Page 29 of Marked For Revenge

Duran paused again. “Possibly. But I think a stronger scenario here would be that Aaron is committing the murders with the plan to try to set up Edgar.” His eyes met hers. “And Aaron could want to punish Edgar by killing you. That’s why I’m begging you to take precautions, Ava. Despite your differences with your father, he loves you and doesn’t want you hurt.”

Ava could have debated whether or not her father was even capable of love, but Aaron might believe he was. If so, that was a fairly strong motive for murder, and Aaron might be savoring the notion of Edgar sitting on death row to pay for crimes he hadn’t committed.

“May I get back my gun before I leave?” Duran asked, standing.

Harley thought about it a long time while he kept his steely stare aimed at him. He finally nodded, but he didn’t hand Duran the gun until the man was out the door and on the porch.

“Duran is staying on our suspect list,” Harley insisted the moment he shut the door and locked it.

He’d taken the words right out of her mouth. “I agree, because Duran could be killing with the plan to set up Aaron. If I’m dead, too, then there’s no one to verify Aaron’s claims of what my father did twenty years ago.”

It sickened her to think that the man who’d just sat and chatted with her would want her dead, but keeping his boss out of trouble was Duran’s specialty. In this case, Duran might have seen this as a perfect solution to tying up a lot of potential problems.

Her phone rang and her stomach jumped when she saw Caleb’s name on the screen. She prayed he wasn’t calling to tell her he’d been attacked, and she nearly fumbled her phone because she tried to answer it so fast.

“Are you okay?” she blurted out, putting the call on speaker so Harley could hear.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Caleb answered. “Someone emailed me a picture. It looks like a mannequin’s head, but it’s got your face on it. I’m guessing it’s some kind of mask, but it’s definitely a picture of you on the mask.”

Oh, mercy. Ava had hoped that Caleb wouldn’t be pulled into the sick details of this. “When did you get the picture?” she asked, forcing herself to be the cop and not the mom.

“About ten minutes ago. Should I report it to the Austin police?”

“No, I’ll take care of that.” Or rather, Harley would, she realized, when he stepped aside to get that started. “Austin PD will send someone out to look at the email,” she informed Caleb.

Though Ava was betting the killer probably wouldn’t have used a server that could be traced back to him or her, they might get lucky.

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” she said. “I’m sorry...for a lot of things,” Ava settled for saying.

“I’m sorry for you, too.” Caleb muttered some profanity. “Are you safe where you are? I mean, this killer can’t get to you, can he?”

His concern touched her and she started to lose the battle she’d been having with her nerves. Her eyes watered, the tears threatening to spill.

“I’m taking precautions,” she told him, giving him the best assurance she could. “You’re doing the same?”

“I am. I’m taking my classes online for a few days, just until this is over. Stay safe,” he added before he muttered a goodbye and ended the call.

Harley finished up his call, too, and made his way back to her. He must have seen she was on shaky ground because he immediately pulled her into his arms.

“Lieutenant O’Malley is sending an officer to Caleb’s place right now,” he murmured directly against her ear.

She felt the warmth from his breath, the gentle way he was holding her, and she welcomed every bit of it. And wanted more. For just a few seconds, she wanted not to be able to feel all these horrible emotions. Emotions that a killer had her son in his sights.

Ava turned and kissed him.

This was wrong. She knew it was. But didn’t care. Apparently, neither did Harley because a deep sound rumbled in his throat. A sound of instant need and heat, and he returned the kiss. Not with a fiery, urgent need, but with a gentleness.

He tasted good, just as she remembered, and that savor sent an instant ache for him through her body. She automatically slid her arms around him, drawing him closer. And closer. Until they were body to body and mouth to mouth. Until Harley deepened the kiss and shot the heat and need straight through the roof.

It was that intense, clawing need that caused her to pull back. Her breath was gusting when she tore her mouth from his, and the shocking realization of what she’d just done made her want to be filled with regret.

But she wasn’t.

No regret. Only the need. And that’s why she’d had to pull away from him.

“I can’t fall for you again,” she said. “I just can’t.”

Because it could lead to more than just a broken heart. This time it could be the fatal distraction that got her and her baby killed.

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