Page 61 of Colton First Responder (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

Well, they couldn’t. But in any case, he would keep his distance, mentally at least.

He would also help her as much as he could. But he’d additionally have to convince himself that she was just one more person he helped as a first responder, no matter how much time they had spent together in the past few days.

No matter how much he enjoyed her presence, and in so many ways.

After all, he wouldn’t develop an ongoing relationship with this woman, even if things worked out as he hoped. She might not want to be with him anyway, since he might remind her in the future of all that was happening now.

This time, he had her ride in the front seat with him as he followed her directions to the house. It wasn’t in an area he visited a lot. He wasn’t likely to be recognized. Hopefully, neither would Savannah in her Chloe disguise.

He drove to one of the most upscale residential areas of Mustang Valley. It didn’t include ranches, but it did include large estates that fronted on a well-maintained road, Vista Lane. Not even a sign of earthquake damage here. Along the road were large homes including mansions, most set back behind fences. Grayson knew where Zane Oliver had lived, but though he’d looked up the address again, he mostly counted on Savannah—no, Chloe. He had to start thinking of her that way.

They had already decided they would park some distance away, maybe a quarter of a mile, for unobtrusiveness. There was also an alley behind the homes that paralleled the main road. Savannah would walk that way back toward the house, while Grayson would carry a box he had stashed in the back of his SUV to make it appear he was delivering something, if he was approached.

As they drove by the huge gray stone house, Savannah pointed out where she would enter the yard, through a gate at the side where she would be less noticeable.

Grayson would go that way, too, since the neighbors would undoubtedly know that Zane had allegedly died and no one would be at home to open the front door for packages.

Looking at the place made Grayson remember who Savannah Oliver was, notwithstanding her being a murder suspect and fugitive. She came from wealth and had married into it, too.

Not that Grayson, a Colton, was unfamiliar with having a lot of assets.

But seeing where she had lived exemplified her background, and he could hardly imagine what it had felt for her to be in police custody, incarcerated with a lot of people who were undoubtedly guilty of the crimes they were charged with.

He had an urge to take her into his arms again at that thought. Good thing he was driving.

“How about there?” Savannah pointed toward a road veering to the right. It was a short distance from Zane’s home, and there were other vehicles parked along it, too. The cars varied from relatively new ones like Grayson’s SUV to older ones, and he figured some household help, or maybe handymen, parked here.

Good. His car wouldn’t be obvious, even though it was in better condition than most.

He made the turn, then parked in the first available space.

“Okay,” he said. “Here we are. You go your way first, and then I’ll come down the street beside the house and you can let me into the yard, too.”

“Sounds good.” She tossed him a smile behind the sunglasses and disguising makeup she now wore.

She might not look as beautiful as before, but he knew who was beneath that disguise. He pulled her toward him and gave her a quick kiss, then moved away.

?

??See you soon,” he said.

Chapter 18

The walk along the back alley to Zane’s house—and her guesthouse—seemed to take forever in the Arizona heat. Savannah kept her pace fairly fast along the even cement in her new clunky shoes, while holding the kind of posture she had assumed along with the rest of her disguise. The wind had suddenly grown strong so the jacket she wore, and even her jeans, seemed to blow and flutter around her, making her feel even more uncomfortable. At least the cap on her head, which was part of her camouflage, along with her glasses, stayed on. Hopefully she looked different enough that even if she was seen, no one would associate her with Savannah Oliver.

Fortunately, no one else was around. But if someone did appear, if anyone saw her or talked to her, she could let them know that she was a maid by profession and Mr. Oliver’s family had asked her, Chloe Michaels, to do some housecleaning and to come in this way.

Zane had often had workers arrive through the side gate, after all, and when he knew they were coming he would leave it temporarily unlocked and without enabling the security alarm.

But who in his family now would ask for help that way? Good question. Big-time investment banker Zane had staff as well as executives at his company whom he must’ve trained well enough to keep the place going. When he’d discussed traveling with Savannah, long before their divorce, he had indicated he wanted that kind of professional support in place.

That had never happened. And now that he was “dead,” perhaps living in one of the far-off areas he’d thought they might visit someday, his allies were undoubtedly keeping the company successful for what they believed to be their own benefit, as well as Zane’s heirs.

Oh, he still had parents and a sister. They were most likely his official heirs now, as long as people believed him to be dead. Savannah certainly wasn’t one, and might not have been even if they were still married as a result of Zane’s ungenerous attitude. In fact, her allegedly wanting to get her hands on more of his assets, despite her own wealth, was one of the motives the authorities had ascribed to her for his murder, as well as revenge for his affairs. They’d never put an estate plan together, even though she’d suggested it, thanks to her father.

Arizona was a community property state, so she had been entitled to at least some of what Zane earned while they were together, but she’d gotten some money from him when they divorced that was supposed to satisfy the law. She assumed it still sat in the bank where she had deposited it.

Thoughts of her dad brought to mind why she had married Zane in the first place. It had largely been her father’s idea. He had advised Savannah to marry soon and marry well, and when Zane Oliver had shown some interest, her dad had jumped right on it, urging her to go out with him. A lot. And marry him? Oh yeah!

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