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H arlow was at loose ends. She was caught up with her work, the book she was trying to read wasn’t holding her interest and she hadn’t seen or heard from Grayson since he’d made a surprise appearance when Lena was here.
Was he making any progress on finding the evidence against Anthony? Had he seen her son again? How long was it going to take before she had Tyler in her arms? He’d said she couldn’t call him, so she’d have to wait to hear from him.
“He said I could call Cooper or Liam if I needed to,” she told Einstein.
Einstein meowed a long response.
“So, you think that’s a good idea, too?” Einstein was never wrong. Since she was more familiar with Cooper, she called him.
“Harlow,” he answered. “Everything okay?”
No. Everything would only be okay when she had her son back. “Pretty much. I’m sorry to bother you, but I haven’t talked to Grayson in a few days. I just need to know that things are going as planned.”
“First, you’ll never bother me. As for things going as planned, yes, they are. I feel confident enough to say that it will be over soon, and you’ll have your boy back.”
It sounded like he knew something. “Thank you. I needed to hear that. I also need to know that Grayson will be safe. Anthony isn’t to be trusted.”
“He knows that, but you can trust Gray.”
“I do, but I still worry that something will go wrong.”
“Liam and I have his back. It’s going to be over soon.”
“Okay. Thanks for talking me down.”
“Anytime. You’re important to Gray, so you’re important to us.”
That meant a lot to her. After talking to him, she made a cup of tea, settled down with her book and Einstein purring on her lap. A few hours later she was lost in the story when her burner phone buzzed with an unknown caller. Only Grayson and the guys had this number, so she answered. She didn’t know whether to fear that something had gone wrong or to be excited that it was over.
“Hello.”
“I hear you’re worried about me.”
Grayson! Her heart did cartwheels. “I am, but Cooper promised that he and Liam have your back, so I’m a little less worried.”
“I like that you are. Makes me feel special.”
He was more special than she wanted him to be, but that was something to think about another day. “Anthony doesn’t suspect anything?” Her ex-husband had a sixth sense for anything that might be a threat to him.
“No. He’s seeing a new woman tomorrow night and will be gone for hours. I’m going to get into the safe while he’s out of the house.”
“And then what happens?” It seemed too good to be true that it could be over in a day or two.
“I talked to an FBI agent friend earlier tonight. That’s one reason I wanted to talk to you. He wants me to take a picture of Veronica’s letter and anything else in the safe that might be incriminating, but to leave everything there.”
“Why?”
“Chain of command. If I take anything away, we can’t prove it was in Pressley’s possession. The agent, Sean Danvers, is going to call you shortly. He’ll ask you to meet with him first thing in the morning so he can take a statement from you. Tell him everything you know. Between that and the photos I’ll get tomorrow night, he can get a warrant to search Pressley’s house.”
“What about Tyler? I don’t want him in the house when it’s raided. What if Anthony decides he’s not going down without a fight?
“I’ll be there when it goes down and will get him out of the house.”
“And bring him to me?”
“Yes.”
It was what she wanted to hear, and she was elated. She crushed the nagging fear that something was going to go wrong.
* * *
Early the next morning, Harlow met Sean Danvers at a coffee shop in Freemont, a nearby town. Liam had picked her up so that she wouldn’t have to drive her car since it had a tracker on it. When they arrived, he parked in the shop’s lot and stayed in the car to keep an eye out.
The agent had told her to look for a blond man wearing a light green button-down. She saw him right away at a table in the back, two coffee cups on the table.
When she slid into the seat across from him, he pushed one of the cups to her. “Good morning, Harlow. Just to confirm, I’m Sean.”
“I’ll admit I’m a little nervous, Mr. Danvers. I’ve never talked to an FBI agent before.”
“Just Sean.” He smiled. “We don’t bite…well, except for bad guys.”
“Good to know.” He’d settled her nerves with a little humor, and she liked him. “I thought FBI agents always wore dark suits and mirrored sunglasses.” She guessed he was in his midforties. The little bit of gray in his hair gave him a distinguished look, and he had kind eyes.
“That’s only in the movies. We do wear suits if we’re appearing in court or something like that, otherwise we can dress as we wish as long as we’re presentable.”
“Grayson said you’re a friend of his.”
“We go back a ways to when we were both in the Navy. He told me about your ex-husband and what all he’s involved in, including two possible murders, but I’d like to hear it from you. What all you know.”
Two murders? “I’m not sure where to start.”
“Does the name George Pickens mean anything to you?”
“Grayson mentioned that name. He had his home stolen, too, right?”
“Yes, and he was killed.”
“I didn’t know.” She felt physically sick hearing the news.
“We’ll get him, Harlow, and he’ll go to prison for a very long time, if not for life. Start at the beginning. From when you met your ex-husband. Especially the things that you saw or overheard that made you uncomfortable or suspicious.” He set his phone face up on the table. “Do you mind if I record our conversation?”
“I’m agreeable to anything that will help me get my son back.”
“Along with seeing justice done for the people he’s wronged, that’s our goal.”
She talked for a little over an hour and when she finished, he asked a few questions. After she answered them, he stopped recording and put his phone in his pocket.
“With what you’ve told me and the photos Grayson’s going to get, we won’t have any problem getting a search warrant. Grayson said you’re worried about your son being in the house when we serve the warrant. I’ve told him that we won’t stop him from leaving with Tyler and taking him to you.”
“Words don’t convey my gratitude, but thank you.” Soon, she’d hold her little boy in her arms again, and she was so very grateful. To him. To Cooper and Liam. And most of all, to Grayson.
“We live to put bad guys away.” He grinned. “So thank you for bringing us one.”
It was her pleasure. Truly.
Table of Contents
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- Page 33 (Reading here)
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