Page 79 of In the Arms of a Hero

“I much prefer to deal with people face-to-face. That’s so much more telling, isn’t it? And so much more personal.”

“That would be fine, but I’m… well, I’m recovering from an injury at the moment and?—”

“I’d be more than happy to meet you at your home if that’s convenient. I’ll be leaving the area tomorrow, so this will be the only chance I have.”

Belinda hesitated, not wanting to meet a stranger at Aaron’s apartment. She glanced across the room at his dad, her mindracing with how to meet the woman.Maybe it would be okay with Arthur here. No, that’s not fair to him. And I don’t want anyone to know Aaron’s address.“Let me check on something, please.” She muted her phone and looked up. “Arthur, would you be willing to drive me to Bess’s Bakery for a short meeting with a client?”

He nodded, then added, “As long as you clear it with Aaron first.”

She agreed, then said, “I should be able to meet you at my sister’s bakery. We will have to keep the meeting short, and I need to check on the logistics first. May I call you back at this number in a few minutes?”

“Absolutely. I look forward to hearing from you.”

Disconnecting, she dialed Aaron, wondering if she was interrupting him for something trivial. Just as she was ready to hang up, he answered.

“Hey, sweetheart, what’s up?”

“I got a call from a potential client, and she wants to meet. This is the one who saw my advertisement in the bakery and had talked to Bess. I thought that your dad could drive me to the bakery, and I could meet her there. I promise I’ll keep it short and not tire myself out. Would that be okay?”

“I’d rather be there also, but we’ve got a break in the case. It looks like we have your shooter in custody, but we’re busy with the investigation.”

“Oh, thank God, Aaron! Who was it?” She wanted to know, yet a stone sat in her stomach with the emotional toll that had weighed her down.

“Some small-time mobster from Baltimore.”

She blinked in surprise, unable to understand what someone from Baltimore was doing down here or why they were after her. Forcing her mind to the reason she called, she asked, “Then we should be able to meet the woman with no problem, right?”

“I want Dad with you the whole time. And I’m sending a deputy to drive by the bakery and to stay close by.”

“That’s perfect,” she gushed. “I’ll see you when you get in. Love you!” As soon as she disconnected, the words she’d so easily tossed out hit her. “Oh my God,” she breathed under her breath. They sounded like a throwaway… something she might say to Bess or a friend. Her heart raced…they weren’t a throwaway. I’m in love with Aaron Bergstrom.She glanced over at Arthur, glad to see he was still looking down at the book he was reading.Oh, God, what did Aaron think when he heard the words?

“What did he say?” Arthur asked, looking up.

Her face flushed hot. “What? About what?”

“About going to the bakery to meet the client?”

“Oh, that,” she rushed. “Yeah. Yes. It’s fine. It’s all fine… good. Um, they have the shooter, they think. So yeah, we’re all good.”

“Are you okay, Belinda?” he asked, concern filling his eyes.

She swallowed deeply and nodded. “I guess I’m just excited about going out.”

“Well, we won’t overdo it. Just to the bakery and back, right?”

She nodded while calling Ms. Winters back. Once the arrangements were made, she made quick work of fixing her face and hair, then chose a simple outfit that made it easy to strap her shoulder sling on. Walking out of the bedroom, she spied Arthur standing by the door.

“I hope it’s okay, but I invited Sally to meet us there.”

“That’s lovely!” Belinda stepped outside, breathing easier than she had in days with the sunshine on her face.It’s going to be a wonderful day!

Aaron’s gaze moved over the words in the multitude of reports, searching for the one thing that would jump out at him. James was back in a cell, and now that they had tied him to Belinda’s shooting and the real possibility of him dumping William Gaston’s body into the bay as well as possibly being the one who killed him, all the detectives were digging deep to find the missing pieces.

The Bellini family was exactly what Detective Marley said they were—they ran a legitimate transporting company that was probably used to launder other money. They had a reputation for being loan sharks and enforcers in the area. Not exactly as small-time as Aaron had supposed but it was only marginally tied to the eastern Italian mob presence. It seemed that most of the family worked for their company as he ran through the names of James’s relatives.

As his finger ran down the list, it snagged at one that was more unusual. One he’d seen recently. One he’d talked to. Turning the information over in his head, he suddenly remembered what Colt had said earlier.Not everyone is what they seem.Doing a little more digging, he suddenly stared at the screen and leaned back in his seat as the air left his lungs.

Sam looked over, his brows lifting. “Got something?”

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