Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Aiden crossed his arms. “She has a ride.”
“All right. Thanks.” Pierce turned and strode out of the room.
Aiden moved toward me and sat near my head on an ugly orange plastic chair. “Tell me what happened.”
I gave him the entire story, and by the end, he was shaking his head. “I don’t like the coincidence of them being in the same place as you twice.”
I’d figured that would be his reaction. “I don’t either, but I don’t see any reason they’d follow me. They don’t know me, and I didn’t recognize any of them until I moved Lenny’s mask out of place.”
“We’ll have to gain answers from good old Lenny as soon as Pierce brings him in.” Aiden’s jaw hardened. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Chapter 20
Aiden settled me on the bed at home with my knee elevated and a new ice pack on it. He handed me a couple of my books from the night table. “You need to take it easy for the afternoon.”
“No problem.” I wanted nothing more than to dive into the newest Lexi Blake and J.T. Geissinger novels.
We’d been mainly silent on the drive home, both lost in our thoughts.
“You anywhere on the case with the missiles?” I asked. No way had Nick facilitated the movement of stolen missiles that could harm our country. That wasn’t in him.
Aiden shook his head. “I obtained a copy of the anonymous letter sent to the ATF Special Response Team office in Los Angeles,” he said. “It’s typed, no prints on it, but it does have quite a bit of information about Nick’s case.”
I hid my surprise that Aiden had decided to share details with me. “So, what do you think?”
“I think somebody’s either trying to set right an earlier wrong…or trying to jam Nick up,” Aiden said.
“It is suspicious, but if we figure out who, it might lead us to at least one of his enemies. Could be the person who killed his dad.” I pulled the wrappings off my wrists and looked at the scratches. They weren’t too bad.
Aiden lifted one powerful shoulder. “Maybe, maybe not. Basanelli’s been busy as a prosecuting attorney and has made enemies. Plus, the timeline works so far, and somebody from the crime might be coming clean. I have to keep my mind open, Angel.”
“There’s no way Nick Basanelli helped somebody steal missiles.”
“You don’t know that. You didn’t know him back then. He was pretty damn angry as a teenager, and that’s coming from somebody who knew anger very well.”
“Yeah, but he channeled it into football.” I thought back to their high school days, when I’d been in middle school. “Unlike you. I believe you channeled your anger into stealing cars.”
He grinned, looking more relaxed than he had in days. “That’s true. Those days seemed a lot less complicated, to be honest.”
Yet I liked him on the right side of the law. “Who needs uncomplicated?” Sounded like a boring way to live.
He snorted. “Someday in the future, you and I are going to find an uncomplicated path to take. For now, I’m trying to figure out the missile case and Basanelli’s involvement in it, and I’d really appreciate it if you stayed here safely and rested for the remainder of the day.”
“Like I said, I’m happy to do so.”
He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Thank you. I promise you’ll be rewarded richly.”
My body heated up. “How richly?”
“I’ll bring dinner home.”
I blinked. “Do better.”
His grin turned wicked.
“Yeah. That’s better.” I liked the idea that he called the place home.
He kissed me again, this time until my breath heated to a dangerous level. Then with a whispered command to stay safe, he headed out of the cabin. All the air seemed to relax around me with his departure.
I waited until I heard his truck drive away before grabbing my phone to call Nana O’Shea.
“Hi, honey,” she said upon answering. “It’s nice of you to call in the middle of the day. I know how busy you get with your court hearings and clients.” Her Irish brogue was sweet and slight.
“Hi, Nana,” I said. “I have bad news and wanted to let you know, but you have to promise not to do anything about it.”
Even her gasp held hints of Ireland. “Oh, no. You and Aiden didn’t break up, did you?”
“No.” I sank against the pillows. “Why?”
“Because that would be terrible news,” she retorted instantly. “He’s Irish and the perfect match for you. There’s nothing wrong with taking it slow, so long as you’re moving forward.”
We’d only been dating for months. Shouldn’t the pressure start at the one-year mark? Even so, I didn’t want to mess with fate. “Are you sure you’re just curious?”
“Of course. I see good things for the two of you.”
What a relief. I thought she’d gotten a warning sign. Taking a deep breath, I let her have the bad news. “I wanted to let you know that Lenny Kristoff is one of the Cupid robbers.”