Page 20 of Risk Everything

Tanner’s investigating brought him back around to Jared. Just because the man hadn’t set the fire himself didn’t mean he wasn’t involved. The more Tanner looked into Jared’s fraternity brothers, the less he liked what he saw. This was a tight-knit group. Even now, years after college, they still got together regularly. There seemed to be a group of five of them who were closest. Not all of them lived in Colorado, but most of them were here now, celebrating Jared’s bail.

The preliminary background checks on all of them had come back clean. Tanner wasn’t surprised. These guys were too smart to keep their dirty laundry out in the open.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

The trick was going to be catching them while keeping Marilyn safe.

Until Jared’s trial, it looked like the protective shifts around Marilyn and her kids would need to continue. Tanner would do his part too, particularly because if danger was coming after Marilyn, it would definitely be too close to Bree for his liking.

He was ready to get married to her and have her right beside him every night. With their track record, he could pretty much guarantee trouble would still be coming, but at least he’d have her by his side where he could be sure to protect her.

Just twelve more days. Twelve more days and they’d be tied to each other forever.

He was smiling as he finally left the office at 8:00 p.m. and walked toward his car. Forever didn’t scare him in the least.

“I don’t even want to ask what that smile is all about.” Noah was leaning against Tanner’s SUV.

“Just happy to see you, brother, of course.”

“Got time to hang out in Denver?”

Tanner rolled his eyes. “You know I’ve already been there once today, right?”

Noah pushed off from against the vehicle. “I know Bree said Ellis isn’t hacking his ankle monitor—”

“He’s not.”

“—but I need eyes on him and his crew myself,” Noah continued. “I’m going with or without you.”

Tanner studied his brother. He didn’t like the look in his eyes. “Then I’m going.”

Noah gave him a surprised nod, like he had more arguments he could pull out if he needed to. He didn’t need to. Tanner wasn’t letting him go alone. After what happened this morning, things were already too delicate.

Tanner threw his bag into the back seat, then got in the driver’s side. Noah got in on the passenger’s side.

“I’m a little surprised you even told me you were going,” Tanner said once they were a few miles down the road. Noah was more than capable of handling any sort of surveillance by himself.

He was capable of a hell of a lot more by himself too.

Noah shrugged. “I respect you, little brother. I respect that you chose the same route as Dad and choose to help uphold the law. And, even though I don’t spend much time hanging out in the town itself, Risk Peak is my home.”

“None of which actually explains why you invited me on this little adventure.”

Noah stared straight out the windshield. “I needed someone I could trust.”

“Trust to do what?”

“Trust to keep me from killing these bastards if the opportunity presents itself.”

Those words coming from anyone else would’ve had Tanner shifting straight into law-enforcement mode. But this was his brother. So Tanner kept himself relaxed, even if he didn’t really feel that way. “You know we have absolutely no proof that Jared or any of his cronies were involved with the fire.”

Noah didn’t say anything for a long time. “Ellis doesn’t realize how lucky he is just to be still breathing after what he did to Marilyn.”

Tanner’s hands gripped the steering wheel more tightly. “Noah, you’re going to have to let the system be his judge and jury. Not you.” He glanced over at his brother. “Make no mistake, I will lock you up until after the trial to keep you from doing something stupid.”

“It’s why I’ve got you here,” Noah muttered. He stared out the passenger window for a long time.

“I’ve seen stuff, Tanner. You know that. In special ops, I saw all sorts of violence against men, women and children that is the stuff nightmares are made of. But nothing I ever saw there puts me anywhere near the killing rage I feel when I think about Ellis hurting Marilyn.”