caused the pain in her back to increase. Dammit, she wished she’d kneed Donny Lee even harder.
Reid continued his argument. “Just because we believe the X-Kings cut Donny Lee loose doesn’t mean he doesn’t have some old friends who wouldn’t mind coming after you as a favor. As of now, you’re off—two months minimum.”
“I can’t—”
Reid added, “Of course, I can’t pay you full salary.”
Though money wasn’t scarce for her and he knew it, that wasn’t the issue. “I’ll hire a bodyguard. There’s no reason for—”
He snorted. “Hell, Savannah, you’d think I was sending you to jail. Get out of town; get some sun. Go visit your sisters or take a long cruise. You’ve been working nonstop for more than three years without a break. You’ve got more vacation time built up than I do.”
That was an exaggeration but he was right. Other than the one-weekend-a-month visit with her sisters, she hadn’t taken any time off in years. And she wouldn’t have taken these two weeks she had planned if it wasn’t for the fact that she was just so damn tired.
But two months? An image of the Wilde mansion, empty and lonely, popped into her head. With two months to spare, no matter how much she dreaded the event, she had no excuses.
Her grandfather had passed away over two years ago. Other than the quick trip back to Midnight for his funeral, she hadn’t allowed herself to think about what needed to be done. And neither had her sisters. Without her grandfather’s larger-than-life presence, going back home had been too painful to face. As much as she hated the thought of returning to a place that held so many bad memories, it was going to have to be done at some point.
Her sisters wouldn’t be able to spare the time. Samantha was a homicide detective in Atlanta and Sabrina was a private investigator in Tallahassee. Their caseloads were too heavy to take that much time off. Would she ever have a better opportunity to pack up their belongings and put the house on the market?
“You’re not going to argue anymore?” Reid’s voice indicated he was a bit disappointed.
Laughing, she shook her head. “Nope. I think you’re right. I’ll head back to the office and brief everyone. Then I’m off …” She swallowed hard. “For two months.” A twinge of panic shot through her as she said those words. Work was her life, her panacea. Could she function that long without it?
Of course she could. She was going to be busy, just a different kind of busy.
Reid pulled his cellphone from his pocket, punched a key, and then held it to his ear. “I’ll make sure you’ve got security until you leave.”
Savannah nodded. Once she was out of town, they could all breathe a little easier. By the time she came back, Donny Lee would be in prison and any threats should be worthless. And she would be rested and relaxed. She would also have accomplished an important task that should have been handled two years ago.
Gathering her case file and notes, she shoved them into her briefcase. This definitely wasn’t her idea of a vacation. Not only would she be dealing with the volatile emotions of saying goodbye to her grandfather one last time, she would again become immersed in the memories of her parents’ deaths. Murder-suicide sounded so clinical and cold, but when it happened to the ones you loved most in the world, there was nothing clinical about it. Even eighteen years later, her stomach still twisted in grief as she remembered those dark days.
Her mind veered away from the other issue she had diligently forced herself not to think about since she had heard the news. Midnight had a new chief of police. No doubt she would be running into him. Seeing Zach Tanner after all these years wasn’t something she even wanted to contemplate. What do you say to your first love? The first and only man who’d ever broken your heart? The one man you’d given your total trust to only to have it thrown back in your face? And the only man who, at the mere thought of him, could still cause shivers of arousal to strum through your body?
The best thing she could do was stay out of his way. She and Zach had nothing to say to each other. That ship had sailed a long time ago. And all of the hurt and sorrow from that time was just another dark moment