Page 69 of Seven

“No, it wasn’t just you. I'm sure they thought it, and I thought it, too.”

“You can’t truly believe that your brother would know something and keep it from us.”

“Come on, Mom. You saw the way he was acting. He couldn’t have looked more guilty.”

“That’s your brother you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, he’s the same brother who lied straight to my face for years and never batted an eye.”

“That’s not fair.”

“It’s absolutely fair,” I argued. “We have men who have been following us. They broke into your house and rifled through Dad’s office, and they came looking for us at the hotel. He knows we are in danger, and he’s not doing a damn thing to help us figure out why.”

Mom couldn’t have sounded more patronizing when she said, “Well, I guess it’s good you have Holt to look after you.”

“Yes, it is. I’m also lucky that he’s looking after you and Ford, too, because no one else is.”

“So, what happens now?”

“I’m not sure. I’m going to finish getting dressed, and then, I’m going over to the police station to have a word with Detective Joyner.”

“Oh? Why are you doing that?”

“I’m going to see if he will let me into Dad’s office.”

“His office?” she gasped. “Why?”

“To see if I can find anything about that code.”

“Oh, I don’t like the sound of that, Tallie. It could be dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine. Besides, we don’t even know if he’ll let me in there.”

“I’m sure he will. He seems like a nice man.”

“I guess time will tell.” I glanced over at the clock, and when I saw the time, I told her, “I’ve gotta get going. We’re supposed to leave here in ten.”

“Okay. Just please be careful and call me when you get back.”

“I will. And Mom, don’t say anything to Rooks about all this. I think it’s better that he doesn’t know.”

“Okay. I won’t say anything.”

“Thanks. I’ll call you later.”

I hung up the phone and tossed it back in my purse, then walked over to the mirror and gave myself a quick once over. I ran the palm of my hands down the front of my blouse, tryingto smooth the wrinkles, then tugged at the hem like it would somehow make me feel less out of place in it. I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but my stomach was in knots.

I let out a slow breath and reached for my earrings, and my hands trembled just enough to make putting them on harder than they should’ve been. I was still fumbling with the clasp when I saw Holt’s reflection in the mirror.

He was leaning against the doorway, watching me with a soft smile. "You look beautiful.”

“Thanks,” I scoffed. "I feel like I’m going to throw up."

“Hey, now.” He pushed off the doorframe and came to stand behind me, resting his hands on my hips. “You don’t have to do this. We can find another way.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t.” His touch was grounding, solid, but it didn’t stop the nerves from twisting inside me. "If this doesn’t feel right, Tallie, we’ll figure out another way."

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