A few minutes later, they were back outside.Micah gestured to his car.“We’ll use my vehicle.I can arrange for someone to take yours back to the rental agency.”
That seemed like a waste of money, but she didn’t argue.If she were honest, she preferred riding with him than driving herself.
The incident of gunfire was still too fresh in her mind.
As she settled into the passenger seat beside Micah, she was grateful for his reassuring presence.Maybe they’d find Damien at Lori’s house.
Or maybe the police would find him.
Either way, she desperately wanted to believe the danger would be over very soon.
Micah drove backtoward Madison keeping a wary eye on the rearview mirror.He didn’t believe Bryn was involved in anything illegal.Yet he didn’t trust her missing boss one iota.
He hadn’t mentioned his theory that Damien might have implicated Bryn in his embezzlement scheme.Although if her boss had done that, he couldn’t figure out why there had been a gunman waiting for her at home.
Unless Damien was the one who’d taken the shots?Eliminating Bryn would be the perfect way to make her the bad guy.
He glanced at her, wondering if she still had feelings for Damien.She’d mentioned being the one to end things between them, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t cared for the guy.
Maybe even loved him.
The thought left a sour taste in his mouth.He tried to ignore it.Bryn’s personal life was none of his business.She could date whomever she wanted.Besides, he didn’t understand why she didn’t blame him for Tommy’s death.
It should have been him that day.Tommy had gone back to assist one of their teammates who’d lagged behind.Instead of paying attention and going with Tommy, Micah had been distracted by the chants from the citizens around them who were all screaming at them to leave.It was not the way their time in Afghanistan should have ended, but leaving the insurgents to run wild in their absence wasn’t his decision either.By the time Micah had realized Tommy was gone, bullets had begun to fly.What should have been a quick and painless withdrawal from Afghanistan was anything but.
And Tommy had paid the ultimate price.
“Maybe I’m wrong about Lori.”Bryn’s voice broke into his thoughts.“Damien isn’t the kind of guy to share his personal problems.We could be driving all this way for nothing.”
“It can’t hurt to talk to her.”Eyeing the clock, he realized it would be late when they arrived.Hopefully, Lori would answer the door.“Besides, she and Damien could have been closer than you realized.”
“Maybe.”She didn’t look convinced.
“What about Damien’s closest friends?”
“His closest friend was Richard.”She grimaced.“They were college roommates and built the business after they graduated.According to Damien, it went from being a small two-man operation to the twenty employees they have now.”
“And what do they do?PR and marketing?”
“Yes.Public relations campaigns and market branding.They managed to snag a few big accounts early on, and that helped grow their business.”She sighed.“They do very well.So much so that I don’t understand why Damien would need to embezzle funds.That doesn’t fit with his personality at all.”
Micah hated the guy without ever meeting him, but he knew it was important to keep an open mind.“We don’t know for sure he took the money.Hopefully, the police will get to the bottom of this very soon.”
“I should have called them about the gunfire.”She bit her lower lip.“When we get to Madison, we should stop in at the station so I can give a statement.”
“Sure.”Logically, he knew there was no reason to avoid the police.Other than the fact that they treated her like a suspect.That wasn’t unusual; everyone was pretty much considered a suspect until they were cleared.Reporting the gunfire should help Bryn in that regard.Unless there was other evidence stacked against her.“Do you have a lawyer?”
“What?No!Do I need one?”She stared at him in horror.“You don’t think I’m involved in this.”
“No, of course not, but it doesn’t hurt to make sure you have legal representation just in case.”
“Do you really think they’ll arrest me?”Fear underscored her voice.“I didn’t do anything, Micah.I don’t know about the missing money, and I have no idea where Damien is hiding out.”
“Try not to panic.You’re not in police custody, and I doubt they have probable cause for an arrest.”At least, he hoped not.Yet the more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea of stopping in at the precinct.It was his turn to be paranoid about what Bryn had inadvertently gotten involved in.
They rode for a while in silence.He didn’t notice anyone following them.Traffic was busy enough, though, that it wasn’t easy to identify a tail.
The warmer spring temperatures along with the time change sent more people out and about.After one of the snowiest winters on record, the warmer temps had pretty much melted most of the snow.
