Chapter 39
Scott parked in the pull-thru and hopped out of his truck.
He hoped Tori didn’t give him any flak about going straight to Oak Grove.
He strode through the entrance to the lobby and frowned.
Drew was leaning against the wall, and Eli Livingston was talking to Tori.
How did he even know . . . of course. It was Logan Point.
There probably wasn’t anyone in town who hadn’t heard about the accident .
. . that wasn’t an accident. She looked exhausted.
“Everything okay?” Scott asked.
“Yeah. You remember Eli . . .”
“Of course.” When Eli held out his hand, Scott automatically held out his right hand. He managed not to wince when Eli gripped him in a bone-crushing handshake. What had Tori said to Eli that had him trying to prove his strength? He turned to Tori. “Your carriage awaits.”
“Thanks.”
She even sounded weary. Scott caught Drew’s eye. “You ready?”
When the teenager nodded, Scott wheeled Tori through the electric doors. “Good to see you again,” he said to Eli over his shoulder.
No one spoke until he pulled out of the pull-thru. “Sorry about Eli,” Tori said. “I don’t know what his problem is.”
Scott knew, but to voice it would sound . . . petty.
She leaned back in the seat. “Can we stop and pick up cold packs and maybe a heating pad on the way to your house?”
“Sure,” Scott said even though he’d wanted to drive straight home. Taylor probably had those items, but he had no idea where they were stored. “And once you’re settled at Oak Grove, Drew and I can come back to town for your car.” He looked in the rear mirror. “You two good with that?”
The teenager nodded, and Scott glanced at Tori.
“I guess that’s the simplest way to get my car,” she said.
He gunned his truck a few miles over the speed limit toward the drugstore. The sooner they got home, the better. Scott kept a check in his mirrors for anyone following them. A motorcycle came into view in his side mirror, and his heart jumped into high gear.
“Where are you going?” Tori asked when he made a right turn.
He hadn’t thought she was paying attention to his driving. “Just making sure no one is following.”
She turned and looked out the back window. “I don’t see anyone.”
“We’re good.” At least Scott hoped they were as he made a left turn to get back on the drugstore route.
He kept a check in his mirrors to see if anyone took the cyclist’s place.
No more motorcycles, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them as he turned into the parking lot of the drugstore.
Tori had her eyes closed, but he didn’t think she was asleep.
“I’ll go in and get the stuff,” Drew said. He’d been quiet in the back seat, and in fact he’d been withdrawn ever since Tori had called and all they’d heard was a scream.
Once the teen returned with the items, Scott headed to Oak Grove.
“Drew . . .” He glanced at him in the rearview mirror. They had at least ten minutes of uninterrupted time before arriving at the house. “Is it okay to discuss what we talked about?”
The teen turned and stared out the window.
“Is that a yes?” Scott asked.
“What are you talking about?” Tori asked.
“Drew has something to tell you.” Scott made a left turn onto the road out of town.
“Do I have to? You said—”
“We decided bringing Tori into it was for the best.”
Drew glared at him in the mirror. “You decided.”
“Would someone tell me what’s going on?” Tori said.
Scott waited. He’d told Drew he would keep what he told him in confidence, but . . . he glanced in the mirror again. Drew looked as though he’d bit into a lemon. “It could be dangerous for Tori if she doesn’t know—she could walk into a risky situation without realizing it. You don’t want that.”
“All right,” the boy said through a tight jaw. “Jenny asked me to bring her something the night she was killed.”
As he related the details, Scott listened to see if Drew deviated from the story, and except for a couple of minor points, he repeated it word for word.
“Where did she get the money?” Tori asked.
“I don’t know, and I never got a chance to ask.”
“Why did you agree to take it to her?” Tori asked.
“Because Jenny was good to Mom. I don’t know what we would’ve done without her. I didn’t even think about saying no.” He blew out a hard sigh. “Maybe I should’ve called Ben Logan when I found the money . . . if I had, Jenny might still be alive.”
Jenny had put Drew in a hard place. “It wasn’t your fault,” Scott said. “And it might not have done any good.”
He was having a difficult time reconciling the person who worked with teenage girls at church with the one who had hidden what was probably illegal money. Not that he knew for sure, but what other explanation was there? Jenny didn’t make the kind of money to sock away huge sums of it.
Scott glanced in the rearview mirror again. His heart jumped in his throat. Was that the same motorcycle that had been behind them before?
“Where is this money?” Tori turned to look at her nephew. He didn’t answer, just chewed on his thumbnail. “Drew?”
“I’ll get it and bring it back when we pick up your car.”
Scott kept his focus on the bike in the distance and let Drew’s evasion go unchallenged. Once they got to Oak Grove, he’d call him on it. He glanced in the mirror again. Where did the bike go?
Scott checked the side mirror. No motorcycle.
Heat flushed his face. Was he seeing trouble where there was none?
Sometimes that was as bad as ignoring a threat.
Nevertheless, he would call his coordinator and make sure his location hadn’t been compromised and also let him know Tori and Amy might need protection.
He pulled into the gate at Oak Grove and keyed in the code.
“What did you just put in?” Tori asked. “I couldn’t remember it earlier.”
He told her and she tried to open her phone and groaned. “I hope this thing isn’t dead. I had some really important photos on it.”
“Even if it’s dead, you should still be able to access your photos—you do have them set to upload to the Cloud?”
She gaped at him. “The Cloud! Yes! Of course, they’re programmed to upload—I can access them through my computer.” Then Tori bit her lip. “What if they didn’t upload right away? That happens sometimes.”
“We’ll just have to hope for the best.” Scott had barely parked when the front door to the house flew open.
Amy ran to the passenger door and threw it open. “Are you okay?” she asked as Tori eased out of the truck. “You look . . . like you can use a hug.”
Tori held out her hand, stopping Amy. “Make it an easy one. Please.”
“Yeah,” Scott added. “She’s pretty sore.”
He climbed out of the pickup, and Drew scrambled out behind him, his face drawn. Scott stopped him. “You okay?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“It’s going to work out, Drew.” Scott patted his shoulder.
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am and we’ll get it once we pick up Tori’s car, and then we’ll decide what to do.”
“Sure.”
Scott watched as the teen stopped and asked Tori if she needed help.
When she shook her head, he hurried toward the house.
Drew said the right things, but his voice said his heart wasn’t in it.
If he had a chance to bolt, he might. Just then Caleb Jackson ambled out the door.
Scott would get him to keep tabs on Drew.
“Hey, man,” Caleb said and approached Scott with his hand out.
“Good to see you,” he said, shaking his friend’s hand. Caleb had had Scott’s back more than once. “Thanks for following Amy down here.”
“Anytime.” A wicked grin stretched across Caleb’s face as he turned and watched Amy help Tori into the house. “You never told me she was a knockout.”
Scott shot him a look. “Don’t get any ideas—she’s out of your league.”
Caleb clutched his chest. “You wound me. Besides, I’ve changed my ways.”
Scott raised his eyebrows.
“Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
That made Scott laugh. The former FBI undercover agent was a good man, but he was also a maverick. Not to mention a player when it came to women, and Scott didn’t want Amy to get hurt.
Caleb crossed his arms. “How about you—I saw the way you looked at Amy’s friend just now.”
Heat flamed his face. Was he that obvious?
“Most people wouldn’t notice, but I know you, so don’t try to tell me you don’t have feelings for Tori Mitchell.”
Caleb must have read his mind, but Scott wasn’t admitting anything. “You mind staying here while Drew and I pick up Tori’s car?”
“You’re changing the subject . . . but the pleasure’s all mine.”
“Don’t get so caught up with Amy that you let Tori out of your sight.”