“Brynnon’s always been a bit of a worrier,” her father tried to explain. “After her mother died, she was constantly worried about me. Always checking up on me to make sure I was eating right and getting enough rest. That sort of thing. When her brother started acting out, she worried about him. Made sure he went to his meetings, had food in his refrigerator.”
“That doesn’t sound like a worrier to me, Senator. That sounds like a loving daughter and sister.”
“She has a life now. A successful business. I didn’t want her to constantly be looking over her shoulder. That’s no way to spend your days. Trust me, I’ve had to do it more often than I’d have liked. I didn’t want that for her.”
“So why hire me at all?”
“That was also my idea,” Martin butted in again. “I knew the senator would feel better with someone watching over her.”
Grant ran a hand over his jaw. “You didn’t want her to worry, yet you still tell her there’s a threat against you, and then coerce her into accepting my help? Didn’t you think she’d be just as worried about you and your safety?”
The older man smiled. “Do you have children, Grant?”
A familiar pain cut through his chest. “No, sir.”
“When you do, you’ll understand. As a parent, you have to make a million different decisions. Sometimes, it’s clear which direction you need to go. Others, you do what you think is best and pray you were right.” The man stood and came around to the front of his desk. “I’ve had numerous threats via phone calls, letters, emails throughout the years. Do you know how many of those came to fruition?”
“No, sir.”
“None. Not a single one.”
Grant began to understand. “You assumed this was just like all those other times.”
He nodded, and Martin finished the explanation.
“If Brynnon thought the threat was against her father, she’d blow it off as nothing more than an annoyance. I knew he could convince her to go along with having a security detail, at least for a week or two. Our hope was, by that time, we would’ve been able to ferret out whoever sent the message to start with, and you and she could go on with your lives as if nothing ever happened.”
Cantrell looked back at Grant. “She could focus on her career rather than spending every single day in fear.”
Shit.Grant still thought it was a dumbass move, but as misguided as it had been, he was beginning to understand why the senator did what he did.
“That’s why you didn’t put a guard on Billy,” he stated. “It wasn’t because you knew he’d fight you tooth and nail; it was because he’s not the one in danger. She is.”
“I’ve still been keeping an eye on Billy, just in case,” Martin told Grant. “I text or call regularly. Go by his place now and again.”
“Martin and my son have been friends for years, so it wouldn’t be suspicious for him to call Billy or drop by to see him.”
Grant took a deep breath and let it out slowly but remained quiet.
“I love my children, Grant. They mean more to me than any of this,” Cantrell waved his arms around his office. “I realize I may not have gone about this the right way, but I can assure you...every decision I’ve ever made in regard to Billy and Brynnon has been out of love.”
No, he sure as hell hadn’t gone about this the right way, but Grant wasn’t going to keep beating a dead horse. The guy knew he screwed up, and from the look on his face, there was nothing more Grant could say or do to make him feel any worse than he already did.
“Does Brynnon know whoever sent the senator that first threat is after her?” Martin asked.
“She does now.”
Grant proceeded to tell them about Charles Wright and why he had a grudge against Cantrell. He also told them about the pictures and letter Brynnon received, and that he had a guy scanning them for prints as they spoke.
“Do the police know?” Martin asked, sounding alarmed. “Have they arrested this Charles Wright guy?”
“There isn’t any hard evidence against him.”
Again, it was Martin who asked, “Well, what about the car that almost hit Brynnon? Were you able to get a license plate or see the driver?”
“The driver was wearing a hood, and I only got a partial. My associate is working on that, as well.” Grant turned to the senator. “I’m going to pay Charles Wright a visit after I leave here. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Do you think that’s wise?” Martin inserted himself again. “Shouldn’t the police handle this? I have several contacts in the department. I could contact one of them.”
