Page 47 of Countdown

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WEDNESDAY MORNING

When Raina walked into the kitchen the next morning, lured by the sound of low voices and the smell of fresh-brewed coffee and cinnamon rolls, she found Vince, Penny, and Holt sitting at her table. Covering a yawn, she blinked, then walked to the coffeepot, poured a mug of the steaming liquid, and sipped.

No one said a word, just watched her.

Finally, she lowered the cup to the counter and raised a brow. “All right. You can talk now.”

Vince nodded to Holt, who cleared his throat. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine. The drug wore off long ago. I guess I was just exhaustedfrom everything that came with it.” Including the emotions that had swirled with that kiss from Vince Covelli.

She’d done her best to file that kiss in the “things to be processed later” part of her brain but hadn’t been entirely successful.

Thinking about the call from her father and the murder of Trent Carter had taken precedence. A lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed it, then looked at Holt and Vince. “Do either of you guys have law enforcement connections in California?”

Holt nodded. “I do.”

“Can you see what you can find out about the murder of Trent Carter? He’s an attorney and good friend of my father’s—stepfather’s. He’s the man I called the night we were at Julianna’s and I kind of flipped out over seeing Michael on television.” She rubbed her palms over her sweatpants. “I feel quite sure Kevin either killed him or had him killed.”

“It’s been over thirteen years since you last talked to anyone out there,” Holt said. “You really think he was keeping tabs on Carter?”

“He’s dead less than twenty-four hours after talking to me. What do you think?” She pressed fingers to her eyes. “I never should have called him.” She dropped her hand and sucked in a steadying breath. “I just didn’t know what else to do. He did say that he’d been getting yearly threats, so I have no doubt Kevin is behind his death. Either he killed him or had someone do it. And I led him to Trent.” The guilt nearly choked her.

Holt raised a brow. “I think you have a point and it’s worth looking into.”

She took one of the gooey rolls from the box, wondering if she’d be able to eat it, but put it on a plate, then snagged her coffee. As she lowered herself into the empty chair next to Vince, she let her gaze touch on each of them. “I can tell you have something to tell me, but let me just say this. Kevin hated to lose. Anything. Before he started pounding on me that last night, he told me he was keeping tabs on everyone in my life,that there was nowhere I could run that he wouldn’t find me. And if I tried, people I loved would die.” The memories washed over her like it had all happened yesterday. “Kevin had money. At least he gave the appearance of having it. Once he found out I lived through the beating, he made it his mission to let me know that he might not be around, but he wasn’t gone. He left messages at the hospital while I was healing.” She sipped her coffee, letting it burn all the way down. “I wasn’t supposed to know that, but I overheard the nurses talking. I also had two officers assigned to my floor and my stepfather hired my own private security detail. But Kevin knew about my stepfather and his inner circle of friends. Trent Carter is the family lawyer and Oliver Youngblood owns the largest private bank in Burbank. And, finally, John Tate, who is a US Marshal. The four of them all went to college together and remained friends. Kevin knew they would have the means and desire to help me should I ask for it.” She gave a shuddering sigh. “I didn’t ask, but my stepfather did. I don’t know how he made it happen without Kevin finding out, but John got me away and, except for one blip in Arizona, I’ve been relatively safe—or at leastfeltrelatively safe. When I can ignore my paranoia.”

“Until now,” Vince murmured.

“Until now,” she echoed. Everyone fell silent and she swept her gaze over the threesome once more. “And it started with that phone call to Trent. I’m telling you there’s a connection there to Kevin. And that’s why you need to stay updated on anything the detectives find about Trent’s murder.”

Vince leaned forward. “Have you contacted any of the others?”

“No. And I won’t now. Not after what happened to Trent. I’m terrified someone will find out my father called me. I sure don’t want to risk contacting anyone else. I’m telling you, Kevin is monitoring them somehow, someway. I don’t know how, but ... yeah.”

“I’ll have someone warn them,” Holt said.

“I’m sure my father may have given them a heads-up by now, but thank you, an extra warning probably wouldn’t hurt.” She took a bite of the roll, washed it down with a swig of coffee, then said, “Your turn. What’s going on?”

“The detectives found the guy who spiked your drink,” Holt said.

Raina paused, fingers tightening around the handle of her mug. “They did? How?”

“Good police work. Once they had his name, it wasn’t hard to find out he rented a car. He also used a credit card to buy a few meals and reserve a hotel room. They caught up to him about an hour ago. Looked like he was all packed up and ready to catch his flight. The detectives changed his plans and he’s currently being interrogated as to who paid him to try to kill you.”

“Let me guess,” Raina said, “he’s not talking.”

“Right, except to protest his innocence. But they have him cold for the attempted murder, so he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”

Raina nodded and took a bite of the cinnamon roll, letting the sugary sweetness coat her tongue once more and satisfy her taste buds. “So, what now?”

Holt rubbed his chin and glanced at Vince, who leaned toward her. “Now, we talk about the other cases that resemble yours.” He paused, then looked at Penny. “Sorry, Penny, you can’t be in on this.”

Penny stood. “I know. I was just here for moral support until you guys started talking business. I’ve got some errands to run anyway.” She planted a kiss on her husband’s lips. “I’ll see you at home.”

“What kind of errands?” Holt asked.

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