Page 46 of Contentious

“What do you mean?”

“You said he’s desperate for money, so he’s probably up to no good. If I can prove that, we can turn over the evidence to the police.”

“For all the good the police have done me. The only one charged with anything is me.”

“The system sucks, but it’s the only one we’ve got.”

Cresley dropped her head onto his shoulder. “Thank you for being here.”

“I wish this wasn’t happening, but I’m going to help you get rid of him without having to pay him off. Just give me a little time, okay?”

“How much time?”

“A week?”

“And you won’t do anything to get yourself in trouble?”

“Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing.”

“My stomach is in a knot over this entire situation. He’s always been unreliable and narcissistic, but he’s never acted desperate like this before.”

“I’ll do everything I can to help get this resolved for you as fast as we can, okay?”

“Thank you for wanting to help.”

A tap on the door to the patio had Carson getting up to speak to the officers.

“The crime scene detectives are all set. They’ve got the footprint and will take it to the lab. Tell Ms. Dane we’ll be in touch.”

“Will you be keeping patrols in the neighborhood until Mr. Beckett is located?”

“Yes, we’ll have a car nearby. Call us if he comes back.”

“Thank you.”

“Have a good night.”

Carson slid the door closed and locked it. “They’re keeping patrols in the area.”

“That’s good, I guess.”

“I’ll stay. Just in case. If you want to go to bed or do whatever, I’ll be here.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do. I just need to get something from my car. I’ll be right back.”

As he went outside, Carson scanned the area, noted the presence of one of his guys a few doors down and nodded to him. In the car, he retrieved his Glock from the glove box and the go bag he had with him at all times for situations such as this. It contained a change of clothes, a toothbrush and other personal items for when he ended up working overnight.

Not that this counted as work…

This was something else altogether that he’d pick apart tomorrow when he’d seen Cresley and Ty safely through the night.

Did he need to stay?

Technically, he could leave things in the hands of his capable employees, but how would he sleep knowing she was riddled with fear and anxiety? He wouldn’t. It was easier to stay, or so he told himself, fully aware that with every step he took toward her, he was getting deeper into something he couldn’t easily escape.

And yet, he kept moving in her direction as if propelled by a power bigger than him, or something equally dramatic.