Page 29 of The Billionaire's Son

A life she had carefully planned and arranged for so long was now spiraling out of her control. She’d once sworn she’d never be a victim again, and now this.

“As bombs go,” Ballard said, “that one wasn’t much.”

Kelly silently disagreed. Yeah, no one had been harmed, but she was out a three-year-old Ford that she still owed a ton of money on. Would her insurance even cover an incendiary device?

“You’re certain the man you saw was Jason Wentworth’s kidnapper?” her lieutenant asked, his tone indicating he had his doubts. But at least he’d come to the scene. His presence signaled the department took her situation seriously.

“I’m certain,” Kelly said. “But I didn’t get a look at the driver.”

“Excellent police work, Officer Jenkins,” Ballard said. “The fact that you remained alert to your surroundings likely saved your life.”

Kelly nodded, fully aware of how close she’d come to getting killed or seriously injured. According to the techs, the bomb had been triggered remotely. Adam had blown up the car to destroy any evidence he might have left behind, hoping she’d already gotten in the vehicle.

“So your theory is he wanted me out of the picture so I couldn’t ID him as the kidnapper?” Kelly asked. She planned to look at mug shots today to see if either Caleb or Adam had been arrested. If it weren’t for Jason’s mixed-up head—and Wentworth’s money and influence—she’d have already done that.

“Bingo. And this is the first good lead we’ve had since yesterday,” Ballard said.

“But how did he know where I live?” A cop’s home address was always kept private. Law enforcement didn’t even have to reveal it when they testified.

“Yeah, I’d like to know that, too,” Marshall said.

“Probably something to do with the media coverage,” Ballard suggested, with a nod to the trucks. “They’ve been all over this story.”

“Great,” Kelly said. She still hadn’t seen the video of her encounter with the kidnappers. She’d forgotten about her fifteen minutes of fame, and now she’d likely get fifteen more. This couldn’t be good for her career.

“What happens next?” she asked.

“Your partial tag came off a stolen truck,” Ballard said, “but so far that’s a dead end. We’re in the process of obtaining your apartment’s video feed from this parking lot. We’ll need you to review it. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find an image of our guy around your vehicle.”

Kelly shot Ballard a look. The man actually seemed happy, but she’d hardly call it lucky that a dangerous criminal she could identify had somehow learned what car she drove to work every day. And where she lived.

And Adam was still out there somewhere. Was he planning another attempt on her life?

“I need to contact my insurance company,” she said. “How long will you keep my vehicle?”

“No way to know.” Ballard’s phone rang, and he removed it from his belt. “We’ll be in in touch,” he said, moving way.

This just kept getting better and better. She was beginning to agree with Wentworth about the FBI.

Kelly waited for her lieutenant to speak. She barely knew the man and couldn’t get a read on his mood, whether she was in trouble or if Marshall agreed with Ballard that she’d done good police work by spotting Adam before getting into her car and getting blown to smithereens.

“Are you fit for duty, Officer Jenkins?” Marshall asked.

She came to attention. “Yes, sir.”

“You’re not too shook up, need the day?”

“No, sir. Absolutely not.”

Was that a gleam of approval in his steely gaze? She couldn’t be certain. The man was like granite.

He nodded. “Come on then. I’ll give you a ride to the station. Your squad went on patrol a unit short again today.”

* * *

KELLY PULLED HER squad car into the lot of the Coral Bagel deli and parked next to Patrice Skinner’s unit. Patrice was her closest friend in the department. They’d formed an instant connection during training and, if circumstances allowed, they often met for lunch. Other members of their four-unit squad occasionally showed up as well, especially if they wanted to break down an eventful call. Sometimes even their sergeant, Rudy McFadden, who patrolled the same area with his squad, joined them.

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