"She didn't. I haven't spoken to her in probably two weeks, which isn't unusual. She's a very busy woman." Julia paused. "Are you suggesting she didn't trust Dominic?"
"Not at all, just saying she didn't ask for his help; she asked for mine."
"Maybe she was worried about herself. Samantha got death threats all the time. She said it was part of the job." Julia took a breath. "Is it true she was the target of the bomb?"
"That's to be determined. But her job might have made her a target, which is why we're starting there."
"My sister is very private. She doesn't open up to me or really to anyone. It's one reason her ex divorced her."
"I didn't realize she had been married."
"In her mid-twenties, right out of law school. They were married for only two years. They had little in common besides the law."
"What's their relationship like now?"
"They don't have one, but Victor is not a danger to her. He's remarried with two kids. I don't think they've spoken in years."
It didn't sound like the ex-husband was a factor. "What did she tell you about her relationship with Dominic?"
"She said he checked all the boxes: attractive, wealthy, powerful, and well-connected—all things she finds important. I asked her if he was kind and sweet, and she laughed. She said she didn't know him well enough to say. But she seemed pretty happy about their relationship." She paused, giving him a questioning look. "Is he a good guy?"
"As far as I know."
"Well, you would know, right? You're his security guy, aren't you?"
"One of them. And he is very upset about what happened to Samantha."
"I hope you can find out who did this. I can't help thinking that since she's still alive, someone might try again."
"Dominic has arranged for private security at the hospital. You don't have to worry about that."
"Well, that's good." She started as a knock came at her door. "Are you expecting someone?"
"No. Why don't I get that?"
He got to his feet and walked across the room. After looking through the peephole, he opened the door to Agent Kara Reid and another man, who looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place him.
"You again?" Kara said, surprise and suspicion in her deep-brown eyes.
He shrugged in reply. "Small city."
"Not really. We're here to see Julia Clemons."
Julia came up behind him. "I'm Julia."
"I'm Special Agent Kara Reid with the FBI, and this is Agent Brennan," Kara said, flashing her badge. "We'd like to speak to you about your sister."
Julia gave him a questioning look.
"You should talk to them," he encouraged. "They're trying to find out what happened to Samantha. We can speak more later." As Kara and her fellow agent stepped through the door, he slipped past them into the hallway. Before he could take another step, Kara came back into the hall.
"Mr. Malone," she called. "What are you doing here?"
He turned and said, "Looking for answers, just like you."
"For Dominic Ashford?"
Her question hung in the air as an odd tension sizzled between them. He noticed details he hadn't before—the intelligence in her big, dark eyes, the perfect shape of her nose, the fullness of her mouth, the slight catch in her breath that suggested she felt a tension between them, the same tension he was starting to feel whenever she was around.
