Page 106 of Family Jewels

Ihadn’t slept well, which wasn’t all that surprising. After I’d gone into the guest room, I’d stripped off my T-shirt and jeans and tossed them on a chair in the corner. As soon as I climbed into the smooth sheets, I knew that James had paid a fortune for linens he’d never intended for someone to use. Why?

Our argument kept running over and over in my head, and with each replay, the realization that there was truth in James’ proclamation grew heavier and heavier until it felt like it was dragging me to the bottom of the Fenton County Lake.

The time James and I spent together was such a small sliver of his life—a peaceful oasis he’d carved out of the chaos. James had once confessed that his legal businesses were much more profitable and less of an aggravation than his illegal ones, but it seemed unlikely that he’d ever just walk away. The truth of the matter was that he was up to his elbows in dozens of messes that could land him in handcuffs at any moment.

While I liked the man I had grown to know—the one buried deep beneath the intimidation and harshness—that man did not live in this world. But that wasn’t entirely true. Glimpses of him had begun seeping out, like the way he’d offered Raddy protection despite himself. Still, I was worried James was right, that the men in his world would consider him weak. And the weak became prey.

The bottom line was that I could never live with a man whose life was in constant danger, not when it was because he was thwarting the law rather than upholding it like Mason did.

Still, the hardest pill to swallow was that he hadn’t even given me a choice. He’d made the decision for both of us. I didn’t know what I would have chosen if given the option, but I knew one thing for sure: whatever I felt for him was genuine.

I’d spent so much time mulling it over, tossing and turning, that I slept until eight—much later than intended. When I saw the time, I realized that Neely Kate was probably worried sick.

Scrambling out of bed, I dug my phone out of my jeans pocket. There was one missed call from Neely Kate.

Only one?

I called her back, and she answered right away.

“Do you think you’ll be at the office today?”

“What?” I blinked and shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “Aren’t you gonna ask where I am?”

“No, Jed already told me. He said Skeeter put you into hiding because he’s worried about your safety, but he refused to tell me why. This has something to do with Raddy Dyer, doesn’t it?”

Did Jed know I was at James’ house? And had he conveyed the news to Neely Kate in person? I wanted to ask, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t tell me anything. “Raddy called me in the middle of the night and asked me to meet him. He said he was in trouble and needed help.”

“Why didn’t Raddy callme?”

“He told me to come alone. He specifically told me not to bring you.”

“Why would he do that?” she asked, sounding good and ticked. “And why would you listen to him? We were supposed to be workin’ on this together. Why would you go without me?”

I paused, ignoring the last question in favor of the first. “Because he was exploiting my friendship with James. He threatened to tell the other side about me and James if I didn’t show.”

“What did he want?”

“Raddy got scared after he pissed off Buck Reynolds last night at the Trading Post. So in exchange for James’ protection, Raddy told James what he knew about the guys who are making a bid for James’ position.”

“But Skeeter went and killed him anyway?”

“What? No! He sent Raddy to meet a guy who was going to take him to a safe house.”

Neely Kate paused. “Rose, Raddy Dyer is dead.”

The room swayed, and I sank down on the bed. “What?”

“They found him shot in the head in the Atchison parking lot.”

I felt like I was going to throw up. “No.”

“Why are you so surprised?” she asked flatly. “Skeeter Malcolm wouldn’t let someone threaten him and then walk away. He’s already got enough turmoil in the county. It would set a precedent that would make regaining control next to impossible.”

I put a hand on my stomach, hoping to settle my nausea. “James said he let Raddy go. Because of me.” But he’d also stormed out of his own house, pissed that he’d caved to me.

“Rose, Raddy Dyer’s dead. There’s no disputing that.”

“It could have been Buck. Turns out Raddy stole that necklace from Buck. It was never his grandmother’s. He just put it with the family jewelry in Rayna’s drawer to try and hide it.” But I said the words in a kind of daze. I couldn’t stop thinking about how Raddy had been found dead at the very place he was supposed to meet James’ man. And why would Buck kill Raddy when he still hadn’t turned over the necklace?