Page 86 of Claimed By the Deputies

“What?”

“Are you alright?”

I shake my head. “Not really. I didn’t expect to see him here, of all places.”

“He’s got some pretty big balls to walk in here,” Lucas replies.

“Or he’s desperate,” Patterson suggests. “It seems to me like he’s trying to get ahead of things. And with Dante out of his reach forthe moment, maybe Mr. Callaghan is fearful he might not get the desired outcome out of whatever he’s trying to accomplish here.”

“Trevor killed Tim. There’s no doubt in my mind about it. Whether he was the one who pulled the trigger or not, I know he was responsible. Timothy helped get me out of the crap Trevor pulled me into. And I don’t have to tell you that Trevor didn’t take kindly to it. If there’s one thing we can agree on, Agent Patterson, it’s that he thrives on control.”

“Which is why we need to cover every base,” Lucas says, then turns to Patterson. “You need to find his PO and figure out what happened. And while you’re there, maybe squeeze some of those Sing Sing CI’s you mentioned. I have a feeling we’re missing important details only they can provide.”

“I think you should dig a little deeper into your mayor and his involvement. That Hamilton drug store connection can’t be coincidental,” she replies. “It never is with these kind of people.”

“Agreed,” I chime in. “Where there’s money, there’s greed and corruption. And where there’s greed and corruption, there’s often a politician looking to profit from it. Jerry Spring’s involvement with Trevor and the Silver Stallions tells us that much. We just need to find the missing link that ties Hamilton into it as well. It’s there, I know it’s there.”

Trevor’s earlier visit continues to hijack my senses and toy with my resolve. My baby will never be safe as long as he’s walking free.

Tim’s death was a message.

I need to start considering a contingency plan.

There’s tension at home.

Next door, Dante is still tied up in Tim’s cabin. Every other hour, Mitch or Tyler stop in to check on him, to give him food and water, and let him go to the bathroom, while they continue to grill him in an attempt to get information.

“Believe it or not, Dante still thinks there’s no threat to his life,” Mitch scoffs as he walks in, shaking his head in dismay. “He’s no Billy Jade, he says. He’s a Silver Stallion.”

Trevor rolls his eyes. “Then he’s either an idiot or he’s got something on Trevor that makes him think he might actually survive this.”

“The violation of his human rights will be a hard fix,” Lucas grumbles as he pours himself a double scotch. “Unless we get him on a murder charge. We might have some wiggle room then.”

“The DA is going to chew our heads off either way,” Mitch grumbles, then joins him by the minibar for a drink of his own. “Unless we lean hard on the protective custody defense. That won’t be difficult to sell, considering what happened with Billy Jade.”

“There are a lot of loose pieces to this puzzle still,” Tyler chimes in, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve never had a case so complicated and so incomplete to untangle before. But Trevor Callaghan seems to be the connecting thread.”

“Assuming we pinpoint specifically where the fucker connects,” Mitch mutters.

All I can do is listen, my blood running hot while a myriad of possible decisions echo in the back of my head. I could keep my mouth shut and just sneak out in the dead of night. I’ve got some cash stashed away and a duffel bag for things of necessity. I don’t need much.

“Tassia?” Lucas asks, giving me a worried look.

I glance up at him and realize I might not be able to just run away. I love him. I love all three of them with the kind of fire I never thought possible. They make me feel safe. And I’m carrying their child. One of them is the father. I can’t just leave.

“Sorry, it’s been a day,” I mumble, offering a weak smile.

“You keep tuning out. Is it about Trevor?”

“Well, yes. He surprised me in the worst possible way by getting out early and showing up here. Then Tim. The Silver Stallions. The drugs and the murders. I thought he was bad news before, but now, Jesus, he scares the shit out of me, and I cannot believe I was ever close with that man. How did I not see it?”

“See what?” Tyler asks, his brow furrowed as he comes closer.

“The monster he truly is. How could I not see it? Was I willfully blind?”

“You were emotionally attached to a very manipulative man,” Lucas says. “You were young, inexperienced, eager to be loved. You wouldn’t be the first, nor are you the last person to choose to love someone when the red flags are staring you in the face. And it doesn’t make you a fool, either. It makes you?—”

“Human,” Tyler finishes his sentence. “It makes you human, Tassia.”

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