Page 151 of Proof of Guilt

That could involve anything from destroying evidence to murder. Because Wesley knew that Theo would do anything to get Ivy back.

But there was another angle to this.

If Lacey had been the one to “fund” all of this, then maybe Ivy had been as much of a target as Theo. This attack could have been designed to kill them both.

“The fire department, an ambulance and two more backup cruisers are on the way,” Gabriel relayed after yet another call. “I’ll stay here with Ivy and you until we’re sure it’s safe.”

Good. But judging from Gabriel’s tone and the way his gaze kept darting to the burning house, that’s where he wanted to be. So did Theo, but it was too big of a risk to leave Ivy alone. Once backup arrived, Theo could get her out of there. Maybe they’d have more answers by then. Answers that Wesley could give them.

“I had no proof you did anything wrong in that botched raid,” Theo told the man.

“Didn’t matter. You suspected I had something to do with it, and you wouldn’t have let go of it.”

Theo shook his head. “I didn’t suspect it until the attacks started.”

Wesley made a sound as if he didn’t believe that. And maybe he was right. In the back of Theo’s mind, he’d always felt something was wrong. He wouldn’t have let go of it, either, and eventually he would have started digging. That digging would have led him to Wesley.

“Did you think you could kill and silence everyone who could figure out you were dirty?” Ivy asked Wesley.

Wesley turned his head to the side, spared her a glance before making a weary sigh. “Yes. You don’t understand. I can’t go to jail.” He groaned. “I’ll die there.”

“You didn’t mind killing innocent people to save yourself. That makes you a coward,” Theo told him. “And Belinda’s kidnapping and murder is going to put you on death row.”

Gabriel’s phone buzzed, and he answered it right away

but again didn’t put it on speaker. Nor did he say anything. For several slow, crawling moments, Gabriel just listened to whatever the caller was telling him.

“The ambulance should be here any minute,” Gabriel finally said, and he ended the call. He looked at Theo. “It’s Lacey.”

“She came here with Wesley?” Ivy asked her brother.

“Was forced here, according to what she said. She’s alive, but Wesley had stun-gunned her and left her in the house with a firebomb that was on a timer before he and the thug came over here. She wasn’t burned but took in a lot of smoke before the hands pulled her out.”

Now it was Ivy’s turn to curse. “Lacey is the one who funded Wesley.”

Gabriel nodded. “Wesley apparently went to her with the plan, but she’s saying she didn’t have anything to do with any deaths. When Wesley tied her up, though, he told her he was going to pin all of this on her by making it look as if she’d died while launching an attack.”

Yeah, and it might have worked, too. If they hadn’t gotten lucky.

“I had no idea she’d go this far,” Ivy said. She tried, and failed, to choke back a hoarse sob. “Nathan could have been hurt, or worse.” Another sob. “We all could have been.”

Theo kept watch, but he pulled Ivy into his arms for a short hug. It didn’t help. Nothing would at this point. That’s why he kissed her.

“I love you,” he whispered. “And we’re going to get through this.”

She blinked, clearly surprised by his L-word bombshell. He’d never told her that, and she probably thought it was the adrenaline talking. It wasn’t. He’d always loved Ivy. But now hadn’t been the time to tell her.

And she certainly wasn’t telling him she felt the same.

Definitely the wrong time, because Ivy had enough whirling through her head without adding that.

Theo got a good distraction—he heard the sirens. Lots of them. And he knew it wouldn’t be long before he could finally get Ivy out of there. He took out his phone and handed it to her.

“Call Jameson,” he instructed. “See if you can talk to Nathan.”

The moment the cruiser pulled into the driveway, Gabriel came down the porch steps. “Arrest him,” Gabriel told the two deputies who got out of the cruiser, and he tipped his head to Wesley.

Gabriel must have already instructed the ambulance where to go because it sped past them and went to his parents’ house. The fire truck was right behind it. The two cruisers, however, came to Gabriel’s. Both stopped, and a pair of deputies got out of the first vehicle and a third one exited the cruiser behind them.

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