The Perfect Murder (Maximum Security #4) - Kat Martin Page 0,103

by a mob hit man.” He didn’t mention Bolt’s name. Hawk was tracking Bolt, putting himself at risk. Police interference could make the danger even greater.

“Assuming you’re right,” Ford said, “why would the mob hit Lee Haines?”

“I asked Arthur about it before we went to Shreveport. He said DeMarco arranged the hit on his son as a warning. Apparently, the debt he owed was substantial. Lee’s death was a way of convincing Arthur to repay the money.” He didn’t mention the gaming permits. Too much information might be worse than not enough.

“If DeMarco ordered the hit, maybe Arthur thought his son Daniel was also in danger.”

“I’d say that’s exactly right. Arthur killed the guy to protect his other son.”

The detective went silent. Then a sigh whispered over the line. “Unfortunately, Kenzie’s still the prime suspect in her ex-husband’s murder. Nothing we can do until something turns up that clears her name.”

“I’m working on it.”

“I’ll stay on it, too. If I find anything, you’ll be the first to know. Good luck, Reese. And I appreciate the cooperation.”

Reese hung up the phone. He needed to talk to Kenzie. And to Griff. The boy had just lost his dad. Now his grandfather was dead. Griff had been the victim of a brutal kidnapping and seen a man killed right in front of him. The boy trusted Reese, and Reese wasn’t going to let him down.

He called the garage and had his car brought up to the valet stand, then grabbed his suit jacket off the coatrack and slung it over one shoulder. Kenzie might not want to see him. Clearly, she was having second thoughts about them after the shooting. But he wanted—needed—to see her.

Kenzie was important to him. More important than he could have imagined. He wanted her, and not just in his bed. Every day he grew more certain of his feelings, more certain she was the right woman for him. And deep down, he believed Kenzie felt the same.

Reese wasn’t the kind of man who gave up when the going got tough. No matter what he’d done to protect her son, he was a different man now than he had been all those years ago. He just had to find a way to prove it.

He walked out of his office, over to Louise’s desk. “Clear my schedule for the rest of the day, Louise. If something important comes up, you can reach me on my cell.”

The older woman looked up at him. “Mr. Stiles called while you were on the line. He said it was in regard to the Poseidon deal. He was hoping to talk to you right away.”

“I’ll call him. Thanks, Louise.”

Reese walked into the elevator and hit the button for the parking garage. As the doors slid open, he pressed Derek’s contact number.

“What’s going on?” Reese asked when Derek picked up.

“I wanted to give you a heads-up on where we are in the deal.”

“I’m just heading for my car. Go ahead.”

“I talked to Sea Titan after your last phone call and we’re back in business. I explained that a problem had come up on our end, but you managed to resolve it. The last of the permits have been approved. If we want this done, we need to act.”

Reese had explained to Derek why he’d changed his mind—again—and decided not to back out of the deal. He’d resolved the problems that had come up on his end—not mentioning the rescue of a kidnapped child—and was ready to move forward. He’d hoped Sea Titan wouldn’t get nervous and refuse. Apparently that hadn’t happened.

“So far everything is moving along smoothly,” Derek said. “No more accidents.”

“Good. Stay on top of it, make sure everything’s in order for the closing, and keep me posted.”

“You still want to go out to the rig?”

With all that had happened, he needed to focus. Touring the rig, talking to the people who worked there, was something he had been trying to do from the start. “As a matter of fact, yes. I’ll handle the arrangements from this end.”

“Great. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”

“Will do.” Reese ended the call.

The valet had his black Jag up and running. Reese slid behind the wheel and pulled the car out into the street.

The protesters were gone. A big storm had blown in last night and it was still cloudy and raining off and on. The group had already dwindled to around ten people. Now the last of the stragglers where gone. Turned out, protesting was a