Page 127 of Ozzie

He unbuttons his shirt and takes it off. There’s a bandage covering where he got shot. “It was more like twenty-seven. It’s Tuesday.”

Twenty-seven hours? Durango must be looking for me. Someone must have seen John’s parents shove me into their car. Then I remember, there were no witnesses when John shot me. Odds are Durango has nothing to go on. And if John just got released today, he won’t look like a suspect.

John climbs into bed and turns out the light.

“If we’re married now, why not let me go? You said that’s all you wanted.”

He sighs heavily. “No, I said that’s all that matters. I’m afraid I can’t let you leave. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

My stomach growls loudly.

“I’ll get you breakfast in the morning too.”

Within a minute, John is snoring. He always falls asleep fast, and he’s a deep sleeper. Something I need to take advantage of and get out of these ropes. I bend my wrists and get to work.

CHAPTER 36

Ozzie

If you’d askedme two days ago, I would have told you Senator Walton is a liar and only trying to save his ass after being accused of trying to have his wife and son murdered. But now, as Lightning and I are trying to get this asshole to a safe house, I believe every word he says. Why such a one eighty you might ask?

Because the junior senator that Walton said was really behind everything showed himself to us. In all his true colors. Well, he didn’t know we were there.

Lightning is driving while I’m in the backseat with the senator, trying to get an address for somewhere to go from Harding. And as usual, she’s doing everything by the book.

“I need to know what happened in order to determine what level of protection you need,” she says.

“The highest level,” I say.

Lightning takes a corner fast, and I drop the phone. It slides on the floorboard over to the senator’s side. He hands it back to me.

“Okay, go to 8705 Dominion Drive. It’s in Maryland but not far from where you’re at. I’ll text you the door code.”

“Thanks.”

“Now, tell me what happened.”

I punch in the address and give Lightning a few directions before turning my attention back to Harding.

“It turns out the senator isn’t a lying sack of shit after all.”

“Hey!” he says next to me. “You’re supposed to be protecting me. It doesn’t sound like you’re up for the job.”

I glare at the man. “You want to hire someone else right now? Be my guest.” I turn back to my conversation with Harding. “He convinced us to let him meet with the junior senator he’s been accusing.”

“Bennett,” Harding says.

“Yeah. Bennett didn’t know that Lightning and I could hear every word. He basically told Walton he was going to kill his wife so that Walton went to prison for it. Walton asked Bennett why he doesn’t kill him instead. Bennett said that would make him a suspect. He needed to keep his name clean in order to take Walton’s place as chairman on the Armed Services Committee.”

“He said all of that? Could you see him? Are you sure he wasn’t being coerced?”

“Jesus!” Walton says. “I’m the innocent one here. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

I arch a brow at him, and he looks away in disgust. Walton hasn’t been completely honest, and Bennett was using that in his favor.

“Bennett said Walton’s idea was better. A murder/suicide would move things along faster. Then he mentioned having associates who could help him get the job done today. Bennett went out the front of the building to make a call, and we snuck Walton out the back.”

“I’ll get someone to tail Bennett. We need to shut this down fast. Do you know where his wife and son are?”

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