Mandy heard a small sound from where Adam was standing. He’d been leaning over the pages, his left hand bracing him against the table, his less functional right arm at his side. Only now that hand was clenched, into a fist so tight his knuckles were white. And when she looked at his face, it was nearly as white.

“Adam?” she said, suddenly concerned.

“And it’s easier,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “if you’ve done it before.”

Mandy frowned. Noticed Gavin was giving Adam a look that was both approving and grim at the same time.

“What are you—”

She broke off as it hit her, what should have been obvious. A chill rippled down her spine, then spread, until she was amazed she wasn’t shivering. Her mind shot back to that awful time. Remembering it had always been awful, but now, in this moment, it was horrific. Because the knot in her stomach, the tightening of every muscle including her heart, told her it was true.

It hadn’t been a random shot, or even a robber caught in the act shooting a cop to escape that had shattered her world that night.

It had been a hit.

Chapter 36

Adam wasn’t really aware of how long it had been. He was aware that Quinn was making calls, and Quinn and Gavin—Gavin freaking de Marco!—had spent some time on a video conference with Ty Hewitt in St. Louis. Then Gavin started making calls, and if Adam had been paying attention, if he’d even been able to pay attention, he would have been certain, but as it was he was fairly sure he heard the governor’s name dropped somewhere amid the discussion.

The governor who had taken over after Foxworth had taken down the previous one.

When he found himself seizing on the age-old question of whether there were more than a handful of decent, honest politicians, or if the word politician and anything good were oxymorons, he knew he was out of control.

In fact, the only thing anchoring him at all was the feel of Mandy at his side, her feet curled up on the couch in the Foxworth downstairs room, her head resting on his shoulder. Her warmth was the only thing that countered the ice that wanted to take over. And only knowing she had to be feeling even worse than he did kept him from... He wasn’t sure what he’d be doing, but something stupid and useless like throwing things or screaming.

It had never been a secret that the store was in Greg Bonner’s beat, not the way Greg had been a cop, knowing his community, and them knowing they could turn to him.

Which explained why the guy had been in that unexpected place where he couldn’t really be a lookout. Because the robbery hadn’t been his goal.

Murder had been.

A hit. An assassination.