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“You’ve done well, Brianne. Your mom and I are so proud of you. Now, I’ve got to get rid of this phone. Be careful. We love and miss you. One day we’ll get to see each other again.”
“Wait...”
But he was gone.
She lowered the phone and dropped her face into her hands. The panic threatened to send her straight over the edge into hyperventilating, but she pulled on the years of learned coping mechanisms and managed to head it off. However, stopping the tears was impossible.
A moment later, the door opened, and she ducked her head, swallowing hard. When she finally looked up, Vince stood there.
“You okay?” he asked, the frown on his face announcing his concern.
No. No, she was definitely not okay. “Um, yeah. I just...” What could she say? If she started talking about it, she’d blubber all over him and she really didn’t want that.
“That was your dad on the phone?” he asked.
“It was.”
“What did he want?”
Do not cry.Do not cry.She took a deep breath. “To tell me a man that we both knew once upon a time was murdered.”
His eyes widened. “Sorry, what?”
“The guy I called Sunday night. Trent. This is no coincidence, Vince. He’s dead because I called him.”
“Aw, Raina, that’s not your fault.”
“I tried to ask for help and ...” The tears pushed to come again and she shoved them back. “But God’s in control, right?”
“Absolutely.”
“This was bound to happen at some point, wasn’t it?”
“Probably. Not only is God in control, his timing is perfect. He’s got a reason for letting all of this happen now.”
It was a comforting thought, but the guilt about calling Trent still cut at her. “My dad thinks I should run because the guy’s murderer is probably coming after me next. Only I thinknexthas already arrived.” She bit her lip. “I know I’ve hesitated in asking for help, but this is too important to let my fears get in the way. So, while I know you’re working to find Kevin, I need you to work harder.”
He sat beside her on the bed and took her hand. “Thank you,” he said, his voice low.
She raised a brow at the odd tone. “What? I mean, you’re welcome, but why do you sound like ... that?”
He cleared his throat. “I just appreciate you letting me help. For trusting me enough to ask. That’s all.”
“That’s not all. What?”
“I’ll tell you a little later, but for now, I have a picture I’d like to show you.”
“All right.” She frowned, wondering what had him so on edge. He tapped the screen of his phone, then turned it around so she could see it. “What am I looking fo—” She gasped. “Where did you get this?”
“From a new friend. His name is Crank. But that’s not what’s important. You recognize the guy behind us?”
“I do. That’s John Tate, the US Marshal who helped me get out of California and gave me the new identities. Why is he on that security footage?”
“That’s a really good question, because he was at the hospital too.” He showed her the man who walked out of the hospital exit shortly after Freddy Harper.
Raina stared at him. “I must be more affected by the drugs than I thought, because I’m not tracking why John would be following the man responsible for drugging my drink and almost killing me.”
“I don’t know either, but I’d sure like to ask him and find out.”
