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“Forrest is unstable,” I continued. “He wants something that he believes belongs to him. And I have no doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill for it.”
“Forrest can’t be the killer. He was in L.A .when we found Max,” Knox stated calmly. “I know that it doesn’t mean he isn’t behind the deaths, but he’s not the one pulling the trigger.”
“I still refuse to let Sutton be in danger,” I said adamantly.
“But she wouldn’t be,” Natalie argued. “I would wear a wig and pretend to be Sutton while Brian pretended to be you. From a distance we could pull it off. We would put it out there that you were looking for whatever was left behind by Judith at the trailer. I can’t imagine more than three or four nights without a hit.”
Brian nodded. “If not sooner.”
“And I am supposed to risk my brother?” I shook my head. “No, it’s too dangerous.”
Natalie smiled. “With all due respect, Mr. Williams, this is what your brother does for a living. I doubt that anything this perp throws at us will be something we haven’t seen before.”
Knox was clearly agitated with Natalie and didn’t seem to want to agree with her.
Brian leaned forward. “Mark, I want to do what is best for Sutton. I feel that flushing out the killer would be in the best interest of everyone, instead of waiting around like sitting ducks.”
When he put it that way, it seemed like I was being a hysterical idiot.
Sutton placed a hand on my arm and I immediately felt better. I clasped her hand in mine.
“What about the funeral tomorrow? Is she safe to go?”
Sutton stiffened. “I won’t miss the funeral. Don’t ask me to.”
If I had my way we would be back in N.Y. and away from all of this insanity. But I knew that this was something she needed to get to the bottom of.
“No one will attack at the church in broad daylight,” Knox responded.
Candice spoke up. “Father Montgomery is allowing Max to have a church service? That doesn’t sound like him at all.”
Knox looked at her with enough heat to start a bonfire. “I don’t know, they seemed to be rather close these past few months. Perhaps Max repented of his sins and made a clean confession of it all?”
Sutton snorted. “That doesn’t sound like Max. And Alice and Reena would have said something if hell had frozen over. By the way, they still aren’t answering my calls. Are you sure they are okay?”
Knox sighed. It was a weary sound that should have come from a much older man.
“They are upset, understandably so. It’s been a hard road for everyone.”
I hated the pinched look on Sutton’s face because I knew that she was taking that to mean it was her fault. But it wasn’t; she had nothing to do with Max’s involvement with her mother nor with anyone else’s choices.
“Are we agreed to set the trap at the trailer?” Brian brought the meeting back around.
Sutton nodded. Then Candice, Natalie, and fucking Knox. With a growl I agreed, but it wasn’t freely given, not by a long shot.
“We’ll plan on going there tomorrow night after the funeral. Sutton, I need you to drop hints tomorrow during the funeral that you heard Max was looking for something of your mother’s.”
I bristled. “I thought she wasn’t to be involved.”
“Mark.” Sutton’s sexy voice wound its way around me and had my cock jerking in my jeans. “You will be right next to me. Nothing can happen when you are there.”
And I felt like a damn king. I don’t know how she did it, but fuck, the woman had me wrapped so tightly around her heart that I didn’t know where she ended and I began.
“Fine,” I bit off. “But you don’t leave my side for a second.”
She leaned her head against my arm and I smelled the sweet scent of her shampoo. Suddenly my jeans were tight and I had to reach down and adjust myself.
Brian smirked at me and I had a tiny glimpse of what it would have been like had I grown up with a little brother in the house. We most likely would have fought like cats and dogs but we would have had each other’s backs, instead of us both growing up alone. My fucking father once again doing his damn near best to screw up the lives of those around him.