I cleared my throat. “Yes, of course. That’s why I have a bodyguard. There are people out there who want me dead just because I’m Vince’s daughter. But that doesn’t mean I’m aware of what he’s up to.” I exhaled. “I’ve spent my life trying to get away from my father’s business. All I’ve ever wanted is to be left alone, to live independently and in peace. I’ve had anything but that lately, and it’s making me insane.”
He offered me a sad smile before jotting down a few more things. “Wes Callahan had been living with you, in addition to being your guard, correct?”
I nodded. “Yes. He’s done a very good job protecting me, as he demonstrated at the farmer’s market today. I owe him my life.”
“You two must be close.” He tilted his head. “The paramedics indicate that you were particularly distraught when Mr. Callahan was shot.”
I tried not to lose my cool. “Anyone with a soul would’ve been distraught. He nearly died protecting me.” I bounced my knees up and down. “Have you had any luck finding who’s responsible?”
“I’m not able to talk about the investigation, except to say that you’ll be advised if anything pertinent is discovered.” He hesitated, then cocked his head again. “Any reason to believe the target was actually Mr. Callahan and not you?”
My stomach clenched. “No, I don’t have any reason to believe that.”
“Does that seem far-fetched to you, or might that theory hold some weight?”
I moved my eyes from side to side as I thought about that angle—it scared me more than anything.Could Wes have been the target?“I can’t rule it out completely,” I said.
Paranoia bloomed inside me.Could my dad have found out about Wes and me and tried to have him killed?My mind raced. There was that photographer in Palm Springs.Had he published photos of us that my father had seen?
My gut told me Wes couldn’t have been the target, but I wasn’t absolutely certain. Anything was possible when it came to my father.
“Let me word my question a bit differently,” Detective Barkley said. “If there’s something going on between you and Mr. Callahan, would that be motivation for someone on your father’s team to have attempted to murder him?”
I shook my head as I began to sweat. “No one would know about anything going on between us.”
Despite my best efforts to not address my relationship with Wes, the officer continued to dig. “Isthere something going on between you and Mr. Callahan?”
“Wes and I are close,” I answered.
“Is your father aware of that?”
I licked my lips. “I couldn’t tell you what my father thinks. He hired Wes, and he knows we live together. He knows I care about Wes as more than just a bodyguard because I’ve expressed concern about Wes’s well-being in the past. I’ve told my father nothing else is going on, though.”
The idea of my father being behind the shooting continued to burn a hole in my brain as the officer finished grilling me. It was a terrible thing to not trust one of the people who’d brought you into this world. I knew my father would never do anything intentionally to harmme, but I couldn’t trust him when it came to Wes. Vince Ginocassi simply didn’t have respect for people who weren’t related to him by blood.
After the questioning was over and I left the room, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to call my father. I exited the hospital and walked to a corner of the parking lot, with one of my father’s guys never too far behind me. I dialed and put the phone to my ear.
“Juliette,” my father answered. “I didn’t expect to hear from you again today. Did something happen?”
“Nothing new,” I snapped, blowing a breath up into my hair. “But I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me for once.”
“What is it?”
“Didyouhave anything to do with the shooting at the farmer’s market?” I huffed, my heart pounding faster by the second.
He raised his voice. “Are you asking me whether I ordered someone to kill my own daughter, who means more to me than anything in the world?”
“That’s not what I’m getting at. I’m talking about whether you misconstrued my relationship with Wes and ordered someone to hurthim.” I licked my parched lips.
He softened his tone. “I had nothing to do with it, Juliette. I almost wish I had because then I wouldn’t be so goddamn scared that someone was still out there trying to put a hit on my daughter.”
My pulse slowed a bit. I believed him for some reason, even if I could never trust him fully.
“Anyway,whywould I be misconstruing your relationship?” he asked after a moment. “What the hell is going on between you and him?”
“Nothing,” I lied. “He’s just important to me. You know that.”
“You’re getting a little too close to the situation if you care that much about him. Your job is to live your life while my guys protect you—not the other way around. I don’t want you trying to protect and cover forthem. I don’t like this one bit, Juliette.”
