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“S he doesn’t have a tail on her,” Cooper said after returning from seeing Harlow off. “At least from the beach.”

Grayson put his feet on the deck’s railing and pushed his chair up on its back legs. “Yeah, with the tracker on her car, someone could be waiting along the road for her to head back home.”

Pressley was used to her hiding in her apartment since the divorce, but the more independence she showed, the more he was trying to control her life. “We need to bring things to a close. I don’t trust Pressley not to pull some kind of stunt.”

Liam grabbed a handful of pretzels from the bowl that Grayson set on the table. “Wouldn’t put it past him.”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted Harlow to know, but I found Veronica Dunbar’s mother,” Cooper said.

“Good. Have you spoken to her?” He’d learned that Veronica’s mother had filed a missing person report with the police, and he very much wanted to talk to her.

“No, I didn’t know if you wanted to be the one to talk to her. Her name’s Madeline Osorio. She lived in Portugal with her second husband until he died last year. She moved back to Fayetteville, where she’s originally from and where Veronica grew up.”

“Let’s take a ride in the morning and go see her.” It was about a two-hour drive to Fayetteville, so the trip would tie up half their day, but talking to her might be important.

“You want me to call and tell her we’d like to talk to her?” Cooper asked.

“No, we don’t know what her relationship with her daughter was or what she thinks of Pressley. I don’t want to give her time to come up with a story if she’s not inclined to talk about Veronica. Let’s plan on getting there around nine.”

“Great, and I’m calling dibs on the Jag tomorrow. It’s my turn to drive it.”

“I was hoping Gray would forget I had it,” Liam said.

“Not likely.” He held up a finger. “Coop gets it for one day, and then I have to get it back to the dealership. It is for sale, you know, and I might know someone who can get you a great deal.”

He’d gotten them both vehicles at his cost on what they drove now; Liam a metallic gray BMW SUV, and Cooper a black badass Ford 150. Even though Liam’s father was worth millions, he’d cut Liam off and disowned him when Liam enlisted in the military instead of joining the family business.

Cooper—unlike him and Liam—grew up dirt-poor. His mother had overdosed and died when he was twelve, and his father couldn’t hold down a job to save his life or keep his son and daughter fed and healthy. Even as young as he’d been, Cooper had done whatever necessary to put food on the table for his baby sister.

Personally, Grayson suspected that was the reason Cooper was always hungry even though life was good for him now. It was a learned behavior from never having enough to eat growing up.

“And give up my truck?” Cooper said. “Not gonna happen.”

“The Jag was fun to drive for a day, but it’s not me,” Liam said. “I do have some news, too. I have three names of women who had an affair with Pressley while he was married to Harlow.”

Cooper frowned. “What a sorry excuse for a man.”

“And even that’s too nice to say about him.” The knowledge that Pressley cheated so blatantly on Harlow made Grayson see red. Pressley had those affairs and who knew how many more while having a mistress on the side for all the years he was married.

“I have a date with one of them tomorrow night, Alisha Austin,” Liam said.

Grayson set the chair back down on all four legs. “Think she can give us any ammo on Pressley?”

“Maybe,” Liam said. “From the gossip floating around, she’s been vocal about how Pressley lied to her and strung her along, promising he was going to divorce his wife. Then when he actually was divorced, he ghosted her.”

“Woman scorned,” Cooper said. “She should be a good source of info.”

Grayson nodded. “Hope so. The man’s a piece of work.” Pressley deserved what was coming to him, and to do that, he needed to get into that safe. “I have a plan.”

* * *

“I have to fire you.”

Grayson pulled his cell phone away from his ear and stared at the screen. He’d been happy to see Harlow’s name light up but getting fired wasn’t what he expected. He put the phone back to his ear. “What happened?” Because something did between the time she left his house to now.

“Anthony was waiting for me when I got home. He said that if he found out I was cheating on him, whoever it was, they’d never find his body.”

Grayson laughed.

“It’s not funny. He’s killed before and gotten away with it. We know that.”

“Honey, your ex doesn’t have a clue who has your six. You’ve got three highly skilled men behind you.”

“I know that means you have my back, but—”

“It’s more than just that. A normal person would say they have your back, meaning they’ll stand up for you. When we say it, it means we’ll give our life for yours.” At hearing her gasp, he wanted to slap his forehead. It did mean exactly that, but he shouldn’t have said it. That was what she was worried about, why she wanted to fire them.

“No, Grayson. Just no. I can’t let you and your friends risk your lives.”

This was a conversation they needed to have in person. “Listen, I’m about to go into a meeting. I’ll call you tonight and we’ll talk this out.” Except it would be face-to-face.

* * *

“Come out to your balcony.” Grayson disconnected the phone before Harlow could respond. The sun had disappeared over the horizon, but it was still the twilight hour. He glanced out at her lake and there were her swans gracefully gliding across the water. He liked that they’d made an appearance, that he’d gotten to see something that gave her so much enjoyment.

The sliding door opened, and she peeked her head out. “Grayson?”

He bowed. “My lady, would you care to join me on this beautiful summer eve?” As he’d hoped, that got a smile, albeit a quick little one. It was a start, and he’d take it.

“What are you doing here?” She stepped out, and Ein stein scurried past her, going straight to Grayson. She glanced over the railing. “How did you get up here?”

“I think Einstein’s asking the same questions.” The cat was chattering up a storm. “Sit, and I’ll give you both answers.” He grinned. “I’m asking you to sit, not Einstein.” Another little smile.

She slipped onto the chair closest to her. “Really, how did you get up here?”

“This way.” He picked up the hook and rope he’d used. “Easy-peasy.” Settling into the other seat, he reached next to him and grabbed the small cooler, taking out two beers. “You liked this one,” he said, handing her the craft beer she’d had earlier today. Was that only today? Seemed like more than a few hours ago. He’d missed her.

“Thank you.” She eyed the rope. “You really shimmed up that?”

“Yep. I didn’t want to risk Pressley or any of his spies seeing me at your front door.”

“I’m impressed, but you shouldn’t be here.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Tell me what Pressley said to you. Did you record it?”

“No, and I’m so mad at myself for forgetting to do that. It was what I told you over the phone, that if I was cheating on him, they’d never find the body.”

“What else did he say?”

“That he owned me, that he could do with me as he pleased. He also claimed he was going to let me see Tyler but because I was gone all morning that window had closed. That was a lie. He has no intention of letting me see Tyler unless I go back.”

“You’re not going back.” He fisted his hands. Five minutes in a closed room with the man was all he wanted. The threats were escalating, and Grayson feared Pressley would end up hurting her. This needed to end, and soon.

“No, I’m not, but you’re still fired.”

He tilted his face toward her and waited until she met his gaze. “Nope, gonna keep on having your six.”