Page 49 of Texas Scandal

“Where have you been?” Prescott whirled around on them mid-pace.

“Out for breakfast,” Tiernan cut in, not wanting Melody to have to answer. It was a partial truth. They technically had eaten food on the way down to Austin.

Prescott threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t help you unless you trust me one hundred percent with the truth.”

Melody shot a glance at Tiernan. One he recognized as her wanting to come clean. So, he gave a slight nod.

“I asked Tiernan if we could visit my brother this morning before we picked up Loki from the vet,” she started.

Prescott looked ready to blow. “Why would you do that?” He paced the length of the truck. “Don’t you trust me to handle this case? Because these day trips are hurting us more than you realize.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tiernan asked, doing his level best to contain anger that was raging toward the surface.

Prescott stopped, dug his heels in the gravel and said, “Bebe Riker is dead and the last person on her cell phone records is Melody.”

She gasped, immediately bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.

“We visited her and then you phoned her. We had plans,” Tiernan said.

“I just called her again in the truck on the way over here,” Melody admitted. “We were supposed to go over last night for dinner and—”

“I know,” Prescott interrupted. “One of her employees overheard you making plans.”

“How on earth? We were in the parking lot when we had that conversation and there was no one else around,” Melody quipped.

“This is a reminder you both need to hear. Someone is always around either watching or listening. You were the last one in contact with Bebe on her cell and you had plans. Any district attorney worth his or her salt would come after you for the murder, building more of a case against you,” Prescott said, his voice toned down a few notches at this point. Tiernan couldn’t fault the lawyer for being frustrated with them. They probably shouldn’t have gone out on their own without consulting him or at least dropping a text after the fact. Those last words, though, resonated.

Tiernan sat on the information while Prescott continued.

“As your attorney, I need to know what moves you’re making that might make my job even more difficult,” he said.

Melody sat down right there on the gravel, cross-legged, a mix of emotions flashing behind her eyes. Anger. Sadness. Guilt. Regret. Tiernan had an overwhelming urge to give her a hand up and then bring her into an embrace.

“Give us a minute,” he practically growled to the lawyer. From the corner of his eye, he saw Prescott’s jaw nearly drop to the ground when he’d pulled Melody against his chest and then looped his arms around her waist.

Prescott disappeared inside his own vehicle a second later. He had questions about their relationship. The sheriff had insinuated they’d pulled this off as a couple. Being a couple would damage both of their defenses. So being a couple wasn’t something Tiernan could afford to want. It wouldn’t be good for Melody.For Melody’s case, he corrected.

MELODYPULLEDAWAYfrom Tiernan and forced her chin up. Two lives were lost...and for what? The senseless loss was staggering. The fire was clearly an attempt on her and Tiernan’s lives. If they hadn’t escaped, there would be four people dead. And to what end? Three of those people were tied together by one man... Henry Cooper Cantor II.

What about her brother, Coop? Why was he safe? Or was he? Was someone knocking down the Cantor children one at a time?

“I’m okay,” she finally said to Tiernan. His face twisted and she immediately knew he could tell she was fudging the truth. “I’llbeokay.” She needed a minute to breathe and process what was happening so she could decide her next steps.

“Take your time,” Tiernan said, ever the sea of calm. She had no idea what she would’ve done without him over the past couple of days. She’d grown to depend on his steady nature even though he caused butterflies to release in her chest. Trust wasn’t something she was used to giving freely, so she was walking in foreign territory. He hadn’t given her a reason not to believe he would be there as much as she needed him to be. Not only had he volunteered to help her see this through, but he was also following through on the commitment. Until he showed her otherwise, she would risk believing in him.

Melody took a couple of laps around the truck to work off some of her stress. She returned to speak to Tiernan, who gave a nod for Prescott to join them. The lawyer did and the three of them resumed their conversation.

“I suggested we go speak to my brother because I believe in my heart that I would be able to see right through him if he lied to me,” she said by way of apology. “If you want to point a finger at someone, blame me.”

“I’m trying to keep you out of prison,” Prescott said in a far calmer voice now. “And I’m trying to keep others from accusing you of a crime you didn’t commit.”

She nodded and thanked him.

“Was he lying?” Prescott asked.

“Yes,” she admitted. As much as she didn’t want to deliver the news, it was the honest truth.

“His vehicle was warm, even though he denied leaving home this morning,” Tiernan interjected. “He also said he could produce tickets to the Longhorn game he was at during the break-in and theft at their mother’s home.” He paused long enough to clench his back teeth. “Something you said a few minutes ago resonated with me. There’s surveillance everywhere, so we should be able to track down whether or not he was actually at the game.”

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