Page 67 of Her Rugged Guardian

“When you’re adamant about something, the truth is usually just the opposite. This time, I’m not so sure. However, I am surprised Malcolm would say anything nasty to Margaret. Everyone lovedher. Granted. I know his company has been experiencing some financial issues.”

“There you go. He’ll do anything to make a buck.”

“Maybe, but Malcolm isn’t stupid either. You know that.”

“Yeah, well, business is business. Right?”

He shrugged. “What about Cassandra? What do you really know about her?”

I threw my hand out. “Whoa. She’s not to blame here. You have a dead body on your hands. I’m trying to make certain that Cassandra isn’t next on the list. Did you check out if that girl has any connection to Malcolm?”

“Stop playing detective, bud. You don’t know anything about Ms. Dayne, other than what you heard from Margaret. The last time I checked, Margaret barely knew her daughter any longer. They’d been estranged for years. I think that might be the reason Margaret agreed to the sale. She knew she was dying and wanted to leave something to her daughter.”

The worst thing about his words was that they were plausible. Margaret had wanted to leave something special for her daughter.

“Not estranged. Cass was busy with building her career.”

“Tell me what you know about her. Maybe that will help me figure out who could be threatening her. That is, if you’re that worried about these threats.”

“You’re an asshole sometimes. You know that?”

He chuckled. “Just humor me.”

Bart was right. I knew far too little about her. “She had some powerful boyfriend in DC. I don’t know shit about the man, but I think she’s really here because of him. That’s just my instinct, not something she told me. What I do know is that she was some bigwig in a marketing firm and up and quit her job after her mom died. That’s not like her.” I noticed he grabbed a pen and notepad, scribbling down the info. “Maybe guilt brought her here.”

“That could mean her mom didn’t tell her about her plans. And you certainly know something about guilt.”

“Which could mean Malcolm is a lying sack of shit.” I ignored the other comment. He knew the pain I’d experienced far too well.

Bart eyed me as if I was going to go off on a violent tantrum. Even I knew it wouldn’t do any good. “Do you have this boyfriend’s name? Might as well check him out too.”

“Only his first. Stephen. I don’t think they’re in contact any longer.”

“Again, not much to go on but let me see what I can find.”

“Fuck, Bart. This doesn’t have anything to do with a guy all the way across the country. Malcolm and his family have been terrorizing this town for years.”

“You don’t know the lengths some people will go to and that includes Malcolm. What I know is that the casino would have brought a lot of revenue into this town.”

“Whoa. You’re on his side.”

“Not in the least. It would bring a lot of crime into the city as well. I have my hands full as it is.”

“But those hands are also tied.”

All he did was shrug. Damn the system.

I shook my head out of irritation. “Cass is not to blame. She’s trying to rebuild her mother’s legacy. She wants a new home.”

“Yeah, and you want her here.”

“So what if I do?”

“You know I’m glad to hear you admit that.” He rubbed his eyes, taking several deep breaths. “Look, I’m going to give you a piece of advice. Take it or leave it. The last thing you need is to get involved with anyone who will shove you further into the depths of hell so be careful. If you really like this girl, then I’m all for it. But if so, you need to tell her about all your baggage.”

“Thanks for the advice,” I said through clenched teeth.

“You deserve to be happy.”

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