Page 73 of Cornered

“I’m not sure.”

“We all heard. You weren’t being very quiet.”

She tried to bury her face in his chest. “Shoot me now.”

“Can’t do it, sweetheart.”

They walked on, and when they stepped out of the woods, all the chairs around the firepit were empty. “Where’d everyone go?”

“Meredith said to tell you good night. Cal and Landry went home because they’re newlyweds and that’s what newlyweds do.” He winked at her. “But you’re too young for such things.”

“I am not too young.”

He put his hands on her biceps, and he looked so sad that she wanted to ask him what was wrong. Before she got the chance, he leaned close and whispered, “I’ll always be in your corner. Always. No matter what. But don’t let your stubbornness keep you from giving Donovan a chance to make things right.”

“I’m not stubborn.”

“You’re one of the most stubborn people I know. And that isn’t always bad. But when it comes to this? Maybe you should let go of the anger and give him a chance. Meredith was rooting for him. I thought she was going to blow a gasket when his phone rang.”

Cassie could picture them sitting around the firepit, straining to hear every word.

“He messed up. But so did you.” Mo’s smile was gentle, and she dropped her head against his chest and let him give her a hug. Mo gave the best hugs, but he was stingy with them. She’d learned to savor each one. When he released her, he pointed to the door of her home. “Go to bed. Sleep. And don’t leave the property unless someone, and by someone I mean me, knows where you are and where you’re going. Whatever this mess is, it’s escalating, and I don’t want you out on the mountain alone until we’ve resolved everything.”

Cassie wanted to tell him she was an adult and didn’t need him bossing her around. But he wasn’t wrong. And she’d already promised Donovan the same thing.

She’d almost reached her door when Mo called out, “Cassie?” He was standing on his porch, hand on the doorknob.

“Yeah.”

“I love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you too, Mo.”

210DONOVAN ARRIVEDat the police station to discover that every parking space was full, and most of the vehicles were trucks with varying degrees of cleanliness. He had to park two blocks away and walk back to the station, and when he arrived, he had to flash his badge and put on what Cassie called his “mean cop face” to get the crowd to clear enough for him to get inside.

He went straight to Gray’s office, stuck his head in the door, and said, “For the record, none of this was my fault.”

To which Gray replied, “Try again.” He wasn’t kidding.

“How is this my fault?”

“Your girl. Your fault.”

Donovan stepped inside the office. “What are you talking about?”

“Cassie Quinn has been a hot topic tonight. Apparently, the fight broke out over her. And of the five men currently behind bars, three of them told me they have info on the threat to her.”

“Do they?”

“Sure they do. One guy said she’s in danger from a guy she dated in high school, but then he said maybe it was from a girl who’s married to a different guy she dated in high school. He was fuzzy on the details. Of course, he was fuzzy on pretty much everything.”

Donovan groaned.

“Then we had the guy who blamed the sous-chef at Hideaway—”

“It wasn’t him.”

Gray held up a hand acknowledging Donovan’s interruption but continued. “He claims it’s a conspiracy between the sous-chef, Chef Louis, Bronwyn, and other members of the Pierce family.”

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