6

Nate measured Gracie’s reaction as he drove them away from her office and toward the bank a few miles down the road. Murder changed everything, and made him wonder if they’d made the right decision to bring her along with him to the bank. But in order to expedite the process, he needed her. Some banks had regulations that didn’t allow anyone into the safe-deposit boxes until the estate was cleared, and the last thing they needed was a delay in getting whatever Stephen had left for Gracie. In order to figure out what was going on, they needed answers.

“Are they positive he was murdered?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“Apparently there were a couple of indicators, including contact range. In most suicides, the bullet is shot from close range, producing a star-shaped wound.”

“And in Stephen’s case?”

“The shot came from farther away.”

“So, his suicide was staged.”

“That’s what it looks like,” he said. “On top of that, his shoulder had been dislocated.”

“What are you saying?” She kneaded her hands together in her lap. “He was tortured?”

“It’s possible.”

He turned onto Main Street and headed into a familiar part of town. They needed to find out who they were dealing with and how all the pieces connected. What he didn’t want was her entangled in the situation. Whether or not Stephen had been tortured for information, he had gotten himself into something way over his head.

That wasn’t a place he was going to let Gracie go.

He stopped at another light, his decision made. “We’re going to call this off. I’ll get a court order to get into the box if I need to. It shouldn’t be that difficult—”

“Forget it,” Gracie said. “Even if Stephen was murdered, I’m not going to change my mind, Nate. I want to do this. I need to know the truth about what happened to Stephen. And in order to do that, you need answers.”

“I know, but someone killed him, Gracie, and someone tried to shoot you last night. We know the two situations are connected, and that potentially puts you in a dangerous position. If someone believes Stephen gave you something—something they’re willing to kill for—your life is in danger as well.”

“I’ll be fine.” Gracie gripped the armrest as she shot him a grin. “I’ve got you watching out for me, don’t I?”

He frowned at the compliment, not sure that was going to be enough, considering he had no idea what they were dealing with.

“Then here’s the deal. We’ll go to the bank together, but then I’m going to arrange to have you stay at a safe house until we find out what’s going on—”

“Forget it, Nate. I can’t just live in fear and go into hiding. What about my clients? My friends? I came here to start over. Not run at the first sign of trouble.”

He turned on his blinker, then passed a slow pickup. He understood her frustration, but that wasn’t going to keep her safe. “Until we know what’s going on—”

“I can’t go into hiding and end up jumping at every shadow I see.”

He glanced at her. Her blonde hair that fell past her shoulders had darkened, but her eyes were still the color of amber. He looked back at the road. She was strong. She always had been, and he was sure that all that she’d gone through over the past few years—all that she’d lost—had made her even stronger. In the end, he couldn’t force her to accept protection, but he also couldn’t just play down the danger.

“We’ll talk about it more later. For now, just think about it. Okay?”

“If it will make you feel better, I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you.” He couldn’t help but smile. She was just as stubborn as he remembered her.

And just as beautiful.

Five minutes later, Nate pulled into the parking lot of Stephen’s bank, hoping that whatever it was that Stephen had stashed away before he died was going to give them some answers. Half a dozen cars were scattered across the small lot, but at the moment the area was quiet.

He turned off the motor. “You still sure about this?”

“Nothing’s changed in the past few minutes, though I’d forgotten just how overprotective you are.”

“Overprotective?”

“In a good way.” She smiled, but the tension was still in her eyes. “Did you ever go into the military like you used to talk about in college?”

Nate nodded. “Four years. Marines.”

“And now you’re a homicide detective. I’d say that pretty much makes my case.”

“I like ensuring justice wins, and while not everyone agrees with this anymore, I still believe in chivalry.”

“Which is why you’re insisting I go to a safe house?”

He shot her a smile back. “Just doing my job, ma’am.”

“Then why do I feel like I’m about to do something illegal?” Gracie chuckled as she undid her seat belt.

Nate nudged her with his elbow. “Stephen said he set you up jointly on his account, so you’re fine. We’ll be out of here in ten . . . fifteen minutes tops.” He undid his seat belt and climbed out of the Explorer.

He’d get her out of here and insist she go somewhere safe where he wouldn’t have to worry about her while he was working. She’d put up a fight. He was sure of that, but that was okay. Kevin might have walked out on her, but he wasn’t going to.

He shoved down the thought as he walked around the car. He had no desire to judge his friend. And this certainly wasn’t a competition.

As he reached Gracie, who was just stepping out of the car, another car pulled into the empty space next to them. Nate glanced at the driver and felt his pulse quicken.

“Gracie . . .” He stepped between her and the opening car door, pulled out his service weapon while pushing her back into the Explorer, and turned around, but he wasn’t fast enough. The driver was already out of the car, shooting a Taser into his back. Nate collapsed, helpless, as the electricity coursed through him, while a second man grabbed Gracie.

He fought to stay focused despite the intense pain shooting down his legs. He couldn’t give in. Couldn’t let the pain stop him from keeping Gracie safe. But every muscle in his body seemed frozen, and he couldn’t respond to what his mind was telling him to do.

The man dropped the Taser and zip-tied his wrists, then opened the back door of the Explorer. “Get in the car.”

Nate struggled to get his legs under him, and the man grabbed his arm, pulled him up, and shoved him into the back seat. A tattoo on the man’s wrist peeked out from his suit sleeve as he pulled Nate’s gun from its holster, then searched his pockets for the car keys. There was nothing Nate could do to stop him. Another few seconds and he would regain his strength, but what then?

“What do you want?” Nate forced out the words while staring at the blurred dome light of his car above him.

“Stay down, or I’ll shoot both of you.”

Nate tried to move so he could find Gracie, but he couldn’t see her. Panic coursed through him. This wasn’t some random mugging. These guys knew exactly who they were targeting. Stephen had been murdered, and now they were after Gracie and whatever was in that safe-deposit box. Shots fired in front of the bank would get someone’s attention, but at this point it didn’t matter. He couldn’t do anything, and Gracie wasn’t armed.

Where was Paige?

He heard one of the men talking to Gracie. Ordering her to show him the bank key. His mind raced. As long as they needed her, she’d be safe. She could signal the guard, stall until backup arrived. She’d be okay.

Please let her be okay, God.

The man tossed Nate’s gun onto the front seat, then closed the back door.

What had he been thinking? He should have gone with his gut and never allowed Gracie to get involved.

His captor slid into the driver’s seat and started the car. “Here’s how this is going to play out. You’re going to stay out here while my partner goes inside. I’ve got orders to shoot you if you do anything stupid, so if you’re thinking of being a hero or something . . . think again.”

They were taking a huge risk, immobilizing a police officer in front of a bank with the expectation of walking inside with a hostage. But they’d worked to cover their bases. If she refused to play, they’d kill him. If he refused to play, they’d kill him. Someone was determined to get what was in that box, and he was out of options.

“You know you’ll get years for this,” Nate said, frantically working to undo the zip tie. The pain had begun to ease, but his brain still felt fuzzy.

“No I won’t. I’ll be long gone before they start looking.”

“Do you even know what’s in that bank box?” Nate continued, looking for a way to throw off his captor. “I hope it’s worth it when you go down for murder one.”

“Shut up.”

“How old are you?” Nate asked as the man pulled out of the bank parking lot. “Twenty-four . . . twenty-five? Why throw your life away for this? The contents of a safe-deposit box. Because I’m right. There’s no way you’ll get away with this.”

“This is far bigger than me. Far bigger than either of us.”

“If that’s true, then whoever you’re working for won’t mind you taking the fall when this goes bad.”

“Shut up.”

What was so important that they would risk taking hostages, including a police officer? Nate tried to make sense of what was happening, but there was only one clear thought in his head. Stephen Shaw hadn’t been paranoid.