Page 13 of Mine to Protect

“You’re scaring me.” Her chest burned. Her eyes were like sandpaper, and she probably couldn’t even shed a tear if she tried. Fear gripped her muscles. “The police found counterfeit money in your room. What was that all about?”

“I don’t have time to explain. But it’s not what you’re imagining.”

“I don’t knowwhatto think,” she said. “I mean, are you involved with that Florida mob family, the Mortellis, or something? I know you explained that, but now I can’t help but wonder.”

“Did the police find a key?” Chris asked, ignoring her question.

“What are you talking about?”

“Shelby,” her brother said in a calm but harsh tone. “Just answer my question.”

“No one said anything to me about a key.”

“I need to know if they found a key. They should have it, but if they don’t, I need you to get it.”

“Where was it?” She stood and paced near the edge of the pool’s deep end. Blue lights illuminated the water, and a warm breeze rippled across the top.

“In Jackie’s jewelry bag. It was in a separate zippered compartment at the bottom in a pouch. It looks like a necklace.”

Shelby blew out a puff of air. “Why didn’t you take it with you? And what is it for?”

“I didn’t have time,” her brother said. “I barely had time to grab my keys and climb out the window.”

“Excuse me?” She paused and glanced at the bright moon hanging in the dark sky. It was white and nearly full. It stared back at her, almost mocking her. “Why did you have to do that?”

“I can’t get into all the details right now, but someone is after me and Jackie. That necklace literally holds the key to our freedom. If the bad guys got it, we’re fucked. If the cops have it, we could still be screwed.”

“That’s not true. The cops here are brothers of a friend of mine.”

“I saw you there,” Chris said.

“How is that possible? And do you know who called me? Because the hotel manager—”

“You ask too many questions,” Chris said. “I don’t know if I can trust you. But I need help.”

“I can’t believe you just said that. Of course, you can trust me.” She pursed her lips and held in her anger. Chris was the only family she had left in the world. She would do almost anything to protect him and keep him safe. “Tell me what’s going on. I’ve heard the rumors about Jackie’s uncle. Are they true?”

“Are you still in Lighthouse Cove?” Chris asked, still dodging her question.

“Yes,” she said softly, her mind filling with even more questions.

“Are you willing to keep this phone call a secret from Rhett and his cop family for a little while?”

She froze. She’d never mentioned Rhett’s name to her brother. Not in the past, and not in this conversation. “How do you know my friend’s name?”

“That’s not important right now. I need you to stay focused. Can you keep a secret from him?”

She closed her eyes for a long moment. Her heart jumped to the back of her throat before bottoming out in the pit of her gut. Rhett was doing her a huge favor by looking into her brother’s disappearance—something he didn’t have to do. Along with offering her a free place to stay, which really helped since she didn’t have much money. Her father had left her with a lot of debt when he died, and before that, she’d taken care of whatever bills his insurance didn’t pay, which was a lot. She was living paycheck to paycheck, and in order to come down to Lighthouse Cove to look for her brother, she’d had to take unpaid time off.

“I need you to answer a question for me without getting mad.” She blinked open her eyes.

“I’m not using.” His voice came across the speaker, loud and clear.

She believed him one hundred percent.

“Okay. I won’t say a word.”

“Good,” her brother said. “Find a way to get our things. Go through them. If you don’t see the key, you can ask if they took it. Or you can make up a story about it being a family piece of jewelry.”

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