Page 67 of Mine to Save

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

Emmett paced in his mother’s living room. He placed his hand on the butt of his weapon, hoping that would calm his nerves, but it didn’t. If anything, it increased his pulse.

He glanced at Trinity, who sat in the extra-large accent chair by the picture window. She had her feet tucked up under her butt and held her phone in her hand as if it were a prize piece of jewelry. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d used a witness or a victim to bait a suspect.

Or someone he cared about.

He’d done that with Melinda. It had all worked out fine, but it could have gone seriously sideways.

“Would you stop that?” his mother said. “You’re making me nuts.”

“You’re making all of us nuts.” Rhett leaned against one of the big pillars that connected the kitchen to the great room. “It’s not going to make Kathy text back any quicker.”

“When was the last time you talked with her?” Shawn asked from his perch on the sofa. “She’s a game player, especially if she’s on to you.”

“She texted me this morning, asking how I was doing and what was going on with my search. I told her I was fine and not much.” Trinity held up her phone and waved it in the air. “I’m shocked she hasn’t responded to this last message. I mean, I told her that we had a lead and gave her Bugsy’s name.”

“She’s either on a plane to a foreign country,” Rhett said, “or she’s planning her move and doesn’t want to respond until she knows what that is.”

Emmett inched closer to Trinity. “How are you holding up?”

“My heart is racing. I have chest pain, and my stomach hurts.”

“Sounds about right.” He took the cell.

“What the hell are you doing?” She jumped to her feet.

“It’s not healthy for you to keep staring at it,” Emmett said.

“I don’t care. It gives me something to focus on.”

The phone vibrated in his hands. He glanced down. “She texted.” He cleared his throat. “It reads:Call me when you’re alone. I have information. I can’t believe you were right. But you were.”

“You know your sister,” Rhett said to Shawn. “What kind of game is she playing?”

“My best guess is she wants to find out what Trinity really knows.” He leaned forward. “And if you’ve figured out she’s behind the murders. But, honestly, this goes beyond anything she’s ever done before, so I feel like I’m grasping at straws.”

“That’s a fair assessment,” Emmett said. “Okay. Let’s get this party started. Put it on speaker and call her. Remember to stick as close to the truth as you can, and I’ll write things down on a piece of paper to help you.”

Trinity nodded.

Emmett hit the green button and handed her the phone. She sucked in a breath and sat back down.

The phone rang once.

“I’m glad you called so quickly,” Kathy said. “First, are you okay? And are you alone?”

“Yes. On both accounts.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t listen to you. I’m so sorry,” Kathy said. “It’s crazy to me that this Bugsy guy set your dad up, but what’s even crazier is what I found out.”

Emmett could only imagine what insanity this woman would come up with.

“What do you mean what you found out?” Trinity asked.

Emmett sat on the edge of the chair with a pen and a piece of paper in his hands. He stared at Trinity, who had wide eyes as she twisted a piece of hair nervously between her fingers. He squeezed her thigh in hopes of reassuring her that everything would be okay.

“I have a cousin who works cyber security for the military. I asked him to do me a favor when you told me about Bugsy. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you need to get out of there.”

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