We All Sleep Alone (Finley Creek #11) - Calle J. Brookes Page 0,23

paid them well to be that. He paid them even better to make certain he knew pertinent information before that crude cretin city councilman who was always panting after Jennifer. Fucking with Dennis Lee’s machinations and schemes was vastly entertaining, and something Kyle had been enjoying for years.

“Nothing. All he said is that he doesn’t want to see me, or Reggie, and wants a lawyer.” Her frustration practically had her shrieking. “I always handle the attorneys. He knows that. He can’t deal with this himself.”

“Should you help him?” Kyle had to admit—he didn’t know what he would have done if in Jennifer’s shoes.

Kyle had kept his own activities far from his personal life as well. It was best those things be kept private.

She loved being in the limelight, but not like this.

Poor Jennifer. She hated being out of control. Compassion filled him, though he wouldn’t ever consider himself a compassionate man. Whatever her flaws, she hadn’t deserved her husband of thirty-five years turning into a raving lunatic and shooting someone—on video, no less.

“I don’t know. Public perception is hard to predict in this one. Whatever happens, my bid for mayor will have to wait. With all of this, I can’t compete with that bastard Barratt.”

She had a real hatred for the current mayor. Kyle had never understood it. He’d known Turner Barratt for years. He didn’t think the man was that big of an issue. An idealist with more money than business sense, but not a bad guy. It hadn’t hurt either of them to cultivate relationships with Turner or his Barratt cousins.

Barratts moved a lot of cold, hard cash in the state of Texas.

Kyle wasn’t foolish enough to discount that.

Everything Turner Barratt did set Jennifer off. Barratt had never fallen for the big dark eyes that got Jennifer everything she’d ever wanted. Those eyes had certainly worked on Kyle through the years.

A few other men besides. Jennifer had definite appetites. Variety was one of them.

Or demons. He often thought she slept with different types of men to exorcise a particular demon that rode on her back at times. “What does Dennis Lee have to say?”

“He tells me to let things blow over. To say Wallace has been unstable for a while and I’ve been protecting him as best I could, that I was frightened of him but loved him, and while I intend to stand by him throughout this ordeal, our marriage is over. Says I need to look supportive but appalled by what Wallace did. I don’t even know who the little bitch is anyway! I can’t go find out. Not without people noticing.”

“Well, that’s something I can do for you. I’ll swing by the hospital. See what I can find out about this woman. Can’t hurt.” He had spent ten years cultivating his own sources. He had them everywhere, the TSP, the school systems, the university, the hospitals. Every business association in the city.

Kyle had killed to foster those cultivations.

Kyle was a very forward-thinking man, even though his throwback self told him survival of the fittest was the way to go. He prided himself on being better than that.

“Find out what it was she wanted from Wallace. There had to be something.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Thank you.” Jennifer pressed her lips to his to thank him. Kyle relaxed and let her do that. Jennifer knew her way around the male form. That was for certain. He’d always enjoyed letting her service him. He’d close his eyes and enjoy.

24

Izzie hated feeling weak like this. Hated being weak in front of the people she worked with. She’d spent years trying to build herself into a confident, capable woman. Only to have life kick her in the teeth and right back onto her ass with three bullets. Well, Izzie wasn’t about to let life win on this. Not for a moment.

She was getting out of the bed. No matter what.

Three feet. She’d get out of the hospital bed in the now-private room one of her closest friends had insisted she be given. Nikkie Jean pulled a lot of weight with the hospital chief of medicine and his wife. No surprise, Nikkie Jean was engaged to the COM’s identical twin brother, after all. Thank goodness for Nikkie Jean.

She slipped from the bed as gingerly as she could. It took far more effort than she was ready to make. She was determined.

If she could prove to the nurses that she could make it to the small restroom, take care of her business, and make