Page 91 of A Tempting Seduction

The words hit me like a physical blow. I gasped and pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the sob that threatened to escape.

Ford's hand tightened around mine. “What happened?”

“Someone beat the heck out of him, then put a bullet in the back of his head. Tried to hide his car in the blackberry brambles near I-75.”

Tears stung my eyes, but they weren't tears of grief. They were tears of shock, fear, and something uncomfortably close to relief. I felt guilty for that last part, but I couldn't deny it was there.

Ford's voice cut through my emotional spiral, sharp and clear.

“For idiot's sake, Nash, you know dang good and well neither Ruby nor I beat and shot some jerk from LA then dumped his car. First, Ruby wouldn't hurt a fly. Second, you wouldn't have found the body if I'd done it.”

Despite everything, Simon and Roan both chuckled at Ford's blunt assessment. Even Agent Isaacson, who was still on the other line, made a sound that might have been suppressed laughter.

“I know that, Ford,” Nash said, and I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. “But I have to ask the questions. You understand that, right?”

“I understand you're doing your job,” Ford said. “But it’s been a long day with a lot of revelations. You can get everything you need from Roan and Simon. The man was a politician and a snake, but we didn't kill him.”

“Someone did,” Nash said grimly. “Someone with access to him and a reason to want him dead.”

The implications hung in the air like smoke. If Lance was dead, what did that mean for the rest of us? Was whoever killed him coming for me next?

“Ford,” I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. “I want to go home.”

He immediately stood, his chair scraping against the floor. “We're done here.”

“Wait,” Nash said through the speaker. “I need you both to come in and give formal statements.”

“Not today,” Simon said firmly. “They'll come in when they're ready, with representation if necessary.”

“Simon—”

“Nash, I suggest you get yourself over here to Onyx. Roan and I can fill you in on some relevant facts that might help your investigation. But leave Ford and Ruby out of it for now.”

I felt a surge of gratitude toward Simon that nearly overwhelmed me. He was protecting us, giving us space to process this bombshell.

“Fine,” Nash said after a long pause. “I'll be there in twenty minutes.”

The line went dead.

Agent Isaacson's voice crackled through Simon's phone speaker. “I'm still here. This changes things significantly.”

“How so?” Simon asked.

“If Leeds's dead, someone's cleaning house. That makes Ruby an even bigger target than we initially thought.”

My stomach dropped into my shoes. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse.

“That’s the way I see it, too. We’ll take care of things while they’re here in Jasper Creek. You help us while they’re in the air and in California. Deal?” Simon asked.

“Get her to that safety deposit box as soon as possible. Whatever evidence is in there, we need it now. And Simon? Watch your backs.”

Simon ended the FBI call and turned to Ford and me. “He's right. This situation just became a lot more dangerous.”

Ford was already helping me to my feet, his arm protective around my waist. “We're going home. Ruby needs time to process this.”

“I’m following you,” Roan said, standing as well. “Simon and I will work out a protection duty for the couple of days before you fly out to LA. In the meantime, we’ll also be working with Nash to track down the killers.”

“Do you really need to babysit us like this?” I asked.