But he was lost in the story playing in his head. Words rushed out of him. “They’ll have to keep you quiet. You pointing out the truth about your ex threatens their plans.”

“Uh-huh.” She slid her hand under the door handle and heard the door unlock again.

“I know this sounds unbelievable.”

“That’s one word for it.”

“They can’t have you questioning the suicide. Their plans only work if no one looks too closely and so long as their inside people work fast enough to bury the truth.”

She fumbled for her cell phone and started punching buttons. “This is me calling the police.”

“Stop.” He reached for her phone. “God, please just listen to what I’m saying.”

The man who had been watching them—tall, from the haircut probably military or retired military—started toward them. Lethal-looking. Good. That’s exactly what she needed right now.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” the man asked as he stepped in close. His presence had the reporter pulling back.

Relief whooshed through her. That fast, she could feel the tension easing from her as she forced her fingers to unclench around her keys. “Thank you. He’s leaving.”

The man nodded, but he didn’t go far. He hovered right behind the reporter as if ready to lunge, if needed.

“They’ll find out your secret,” Rob said in a near whisper this time. “If I could find out, so can they. They know, and they’ll release the secret in the way calculated to hurt you the most, to discredit you. To keep you quiet.”

What? There was no way . . . right? She’d been careful. He had to be throwing out words, hoping he picked the right ones to scare her. Well, it worked. She opened the car door and slipped inside. She had it closed and locked a second later. But she could still hear him through the window.

“We’re running out of time, and I have to keep moving because I’m a target,” he said as he tucked another one of his cards under her windshield wiper blade. “Don’t wait.”

Chapter Nineteen
Jessa

Covington walked into her office without any greeting and shut the door behind him. “We need to remove you from the Bartholomew matter. It’s time.”

The bold statement made Jessa cough up her sip of coffee. “The judge is taking me off the case?”

He handed her a sheet of paper. “I had my secretary draft a motion to withdraw as guardian ad litem for Curtis. You need to review it and sign.”

She refused to touch the document. “No.”

“This isn’t a request, Jessa.”

“Why?” She’d been on the phone all morning with various players in the case, trying to figure out if Curtis was safe after Darren’s willingness to smash cars to get his way. He was the problem, not her.