Page 91 of When He Protects

This counted as a chat?

Clay’s focus whipped to the gun. “You’re pointing a weapon at a sheriff.” A pause. “At your friend.”

“Yeah, I am. I’m a crazy bastard like that,” Kane informed him without even missing a beat. “You had access to the house. You would have known how to bypass the security system because you set it up. And you would have known exactly how to rig the bomb. So from where I sit—from where Tyler sits—you look guilty as sin.”

This could not be happening. Esme touched Tyler’s arm. “You honestly think one of your best friends would do this to you?”

“Seven million dollars is on your head, Esme. I think anyone would kill for that.” He leaned forward.

“This is bullshit!” Clay cried out. “I’m helping!I wasn’t even there, all right? I was…hell, I was with Vanessa. She was at my place. Comes by every morning after she drops off her kid at daycare. I have a freaking alibi! Call her. She’ll tell you.I didn’t do this shit.”

“We will call her,” Kane promised. “But right now, I’m gonna need you to get out of the vehicle.”

Clay gaped. “You are not serious. It’smyJeep.”

“And we’re borrowing it. See, Tyler and Esme need to vanish. I don’t thinkyouneed to know where they’re going. Not right now. Not with the gambling debts you’ve piled up. You always did like to get in games that were way above your head. Remember that time in Monte Carlo? Had to drag you out of that casino.”

Esme’s stomach knotted.

“You tried to take Esme away from the scene,” Tyler charged. “You cuffed her.”

“I was trying to protect her! What the hell? This is insanity! You can’t doubtme!”

“It might be insanity,” Tyler agreed. “And I’ll apologize like hell later if I’m wrong. And I’ll say it was the concussion talking, and I’ll be really, really sorry for being an asshole, but Esme’s life is on the line, and I’m gonna need you to get out of the Jeep.”

Esme held her breath.

Clay got out of the Jeep. He stood near the driver’s side door with his hands at his sides.

Esme was far too conscious of the gun in his holster.

“You’re making a mistake,” Clay told them. He seemed both angry and sad.

Kane slid into the driver’s seat. “I pulled your phone records. You’ve been calling the Feds.”

Clay blanched. “What? When did you do that?” He raked a hand through his hair. “Look, dammit.One Fed.I called one Fed! I used to report to him on classified operations back in the day. Dammit, I owedhim! He buried the work I did before. He helped me put that life behind me.I owed him,”Clay repeated, almost desperately, “and he just wanted me to check in and let him know that Esme was safe and secure. Such a simple job. And it’s Grayson’s damn boss! Of course, we can trust him.”

Grayson’s boss…Thaddeus?Esme leaned forward and poked on Kane’s shoulder. “We should drive away now. Very swiftly. Drive away. Now.”

“Thanks for confirming a suspicion,” Kane told the other man. “FYI, when the hell would I have actually had time to pull phone records?”

Clay blinked. “You…lied to me?”

“Back up, man,” Kane ordered. “Don’t want to drive over your foot, but I will.”

Clay jumped back.

And the Jeep hauled ass away.

This wasn’t happening.Clay watched in utter disbelief as the Jeep rushed down the road. Dust flew into the air after the vehicle.Hisvehicle.

He whipped out his phone. Two seconds later… “Theyknow,” he snarled.

“What?” The voice in his ear was confused. And worried.

“They know I’ve been talking to you.” Because he’d walked straight into a stupid trap. Of course, Kane hadn’t pulled phone records. He should have never bought that BS. “Look, they are going to disappear. Into the wind. Kane is helping them. Tyler thinks he can trust him.”

“Kane Harte can’t be trusted by anyone. You know that.”

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