Page 29 of Mine to Protect

“I’m so frightened for him.”

“I know you are, but you don’t have to be because we have the key.”

“What?” She blinked. Her chest tightened. She had no right to feel the hot rage flowing through her bloodstream. “When did you find the key?”

“Last night.”

“Before you came to my room? Before you made love to me?” Her blood turned into thick, hot tar.

He nodded.

She had half a mind to slap him, but that wouldn’t do her any good. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I couldn’t,” he said. “It’s police business, and I wasn’t allowed. It’s a fine line for me to be doing it now.”

“So you decided to have sex with me instead?”

“Seriously? We’re going to havethatfight right now, considering everything else?”

She clenched her jaw. He had a point. “Do you know what the key opens? Because I don’t, and Chris didn’t tell me. He won’t tell me where he is. He only made me promise that I wouldn’t tell you anything unless he didn’t call or show up here at seven tonight.” Her lungs burned with every tiny little gasp of air she managed to suck in, and it wasn’t enough to sustain her. “Is the mob after him? And if so, why?”

Rhett tilted his head. “Those are all questions that I and my family are trying to answer.”

“It’s all so confusing, and I’m scared.”

“I know you are, but I can’t protect you unless you’re honest with me,” Rhett said. “Did you give Chris my address?”

She nodded. “He told me if the bad guys had the key, he’d know by the end of the day. That tells me he’s going to try to confront them or something.”

“It sounds more like he’s going to try to cut them off at the pass.” Rhett brushed his lips across her cheek, letting them linger for a long moment before taking a step back. “This might be enough for my mom to interrupt the judge and get a warrant earlier.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The key is to a local safety deposit box,” Rhett said. “But if we don’t get the warrant, we can stake out the bank to find out who’s after your brother.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Can you reach him?”

“I think so. I have a number. He did that thing where he creates a fake one.”

“You can call that back.”

“I doubt he’ll answer it,” she said.

Rhett snagged her cell and tucked it in his back pocket. “I need to call my mom before we do anything.”

“What do you plan on doing?” Her pulse pounded in every muscle of her body. It vibrated through her system, creating a sense of panic that she couldn’t shake.

“Not exactly sure because my mom will tie my hands a little. But the first thing will be to talk your brother into meeting me in the next hour or so.”

Shelby turned. She didn’t want him to see her completely lose it. Gripping the counter, she hung her head and inhaled sharply. She absolutely knew that the best thing would be for Chris and Jackie to, at the very least, meet with Rhett. “Is my brother going to be arrested?”

Strong arms came around her middle. Rhett rested his chin on her shoulder. “I can’t answer that because I don’t know if he did anything illegal. We’re still researching all of this, but Joe Staub could have ties to the Mortelli family. I don’t know how deep that connection goes, but it’s something my mother is looking into. Add in what you told me about Jackie’s parents being murdered, and it might have been connected to a mob family in New Jersey. I need you to tell me what you know so I can protect all of you.”

She spun on her heels. “The Mortellis… Aren’t they like drug dealers and shit?” A few months ago, she remembered seeing something on the news about one of the Mortelli boys and a drug bust. She couldn’t remember the details, but the name had stuck in her head.

“They aren’t good people.” Rhett cupped her face. “I have more questions than I have answers, and I need you to promise me you’re not going to lie to me anymore. I can’t keep you safe or help your brother if you keep doing that.”

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Seems you’ve been keeping some things from me, too, so that sword swings both ways.”

“That’s fair. But there will be things I can’t tell you. Even things my brothers and mom won’t tell me. For now, you need to give me a minute to call Emmerson and get the ball rolling. The longer we stand here and argue over this, the more your brother and his girlfriend could be in danger.”

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