a gruff whisper as he stepped onto the sidewalk behind them. “Back to the hotel. We’ve got some work to do.”
“Lovebirds?” Paisley asked, crumpling her face up curiously. “We are not...”
“Don’t bother, girl,” Mick replied with a chuckle. “If it walks like a lovebird and talks like a lovebird...”
“You don’t strike me as a guy who believes in love,” Ben cut back with a laugh.
“Are you kidding me?” Mick puffed out his chest. “I’ve loved plenty of women in my day. And at least one or two of them loved me back. I think. I’m pretty sure.”
Paisley sighed and paused at the corner, waiting for the traffic to slow down. “Are you two done, or do you want to wait until I get killed out here to stop messing around?”
Mick’s voice fell serious. “You’re not getting killed on my watch. Let’s go by the high school on the way back and get a lay of the land for tomorrow. Maybe we can spot some areas they might use. I don’t know how they’re gonna come at you, but they will. We’ll be ready.”
“Right,” Ben said, draping his arm over Paisley’s shoulder. “We’ll be ready.”
Mick let out a little chuckle. “Tweet tweet, little birdies.”
CHAPTER20
BEN
Even if he was sure it was Mick at the hotel room door, he still felt a nervous pang in his gut. Every passing minute he knew more people were aware of Paisley’s presence in town. Cameras would be gathering soon. A crowd. It seemed impossible to think they could keep her safe as she stood there and told her truth to the world.
Cinderhill, even with all its rustic challenges, would have been endlessly easier. They’d be muddling around the woods, taking advice from Mrs. Tully and digging more trenches. He’d give anything for the hardest thing he did today to be back-breaking work in the woods.
Mick strode into the room looking confident, but it wasn’t convincing enough for Ben. There was no way to pretend this was going to be easy.
“Location looks solid.” Mick grabbed a bottle of water and paced the room. “I’ve got the podium positioned in a way that will maximize cover from the trees. You keep your message brief. I set up cameras to face the crowd and surrounding areas. We’ll be able to go through that data to see if we can spot anyone who might turn into a lead.”
“Or they just take me out then and there.” Paisley shrugged as she ran a brush through her hair and looked out the window. “I really wish we knew who we were dealing with. Carmen and a ton of experts have been working around the clock. Checking every person I’ve had in my life. Every event I’ve attended. They are no closer to an answer. It’s like fighting against a ghost.”
The knock on the door might as well have been a gunshot for how they all reacted. Mick pushed past them and gave Ben a knowing look. He jumped into action, moving Paisley out of sight and into a corner away from the door.
“Yah, who is it?” Mick barked angrily. He poised for action. His theory was that these people weren’t assassins who’d come barreling in, guns blazing. But this moment reminded them all it was just a theory.
“Uh, it’s King. I’m a friend of Ben and Paisley. Are they here?”
Mick grumbled under his breath and waited for Ben to give him the okay. “He’s from Cinderhill. Carmen trusts him.”
“You kids all hopping around and showing up unannounced is trouble. There’s a plan. We’re supposed to stick with the plan.” Mick looked through the peephole, kept his hand on the holstered weapon on his waist, and reluctantly opened the door.
“I’m sorry to just show up. I got an update from Carmen and it sounded dicey. You guys are taking a serious risk here. I’m more than happy to take you back to Cinderhill now if you’ll come.”
Paisley sighed, looking relieved to come away from the corner of the room. “If you came to talk me out of it—”
