Page 36 of Murder at Rescue Ridge

Conrad chuckled and then headed back to the kitchen.

Nikki brokeinto a wide smile the second she closed the bathroom door. There wasn’t anything funny about their situation except the exchange she’d just had with Conrad. The look on his face when she’d basically referred to him as booty-call material instead of steady boyfriend had almost caused her to break out laughing.

He was right about one thing. This was the absolute worst time to consider being anything but friends. Prison was looming over his head. Someone wanted him to take the fall for a crime he hadn’t committed, the murder of Harrison. Thinking about her father always made her mind snap to Heath. He wanted to step into Harrison’s role more than anything. Her stepfather would be worried, as would her mother.

Should Nikki make a quick call to let everyone know she was okay? Tell Heath about the brutes he’d unwittingly sent for her?

She washed and dried her feet before meeting Conrad in the kitchen.

“I’m sorry about what my stepfather did,” she said. “He had no right.”

“He stopped by to see me in jail,” Conrad said.

She blinked. “Is that where the bruise on your cheek came from?” she asked, praying it couldn’t be true. She’d noticed it right away but didn’t want to ask because she thought it might trigger him. Her first thought had been a jail fight.

“It is,” Conrad confirmed. “Your stepfather felt very strongly about me taking a step out of your life.”

“That’s not his call to make,” she stated, irritation getting the best of her. Now, she really needed to touch base with the man to chew him out and tell him to call off the reward.

“He believes that I murdered your father,” Conrad said.

“Even so, that’s no excuse to interfere with my life.” She was a grown woman perfectly capable of making her own decisions, good or bad. Plus, Conrad was innocent. “We need to slip that ankle bracelet off so we can leave the house and get answers.”

“Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack,” she said, standing her ground.

“Those men are still out there,” he pointed out. “Waiting for you to show up.”

“If they wanted to get to me, wouldn’t they be here already?” She firmly planted her fist on her hip.

Conrad issued a sharp sigh. “Arguing with you doesn’t do any good, does it?”

“Not really.”

“You know you have a stubborn streak a mile long, right?” he asked.

“That I do.”

“Digging your heels in now can only get you in more trouble,” he said with true compassion in his voice.

She studied him for a long moment. “Why do you care so much about everyone but yourself?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His defensiveness said she’d hit the nail on the head.

“Let me ask you a question,” she started.

“Shoot.”

“Do you trust the law to solve this case?” she asked.

“Can’t say that I do now that Travis has had to pull out of the investigation,” Conrad said.

“Your life is on the line, and I’m trying my best to help you,” she continued, hoping she was gaining ground. Under normal circumstances, she could talk circles around people. Conrad had the ability to see right through her despite her doing everything in her power to put up a shield. Going up against him in court would be near impossible while he had the superpower no one else seemed to have. In mock trials, she’d always come out on top. Others had teased her that if becoming a lawyer ever fell through, she ought to consider becoming a professional poker player since she could bluff better than the rest of them. That’s what it took to be a damn good lawyer. She had to be serious and believable, one hundred percent committed to the story she told on behalf of her clients.

Was she more like Harrison than she wanted to admit?

Damn. The thought struck a deep chord.

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