Page 36 of Forged in Peril

“It could mean he’s working with someone else. It could mean that someone is after him as well as you. Or it could just be a matter of taking a very obvious motive off of the table,” Grace said. “Cameron and the boys know what they’re doing, but they need more information.”

Bristol bit her lip. Grace was right, she knew, but it didn’t do anything to alleviate the terror that rested in the pit of her stomach.

“I can’t do it. He’d never look at me the same way, not after what happened.”

She hated the pathetic, pleading sound that she could hear in her voice, but she couldn’t help it.

It was true.

She was pathetic, and however brilliant of an idea Grace thought it was, she didn’t need Cameron to know just how weak she really was.

Grace’s brow furrowed.

“Cameron isn’t that kind of guy. You should know that even more than I do.”

She did know it, and that was the problem.

Cameron was a good man. He went to church, he said his prayers, he kept himself in line. These days, he dedicated his entire life to helping others. He had every reason to judge her.

She’d proven everyone back in Silver Grove right.

She’d gone off on her own, and in the end, she’d gotten herself hurt.

“Just promise me you’ll think about it more seriously, Bristol,” Grace continued with a sigh. “I’m worried about you. We all are. If something else happened, and I knew something that could have prevented it, I’d never forgive myself.”

Guilt mingled with her shame.

“Please don’t say that,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she stared down at the half-eaten croissant on her desk. “Look, I’ll think about it. Maybe when I see him tonight, okay?”

Satisfied, Grace nodded, just as Bristol’s stomach let out a hungry growl.

“All right, point taken,” Grace said, her smile a welcome break from the seriousness of their conversation. “You need to eat before Jaclyn gets here, and I need to try and actually do some work.”

Bristol ate the rest of her breakfast, but despite her hunger, she barely tasted it.

No matter how hard she turned the puzzle pieces over in her mind, none of them seemed to fit.

If Dillon Warrington hadn’t been the person trying to hurt her, who was?

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

CAMERON

Cameron listened to the sound of gravel scraping against the tires of his Jeep as he pulled into the trailer park and rolled into a parking space.

He’d decided against taking one of the more discreet vehicles that they kept in the garage at FBS for undercover work. If the guy who was scaring Bristol knew where she lived and worked, it was highly possible that he knew about their history together already.

Though it might set off a local scandal, he figured that in the eyes of the culprit, it would be less suspicious if he made his visit look like nothing more than a social call.

He took a final glance around the front yard before killing the headlights.

It was already eight-thirty, which was later than he’d intended, but so far, nothing seemed to be amiss. After a long day in Corpus Christi, part of him wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep, but all of his brothers were busy tonight, and he wasn’t ready to let the other security staff take charge. Not when it came to Bristol’s safety, anyway.

He just hoped that she wouldn’t take his presence the wrong way.

As he exited the Jeep, he saw the front door open, and to his surprise, Bristol’s mother, Moira, emerged. She was carrying a pink bag stuffed to bursting, and wearing a hooded sweatshirt with ‘Hug a PSW’ emblazoned across the front in swirling pink letters.

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