Page 67 of Flynn

“Yeah. How on earth did Irving get out here?” Bridges asked. “I thought she was supposed to be taken into custody?”

Irving? Not Gail Lee? He glanced at Taylor in confusion. “Are you sure the woman is Irving? We were concerned about a person by the name of Gail Lee. Gail Lee, formerly Gail Paulson. She used to be married to Don Paulson and her sons are Roman, Lyle, and Jake.”

There was a brief pause, before Doug said, “This woman’s ID is for a Gail Lee. But she looks very similar to Detective Irving.”

Taylor’s mouth dropped open. “I totally forgot that Gail has a twin sister! I haven’t seen her in so long I didn’t recognize Detective Irving as being related to the family.”

One of the puzzle pieces fell into place. It seemed as if Gail had gotten her sons involved in whatever crime was being committed. And she was also Irving’s twin sister. Which probably meant Irving was dirty too.

Did that mean Klem was innocent?

Flynn didn’t want to believe he’d shot an innocent man, even if the guy had fired at him first. His thoughts whirled as he comforted Taylor. Her family had been far more involved in this than any of them had realized.

And they still didn’t know who was in charge of the scheme.

As if on cue, Joe’s phone rang. He answered without putting the call on speaker. “Gabe, what do you have for us?”

Flynn found himself praying that Klem was dirty. That shooting the detective would be justified. At least in the eyes of the law.

On a personal level, he knew that firing at Klem would stick with him for a long time. Cops were put in positions where they had no choice but to take down bad guys. It wouldn’t be his first or his last.

But he still felt guilty and prayed Klem would survive.

“Thanks, Gabe, you have perfect timing. We have Gail Lee in custody. I’ll let the others know.” Joe lowered his phone, a smile breaking across his features. “Gabe cracked the case. He finally identified the owners of Investments, Inc. A guy by the name of Allen Irving. Who, as you know, is married to Detective Irene Irving.”

“You’re kidding. Irving’s husband is the brains behind this?” Flynn couldn’t believe it.

“Yep. And he dragged his wife, sister-in-law, and likely Klem into the snare, likely promising them easy money,” Joe confirmed. “Although we don’t have everything we need yet, we still have to connect Allen Irving to Nickoli Yurgis and to whatever money issues were going down at the bank. Hopefully, the feds will do their part on the banking end of things. Gabe will reach out to Ian with what he’s found. Based on the link between Financial Plus and Investments, Inc., I think a warrant will be issued for Allen Irving’s arrest. And his wife’s arrest, too, if she’s not already in custody,” Joe added.

“Does that mean it’s over? Like for good this time?” Taylor asked. She looked a little shell-shocked, but she wasn’t crying anymore.

“Yes, but we’ll move you to the safe house anyway until we know for sure,” Joe said.

“I’ll stay with you for as long as it takes,” Flynn said reassuringly. He wanted to add that he’d be there forever if she’d let him.

But they’d never broached the subject of what they’d do when this was over. She was the pretty girl who under normal circumstances wouldn’t look at him twice. This—whatever they had between them—was based on fear and danger. Emotions that would fade over time.

“Thank you, Flynn.” She reached up to cup his cheek with her hand. “I am very grateful to have your support.”

He felt his ears turn red with embarrassment. Suddenly Joe and Cassidy disappeared outside, leaving him and Taylor alone.

“I know you’ve been through a lot,” he said. “I’m happy to help you get settled once this is over.”

“I would like that,” she murmured. “In fact, I think I’d like to stay with you for a while.” She flushed, then added, “If you’ll let me.”

“I, uh, sure.” Her comment knocked him off balance. “You can stay with me as long as it takes.”

She tilted her head to the side. “As long as it takes for what?”

“Um.” He had no idea how to answer. “For as long as you need. Things have happened fast, but I don’t think you should make any snap decisions about your future. It might be smart to take some time to think about what you want to do.”

She nodded thoughtfully, searching his gaze for a minute. “What I really want, Flynn, is to spend more time with you.”

His heart soared, but his brain was already tampering down his excitement. “That’s sweet, but being forced together like this isn’t natural. What I mean is, I’m sure you’ll want to move on with your life once you’ve recovered from this.”

“You’re right; this has been a bit stressful,” she said with a frown. “But you’re not understanding me. I care about you. When I thought Lyle was going to shoot you, I wanted to claw his eyes out. This isn’t just forced proximity talking. This is me getting to know you again. And wanting more.”

More? Hope warred with logic. “Come on, Taylor. I know I’m not your type.”

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