Page 40 of Disarming Caine

I took in a deep breath and turned to Harry. “You think they’re connected?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you believe in coincidences?”

“I try to?” I released my hands from the wheel, one finger at a time.

“Seriously?” He raised the eyebrow higher and frowned. “After Roger and all those fraudulent claims you uncovered this summer?”

I focused back on the steering wheel. “No, not really.”

“How many shootings do you think there are each year in Brenton?”

“Not a lot?”

“Close enough.” He put a hand on the door, ready to leave. “Two in the same week is a pretty big coincidence.”

“Harry, stop.” Quinn squeezed my arm. “Sometimes events like that can trigger anxiety, especially since we’re coming back to Mason’s.”

“It’s not Mason’s that’s bothering me. It’s—I’m staying at the Brenton Arms.” I closed my eyes and covered my cheeks, breathing deeply to calm my heart. “The shots were fired intomyroom.”

“I hadn’t heard that.” Harry swiveled in his seat, looking back at Quinn. “My contacts would only say the presumed targets—”

My hand shot to Harry’s arm. “Presumed targets?”

“—were an unidentified couple—”

Quinn put a hand in front of Harry to cut him off. “What do you have in common with Mason’s Gallery or Rhonda?”

“Nothing.” I paused, while they both stared at me with the ‘Think harder, Sam’ faces they gave me at least once a week. “I’ve handled a few claims for her, that’s all.”

Quinn shook her head. “There’s more. Why were you at the gallery on Saturday? And don’t tell me it was to look at the art.”

“She had a favor to ask.”

“But you have nothing to do with her?”

“She called me that morning because she found a painting she suspects is stolen. I was there to get the information and maybe start a little digging.”

Harry took over. “Why you?”

“Do you have any idea how much publicity I got off that Chagall case?” I huffed and rolled my eyes. “I’m still getting contract offers four months later.”

“And you’re still with Foster?” said Quinn.

There had been a lot of amazing offers. Job positions, contracts, investigations, insurance consulting. But I wasn’t leaving Brenton until after Antonio was home for good and we had a chance to build something. “Don’t even go there.”

Quinn rubbed my arm. “Ahh, this is where theunidentified couplecomes into play?”

Time to change the subject. “Let’s go see Rhonda.”

“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”

“Terrified.” I swallowed hard and flicked my gaze back to her. It wasn’t her business, but the words came anyway. “I’ve been on edge since Saturday, jumping at every loud noise. But today, I’ve been fighting my need to call him and make sure he’s alright.”

Harry patted my arm. “Until you get the all clear from the police, are you carrying?”

How to answer? Tell them I’d considered it at least three times last night while sitting in the truck outside Antonio’s place?

He lifted the center console to reveal my gun safe. “Because I know you’ve got at least one weapon in there.”

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