Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Clay pulled into the dealership parking lot, found a space, and threw the truck into park. “Sure you want to do this?”
“I need to.” She needed to face Brent and see the guilt in his eyes, proving to herself that the man she’d once loved was truly gone. Something dark had taken ahold of him, but she’d never expected him to fall this far.
Clay sighed and tried once more to deter her. “He might not even be here.”
Darby spotted the familiar red Dodge Charger Brent was so proud of, sitting in his usual parking space near the front of the building. “He’s here.” She opened the door and climbed out, her ankle aching. But she was determined.
It helped having Clay with her as she entered the dealership and made a beeline for Brent’s office. His receptionist saw her and jumped to her feet.
“Mr. Foster asked not to be disturbed.”
“I couldn’t care less about his wishes.” She barged past the receptionist’s desk and pushed open the office door.
Brent sat behind the desk, head in his hands. He glanced up, his eyes widening. “Darby, what are you doing here?”
“Do you mean what am I doing alive?”
He gave her a harder look then leapt to his feet and hurried to her. “What happened to your head?”
“What happened? I slammed into a tree going sixty miles an hour.”
“You wrecked the car?”
“Someone ran me off the road. They tried to kill me again, and I know you’re behind it.”
He stiffened and headed back to his desk. His expression was unreadable. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Morton and Winters abducted me and tried to kill me. Since you’re their boss, I know you’re the one behind these attacks. You knew David was at camp, so you tried to kill me and get your hands on my grandmother’s inheritance.”
He stopped and turned back to her. “Wait, Morton and Winters did this to you? Darby, you have to believe me. I had no idea.”
She stared into his face. He frowned and his surprise seemed genuine but he’d fooled her before. “I know they work for you, Brent.”
“Sure, they work here, washing cars. Not killing people. Besides, they didn’t even show up for work today.”
“That’s because they’re dead,” Clay said from behind her.
Brent’s face paled. Eyes narrowed, he spun toward Clay. “Who are you?”
“Darby’s friend.”
Brent pulled a hand through his hair. He pointed at Clay but spoke to Darby. “Are you and this guy together? Are you fooling around with him? Does he hang around my house and my son?”
“It’s not your house anymore, and it’s none of your business who I fool around with. You lost the right to know when you started fooling around on me.”
At her sharp reminder, his jaw clenched in anger. Then his face softened. He reached for her hand and held it, his eyes pleading. “I’ve done everything I can think of to make up for the past. I’m in counseling, working toward getting better.”
He stepped closer, gazing down at her. “Honey, all I want in this world is to reconcile with you. You and David are the most important things in my life. I would never do anything to cause you harm.”
He stroked her good cheek and, for a moment, she nearly fell under his spell again. The pleading in his eyes, the promise of a fresh start. How she wanted to believe in him. She’d loved him and given so much of herself to this man.
And he’d let her down with each second chance she’d given him.
She pushed away his hands, determination flaring inside her. “It’s too late for that, Brent.” She moved away from him but he matched her steps.
“Don’t say that, Darby. I’m begging you to give me another chance.”
She stuck out her hand, making sure her voice sounded firm as she told him again. “You had a dozen chances to choose us. You don’t get another chance just because you’ve decided you’re sorry.”
She spun from him and saw Clay standing by the door, his jaw clenched, looking ready to pounce. Thank heavens she had him with her to back her up. As she limped toward the door, Clay stepped between her and Brent, barring her former husband from continuing his approach.
Another moment and Clay would have lost his cool.
He hadn’t brought her here to offer her lowlife ex a second chance at reconciliation. Yet Darby’s defenses had weakened at his touch.
And he didn’t like. Not one bit.
He intervened as Brent tried to move toward her again, stepping between them, and got down to the business at hand. “A phone from this facility called Darby early today and claimed your son was hurt. What phone is this?” He rattled off the number Cooper had given him.
For a moment, he thought Brent would balk at his demand. Part of him hoped he would. Laying him out across his desk and cuffing him would be his pleasure. He was certain he had a pair in his pickup.
Brent must have seen the determination in Clay’s expression, because he backed off and retreated behind his desk. “It’s our courtesy phone in the lobby. Anyone could have used it.”
How convenient. “Do you have cameras on that phone?”
“Not in the lobby. Only on the cars outside the building.”
Even more convenient, but it wouldn’t stop him. “I want to see those video feeds.”
This time, Brent did balk. “I don’t have to show them to you. They’re my private business feeds, and they’re none of your business, no matter how close you and Darby are.”
His jealousy shone through in his smugness and, at that moment, Clay summed up this guy. He cared more about his own ego than Darby’s safety.
Clay stared him down. “No, you don’t. But I can place a phone call to Sheriff Malone of Courtland County, and he’ll haul you in for questioning in your former wife’s abduction and attempted murder.
They can tie you to it through Morton and Winters, plus the van that you rented they used in the abduction. ”
Brent opened his mouth as if to protest.
He cut the man off. “Or maybe, I’ll call my coworkers at the FBI.” He pulled out his badge and flashed it.
Clay hadn’t meant to reveal his FBI status, but now that the cat was out of the bag…
“We have jurisdiction, since the abductors crossed a state line. I’m sure any of my team would like to question you about the fact that two men in your employ abducted and tried to murder your ex-wife. They’ll be even more interested in why you’re hindering the investigation into it.”
“I told you I had nothing to do with that.” But the way his forehead creased with worry told Clay differently. “You’re with the FBI?”
“That’s right. Someone placed a hit Darby, and I’m here to keep her safe.”
He swallowed hard then looked past Clay to Darby. “You think I’d try to kill you?”
“No.” Clay raised his voice before she could respond. “We believe you hired someone else to do it.”
He shook his head. “No, no, I wouldn’t do that.”
“But maybe those people you owe money to would.” He didn’t deny it, but his shoulders sagged and his bravado vanished and Clay knew he’d hit pay dirt.
Brent trudged to his desk and sat down. With a sigh, he reached for his keyboard. “I can access the dealership’s security feeds from here.” He hit several buttons then turned the screen toward them.
He stood as Clay scrolled through the feeds, but he didn’t miss the way Brent walked over and stood beside Darby or the way she folded her arms and braced herself against his presence. Her body language shouted that she didn’t want him so close. And that she questioned her decision to come here.
At least, he hoped so.
Then he spotted something interesting on the video. “Darby, look at this.”
She hurried over and leaned close to him as she stared at the screen. Two people entered the dealership—Chief Dean and Suzanne Compton.
“What were they doing here?” Accessing an untraceable phone to lure her out into an ambush?
Brent glanced over her shoulder at the screen. “Earlier today. Chief Dean wanted to purchase a car for Suzanne, but they didn’t find one they liked. My sales manager offered to order one for them, but they said no. They were here less than an hour.”
Long enough to make a phone call then watch Darby scurry out into the open. The frown on her face as Clay glanced at her said she was thinking the same.
He handed Brent a business card with Cooper’s information. “Have your security personnel send these feeds to this email address. My associate will go through them more thoroughly.”
“And harass my customers when he sees them on the feed?”
Clay stared him down. “Mr. Foster, you’re already implicated in the deaths of two of your employees and also possibly in conspiracy with the attempted murder of your ex-wife. Bad publicity is the least of your worries.”
Brent gave a resigned sigh. “I’ll make sure your Agent Lang gets the videos.”
Clay turned to Darby. “Ready to go?”
The images of Suzanne and Chief Dean added another layer of confusion. Clay could see she was tired of not knowing what was going on. So was he.
She’d been through it today, and he was amazed that she could still walk, much less confront Brent about his involvement. That strength was deep and amazing. But even determination had its limits. She needed rest.
He offered his arm for support as she limped outside to his pickup and climbed into the cab. As he closed her door and walked around to the driver’s seat, he caught Brent Foster watching from the dealership’s front window, seething.
Clay’s feeling of satisfaction at Brent’s jealousy surprised him. Mainly because he’d been surprised at his own level of jealousy when seeing Darby’s ex trying to reconcile with her. Knowing Clay had brought her there and given him the opportunity made it worse.
Her rejection of him shouldn’t fill Clay with gratitude, but it did.
He took out his phone and sent a text to Sheriff Malone, asking him to send his deputies to pick up Brent for questioning. He’d meant it when he’d said he didn’t believe Brent was behind the threats. But his addiction and weakness had dragged Darby into something he couldn’t stop.
Brent watched them drive away then walked back to his office, slamming the door against Delia’s questions about what had just happened.
He poured himself a drink to steady his nerves. This was a mess and he still couldn’t understand how he’d gotten in so deep. Hearing Darby’s life was in danger had rocked him. He’d known the people he was working with were ruthless. But to have her killed—
His hands shook at the implications.
Brent sat in his chair and berated himself. What did you think would happen, Brent?
Of course, he’d known getting rid of Darby was the only way to get his hands on the money. But faced with her actually in danger? Another matter altogether. All he had to do was hold it together a while longer, and then it would be over.
He took another gulp of his drink then picked up the phone and dialed. The men he owed were dangerous, and they’d do whatever it took to reclaim their money. This was the only way he could ever hope to repay them.
The call rang twice before a man answered. Brent nearly choked over the update he hated to give. “Darby was just here at the dealership. She had someone with her—an FBI agent.”
“Did he give a name?”
“Clay Walker. I think he’s the new guy in her life.”
“Don’t worry about him,” the man on the other end of the line explained. “We’ll take care of it.”
The line clicked and the phone went dead.
Brent hung up then helped himself to another drink. As much as he hated to think about it, Darby’s death would solve all of his problems. He’d need all the liquid courage he could muster to see this through.