Page 144 of Ozzie

Durango checks, then opens the door.

He walks straight to me and wraps me in his arms. I’d wanted to see him as soon as I woke up, but Durango told me I’d see him later. My heart swells as I hold on to his waist as tight as I can. Tears fall, and I don’t try to stop them. I saw him once when I was in the hospital, and Durango was in the room. I haven’t had a chance to say to him all I want and need to say.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he says.

“You didn’t. I’m tough, you know.”

He chuckles but doesn’t loosen his grip.

“I’ll give you two a moment,” Durango says.

“Just a minute, Durango,” Ozzie says as he steps back.

I immediately miss his warmth.

“I spoke with McClure.” Ozzie glances at me. “He’s the FBI agent in charge of the sting.” He turns to Durango. “We already knew John bought that house two weeks prior to the incident. He hired two guys to install a furnace. Gave them cash and said never to speak of it. The guys thought that was odd, so when they heard about the gas leak on the news, they went to the authorities.”

“Did they state they installed it correctly?” Durango asks. “Please say they incriminated those assholes further.”

Ozzie smiles. “They did. But not how you think. John had them remove a perfectly good furnace and install some old, faulty model. They told John the old one would probably break. John told them that was fine. He needed the new one for a different house.”

“This was two weeks ago?” I ask.

Ozzie nods. “The guys thought he was a cheap landlord, probably keeping the nice one for his own home.”

“John was here two weeks before?” I sit down.

“It lines up with the timeline when your dad told him you were here,” Ozzie says.

For two weeks, John worked on a plan to kill me. This shouldn’t surprise me at this point. But it does. I really thought he wanted us to be together. But if I hadn’t escaped him in Montana after he pierced his ass on that branch, would I be dead? My gut says yes.

“Has anyone checked their background? John and his family moved to Montana when we were starting high school. Something tells me they may have run from something. I love the town I grew up in, but it wasn’t exactly a destination people went to. And when Tom told me they planned to kill me, he said it wasn’t his first rodeo.”

John had told me they moved to Montana because his mom fell in love with the town as they drove through, so they decided to stay.

“I’ll ask Trip to check it out,” Durango says. He holds his phone to his ear as he walks to one of the bedrooms.

Ozzie turns to me. “I was so scared we weren’t going to find you in time. I have so much I want to tell you,” he glances down the hallway, “but now isn’t the time for a discussion. However, I do need to kiss you desperately.”

This man. Even in these circumstances, he still makes me smile. Instead of responding, I jump into his arms and crash my lips to his. His arms tighten around me as we deepen the kiss. This kiss isn’t like the heated one we shared before. No, I’m pouring everything I feel into this. And when he pulls back, his eyes are glassy.

“Once we are alone, we need to talk about your living arrangements. I think they need to change.”

I grin. “Is that an invitation?”

He leans his forehead to mine. “It is. One I hope you’ll take me up on.”

CHAPTER 40

Ozzie

I pace the small space,glancing at the monitors. Today is hopefully the day we nail John and his parents once and for all. We’re in a small office used by Emerald Insurers. FBI Agent McClure really came through, and I’m feeling good about all of this.

The front office now has three cameras, all positioned to catch everything John and his parents say when they come for their appointment today. I’m in the back office with Durango and two of McClure’s teammates.

McClure will play the insurance representative they will be speaking with. Everything is ready to go, but I don’t think I’ll relax until it’s over and we have them.

“Okay, when they are here, you must remain silent,” the younger of the two agents in the room with us says.

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