Page 54 of Justified Fear

She had run back to her room to put on something less embarrassing and decided to let her mother have it.

“I just found out about it in the last ten minutes.Your father freaked out.”

“Where is he?I want to talk to him.”

“She wants to talk to you.”

“On camera, Mama.”

The phone clicked on so they could do a video call.It was early morning in Hawai’i, but midday in Texas.Her father was in the kitchen, surrounded by a mass of windows that filled the wall above the sink and countertop.It was sunny outside for sure.When she got a look at her father, she paused for a second to gather her anger.No matter what, her father was being pulled in two directions.She knew that.There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and he looked like he had aged ten years since flying back.

“How is Tutu?”

He sighed.“She’s okay.The doctors want to keep her in the hospital for a few days, then they want to put her in a rehab facility, which is best.”

She could tell her father didn’t want to do that.More than likely, he wanted to take her home, but broken bones at her grandmother’s age were very serious.

And while she could empathize with him, she was not going to let him off the hook.

“Dad, do you want to tell me why Ian Smith and his partner showed up here to scare me this morning?”

“No.”

“Dad.”

“Okay.I heard from Jason—you know your brother’s friend?”She filtered through all of her brothers’ friends.They had a lot of them, but she remembered Jason.He was a Texas Ranger.

“Yeah.”

“Well, apparently your old place closed last week.”While it hurt her heart a little, she knew the Cucina Mexicana was long gone.It had ceased to exist when she’d walked out.

“Okay.”

“I got word that he had been telling people you were coming back.”

She didn’t need her father to tell her who thehein this situation was.She snorted.

“Not bloody likely.”

Her father smiled.“I know.But things came to a head last week when the restaurant was seized.Also, his little friend has disappeared.”

“What do you mean by disappeared?She moved on to another restaurant?”

Shayla had never been one for hard work.The idea that Chad had thought he would build a restaurant around someone who didn’t like working more than three hours a day had always been a joke.

“No, as in her family can’t find her.She has disappeared off the face of the Earth.That sent alarm bells, so the cops showed up at Chad’s place.He was gone.That’s when Jason called me early this morning.”

“Slow down.Why is that a problem for me?”

“There is proof of wire transfers, and the men they found at the house are dead.”

She blinked.“Chad has something to do with all of this?”

Her father shrugged.“I’m not sure.But I thought it would be best to have protection just in case.”

“A call.That is all I wanted.”

“Sorry.”