Page 121 of Hot Momosa

Dahlia sucked in a breath but didn’t reach for the phone.

“Does this person have a name?” Once again, he all but shouted. “What does Robert have to do with this? Is he in danger, too?”

“I’d rather share that when security is on the line.”

“Give me a moment, and I’ll call you back.”

I pulled the phone from my ear and frowned. “You were right. He’s not going to take this well.”

“Good idea getting his security team involved.” She forced a smile. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’d done this sort of thing before.”

I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Maybe once or twice.”

Exactly three minutes later, it rang. A Baton Rouge number without a contact name popped up on the screen.

“Marchionni.”

“This is Hogan, the head of the governor’s security detail. I have the governor on the line. I understand you have information regarding the gunman?”

“Yes.” I drew a deep breath and said, “Robert Becker. Dahlia recognized his shoes at the hospital this evening.”

Calhoun barked out an incredulous laugh. “His shoes?”

“Orange Italian leather loafers.” I understood how ridiculous it sounded, but I needed him to believe me. “She didn’t see the shooter because her head was down, but she did see his feet and remembered the shoes.”

“You said Rob was at the hospital tonight?” His voice thinned, telling me I at least had his attention.

“Yes, sir. He told Dahlia he arrived with you, but you asked him to stick around until she was discharged.”

Both men were quiet, except for what I assumed was Calhoun breathing.

“There was a remote detonating bomb in the wheel well of my car. When Becker approached Dahlia—”

“A bomb!” He made a strangled sound. “That sounds more like something your kind would use.”

Dahlia cringed, likely hearing her father’s reaction.

Ignoring the jab, I opened my mouth to explain but he interrupted.

“Were the police called?” His shout ended in a chocked sob. “No. You’re wrong. Robert doesn’t know anything about bombs.”

“Sir, I understand you’re upset, but I—”

“Upset? You haven’t begun to see me upset.” His voice became muffled as if he spoke to someone else in the room. A split second later, the sound of a female crying filled the background.

“Why am I just hearing about this?” Calhoun demanded.

The female said something.

“Hang on, son. I’m putting you on speaker phone. Elizabeth is with me.”

“Sure.” I stared at the ceiling as if I’d find words of wisdom written above. Calhoun was hard enough to deal with. Add in Dahlia’s mother and I’d need a small miracle.

“Hi, Leo. Are you sure Dahl and Gunnar are okay?” she asked between breaths.

“Yes, ma’am. She’s here with me.”

The governor cleared his throat. “Were the authorities notified about this so called bomb?”

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