Page 60 of Worth the Risk

“I’m scared for Mom. She cries a lot,” Emily disclosed, looking tearful herself.

“Does she say why, sweetheart?”

“She says she’s over forty and, if she loses Evan, her odds of finding another man are slim pickings.”

“She told you that?” Dan asked, astounded.

“No, she told her friend Janice. I overheard.”

“I think she’s afraid she’ll go to jail if Evan’s convicted.”

“And how do you know that, Cade?”

“He’s given her money, Dad. Lots of it.”

“And jewelry, clothes, shoes, vacations,” Emily ticked off.

“She told me using it could make her an accessory to the crime, or something like that,” Cade said. “Is that true?”

“If she wasn’t aware of where it came from, she’ll be okay. Don’t you guys worry.”

“Okay,” Em agreed in a quiet voice, but she wasn’t kidding anyone, especially her old man.

“I sort of can’t help it,” Caden replied.

“Understood, bud. She’s your mom, and you love her.” A tear rolled down his daughter’s cheek, and he hated like hell she was two hours away and not with him. “I’m going to go. Call me if anything changes.”

“We will,” his son assured him, seeming much older than the kid skating through his kitchen in his sock feet the night before.

After he hung up with them, he headed to Rossi headquarters. His plan for the day had changed. He needed all hands on deck to figure out what the fuck was going on.

***

IN A DOWNTOWN OFFICEbuilding, in a secure suite taking up the entire top floor, three imposing figures gathered around a long table in the conference room. A bank of windows provided a view of the city and the River Walk below, but the only attention paid to the stunning cityscape was for Tony, the CEO, and the man behind the company name, to activate the blinds to reduce the glare of the sun on the polished tabletop.

When Dan finished giving them the rundown, Jonas, the best tech guy in the business, leaned back in his chair.“Why do you think she’s involved?” he asked.

“She needed money. That used to be a familiar song, but not so much the last few years. Now, she suddenly needs thousands in cash for a down payment on a new mini-van to play soccer mom when Caden has played for five years? And her current ride is only three years old.” He lapsed into silence for a moment, replaying the other night. “The kids say she’s been crying a lot, and on edge, snapping at them. That isn’t unusual behavior with me, except Allison was never one for tears. It could be she’s worried about her white-collar criminal boyfriend going to prison for fifteen to twenty, but my gut tells me it’s more.”

Jonas and Cap shared a look.

“Your gut is good enough for me,” the best tech guy in the business said while gathering the file and his notes.

“I’m good with it, too,” Cap agreed. “How long do you think this will take?”

“A few days at the most. I’ll keep you both in the loop,” Jonas promised as he strode out the door.

Tony, also a father, leaned his forearms on the table and asked him, “Are your kids safe?”

“With Allison, yeah. But I don’t know this guy. If he gets desperate...”

“Right. I’d have no problem getting a man on them here, but in Austin...” He frowned, and Dan could almost hear the gears in his head turning as he plotted. “I’ll have to go outside of Rossi, and subcontract. I know a guy. He’s good, but it could take a few days to set up.”

“I’d appreciate it, Cap. The story is out there, and they have already arraigned him, so I might be overreacting, but being two hours away, it sure would help me sleep better at night.”

“You know my philosophy—family first. And charged or not, a man facing a good chunk of his life behind bars can be unpredictable. Better safe than sorry. Is there anything else?”

Yeah, Bella. But, so far, Jonas had come up with a lot of nothing. Tony had to know. If he wasn’t directly involved in the case, his men briefed him on everything they were working on.

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