Still crying uncontrollably, Arielle crawled toward him, falling on her face once when her arms gave out, but she kept moving until she reached the door.

  Emotion gripped Laz when she touched his hand, and a tear slipped down his cheek. He didn’t give a damn. He just needed to hold her.

  “Daddy,” Arielle cried, sniffing hard enough to shake her little body. She frantically clawed at his clothes and pulled herself onto his body.

  She might’ve been tiny, but the way she lunged at him, the momentum and her weight sent him crashing backward, and he fell to the sidewalk. But he didn’t let go of her. He held her close and was able to lean against the edge of the door.

  “Are you hurt?” Laz asked.

  She had stopped screaming but was still whimpering and sniffling. He needed to check her, but the death grip she had around his neck made it almost impossible. That and the fact that he was seeing double as dizziness rocked him. Still, he ran his good hand down her body, praying that he wouldn’t feel any blood.

  She seemed okay, but he wasn’t sure as he struggled to keep his head up. His eyes drifted closed despite willing himself to stay alert.

  Yelling and footsteps reached his ears, and he held Arielle as tight as he could. He’d die protecting her.

  “Laz! Laz!”

  “You two stay with him.”

  “Partial plate.”

  “Angelo is chasing after the car on foot.”

  Relief flooded through Laz, knowing that his guys were there. Everyone talked at once. He opened his eyes, but his world was spinning. All he could do was hold onto his baby.

  “Laz? Dammit. It looks like he took at least one to the shoulder,” someone said.

  “EMTs are on their way,” came another voice.

  Laz jerked and almost lost it when someone put their hands on him and tried to pry Arielle out of his arms. She started screaming, burying her face into his neck, and he felt her hot tears against his skin.

  Laz held her tighter.

  “No!” he yelled, but he didn’t hear his own voice. “No,” he said again.

  “Come on, Laz, it’s Ham. You gotta let her go so I can check you both out.”

  “No,” Laz bit out. Pain along the left side of his body had him gritting his teeth when a somewhat blurry Hamilton came into view.

  “Laz, you gotta work with me, man. Let Arielle go.”

  “I can’t.” Laz felt himself fading. He couldn’t hang on. “My wife…Journey. I need…her.”

  That was his last thought before everything faded to black.

  Chapter Five

  Journey gripped the car door handle. The once-steady beat of her heart had ratcheted up a hundred percent as she watched the coroner load the black body bag into the back of their van.

  How could this have happened? She had just met with Fred, and now….

  “I can’t believe he’s dead,” she whispered into the quietness of Prentice’s car. They were sitting in his Ford Taurus, staring out the windshield. Law enforcement had come in heavy. Though some had already left, the detectives on the case and medical examiner were still on the scene.

  “As of yesterday, Fred was our key witness. Now, he’s gone. This case is falling apart, and that low-down dirty murderer might walk.”

  Journey knew she was being a little dramatic, but deep down, she was concerned. They only had circumstantial evidence against the CEO, Dennis Stratton, and considering the defense team he’d hired, Journey would have to bring her A-game. She couldn’t walk into that courtroom in the coming weeks or months with what little they had and expect a victory. They needed to build a stronger case if she had any hopes of winning.

  “Don’t worry. Fred might’ve been a key witness, but he’s not the only one,” Prentice said, removing his tan newsboy cap and setting it on the center console. As he stared down at his cell phone, he rubbed his bald head, something he often did when deep in thought.

  “Well, we know one thing,” Journey said. “Since the CEO is behind bars, he couldn’t have killed this guy.”

  “That doesn’t mean that he didn’t have him killed,” Prentice said, drinking coffee he’d been nursing for the last couple of hours. No doubt it was cold by now.

  “That’s true,” Journey conceded, wondering what this would do to her case.

  When authorities called them about Fred’s murder, saying that he’d been killed sometime around eleven p.m. the night before, she and Prentice had just met with Marta Polczynski. So far, Journey wasn’t sure she could use the woman as a witness even though she was one of the three accountants who worked at Leverage Construction.

  Marta was holding something back. Journey wasn’t positive, but she’d been interviewing witnesses a long time, and she would bet that the accountant knew more than she was letting on.

  Journey just didn’t know what.

  Marta wanted them to believe that Leverage Construction was the perfect place to work, where employees were treated like family, and everyone got along great. It was possible that was the case, but it was her overly-cheerful demeanor that hadn’t sat well with Journey.

  How could anyone be cheerful when a coworker was recently murdered where they worked? Yet, not once did Marta express any empathy, ask questions regarding what happened the night of the murder, the fate of the CEO, or even show any concern for her own safety. It was almost as if someone had gotten to her.

  Had she been threatened? Or was she somehow involved in the murder?

  From what the DA’s office knew, she wasn’t involved. If not that, maybe this was how she handled traumatic situations. If it was, it was the opposite of her coworkers who’d been questioned. Those people had clearly been grieving, and they showed sympathy for Joyce’s family and even the construction company as a whole.

  Journey couldn’t stop wondering—was Marta involved in the murder somehow?

  Hopefully, the woman would be like Fred and eventually come forward and tell them everything she knew. If not, Journey planned to take another go at her.

  “Yes!” Prentice said, jarring Journey out of her thoughts. “Joyce’s husband is willing to talk to me again. Should I see if he’s available now since he might be able to add something to the case?”

  Journey nibbled on her bottom lip as she contemplated whether to try and question the guy today. She had already ruined family day, but she was hoping to make up for it by being home when Laz and Arielle arrived.

  She sighed and stared out the window, noting how law enforcement vehicles had mostly cleared out. Now would be a perfect time to chat with the victim’s husband. Maybe he could shed more light on Joyce’s role with the company and whether she was having any trouble with anyone on staff. When they’d first questioned him, he’d been so distraught he was in no condition to answer many of their questions.

  “Journey?” Prentice said.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Either you can meet with him alone today, or we both can meet with him Monday morning. But right now, I need to get home.”

  She first needed to stop and pick up dinner from Laz’s favorite restaurant. She also needed to make a few more stops to add to her apology tonight.

  “Monday it is. I’ll drop you off at home, then give him a call.” Prentice started the car and pulled away from the curb. “Speaking of home, did you tell your hot-headed husband that someone threatened you?”

  “If I had, I wouldn’t be in a car sitting next to you. He would’ve become my shadow. Then again, he might not care,” she mumbled, then regretted her last words.

  Laz wasn’t the most patient person in the world and was often quick to react, but his parting words to her that morning were so unlike him. He had raised his voice at her a few times in the past when they had heated discussions, but nothing like this morning.

  “Ahh. Well, it doesn’t take my A-1 investigation skills to recognize when there’s trouble in paradise. Want to talk about it?” Prentice asked as he split his attention between her and the road.

  “Not really…except I think Laz is going to leave me.”

  Silence fell between them before Prentice burst out laughing. He glanced at her and then back to the street, still snickering.

  Journey glared at him as hurt crept through her body. “There was nothing funny about anything I just said,” she bit out, suddenly wanting to punch him and take all her frustration out on him. “Or do you get off on people telling you that their marriage might be over?”

  He dabbed at the corners of his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…if it was any other couple, I might be concerned. But you and Laz? Journey, you two are so in love and perfect for each other, it’s nauseating. There is no way in hell Laz would ever leave you.” He shook his head. “No way. I’m not buying it. You forget…I know him.”

  He and Laz had worked for the same precinct for a while when Prentice was a detective with Atlanta PD. That was before moving over to the DA’s office and becoming an investigator.

  Prentice stopped at a red light. “Journey, Laz would walk through fire for you. Hell, he already has…sorta,” he said.

  Journey knew he was referring to the time she’d been kidnapped. Not too many people knew about that, and thankfully it had never made it to the media. But from what she’d been told, when Laz found out she was missing, he lost it. Hunted the city tirelessly for her and had even pulled his gun on folks, trying to get answers. He hadn’t literally walked through fire, but there was no doubt that he would’ve if he had to.

  When the light changed, Prentice pulled off. “No offense, but everybody knows your husband can be an asshole on most days. With that said, though, I have mad respect for the way that man worships you. I’m telling you, unless you’ve done something suicidal like cheat on him, I doubt you have anything to worry about. Besides, I know you would never step out on him.”

  Journey stared out of the passenger window, remembering how Laz had made the off-handed comment about her having an affair with Prentice. She knew he didn’t believe it, but the fact that he had even spoken the words meant her marriage—more importantly, their relationship—was in trouble.

  “A lot has changed over the last couple of months,” she said to Prentice. “You know I’ve been taking on our biggest cases, trying to show how dedicated I am to this office. I want that DA’s position when Henry retires,” she said of her boss, Henry Gaines. “But my marriage is more important than my career. If I’m struggling to juggle the two now, I don’t know if I can handle a more demanding job.”

  “I get that you’re eyeing the DA’s position, but maybe just focus on the here and now. When the time comes, you’ll know if it’s something you should pursue. Now, getting back to my original question. Why didn’t you tell Laz about the threat?”

  “You know better than anyone how many threats prosecutors and defense attorneys receive.” She shrugged. “It’s just a part of the job. Besides, I think it’s a scare tactic, probably from someone who works for Leverage Construction. When Dennis Stratton’s defense attorney made that public statement, sounding like the company would collapse without him, his employees probably got nervous.”

  “Yeah, I thought that was interesting. It’s a multimillion-dollar corporation. I can’t see it falling apart just because he’s not in charge.”

  “Yeah, me either. I doubt the board of directors or any of the executives would let that happen. It’s not like he founded the company. So, I think one of the employees or….” she shrugged, “…somebody is pissed that the CEO was arrested.”

  She hated when their office received threats, and if they fell apart or freaked out every time someone wanted them to drop a case, they wouldn’t ever lock up the bad guys.

  “Is that the only reason you didn’t tell Laz about the threat?”

  Journey dropped her head against the headrest. “Can you give it a rest about Laz?”

  “No, because even if you’re not taking the threats seriously, he would,” Prentice said with conviction. “I have no leads on who sent the letters, but Laz has connections on the streets that I will never have. That man loves you, Journey, and knowing him, he probably would’ve hunted down the sender by now.”

  He was right about that. Laz might be mad at her, but he was crazy protective of her. Nothing would change that, not even if their marriage ended. He would still look out for her, and she believed that with all of her heart.

  But that was part of the reason why she hadn’t told him about any of the threats she’d gotten over the years. He would burn the city down to find whoever was behind them. Then she’d have to visit him in prison for murdering someone.

  No, thank you.

  Thinking about Laz, Journey remembered that she hadn’t turned her phone back on. Since the DA’s office was swamped with cases, some of her staff were putting in weekend hours. Unfortunately, they’d been calling her with one question after another for much of the morning. She had shut her phone off when they arrived at the crime scene, intending to turn it back on when they left.

  She dug into her oversized bag for the device and wondered if Laz was still giving her the silent treatment.

  “No matter what’s going on in your marriage, your husband has a right to know that someone is…. Sonofabitch!” Prentice slammed on the brake, causing the car to lurch forward.

  Journey gasped, banged her hand against the dashboard, and braced herself when the car came to a sudden stop.

  “What in the world?” she mumbled.

  Her attention was glued to the two huge black SUVs that seemed to come out of nowhere. The menacing-looking vehicles with tinted windows were parked at an angle, effectively blocking them.

  Prentice put the car in reverse, glanced back, then cursed. “We’re jammed in.”

  Her head whipped around, and out the back window was another SUV.

  Journey swallowed hard as fear charged through her body. Prentice already had his gun out before she reached into her bag for hers. There was a time she didn’t carry a weapon, but being married to Laz had changed that. He insisted that she be able to protect herself at all times.

  No one climbed out of the vehicles.

  “Call 911 just in case this goes sideways,” Prentice said, his gun in his hand, resting on his thigh.

  Getting a better look at the vehicles in front of them, Journey’s eyes widened. She spotted the small decal at the top of the SUV’s windshield and gripped Prentice’s arm. “I know them.”

  Those were Supreme Security’s vehicles. The decals were only noticeable to someone who knew they were there; they contained computer coding that gave the drivers hands-free entrance into Supreme’s parking lot.

  As soon as that realization dawned on Journey, Kenton climbed from the passenger side of the first vehicle. He was a mountain of a man, tall, dark, deadly, and built like a defensive tackle. Even from a distance, he was an intimidating force.

  Her brother-in-law, Myles Carrington, a former CIA agent turned personal security specialist wasn’t as tall and wide as Kenton but looked just as dangerous as he climbed from the driver’s side of the SUV. The person in the other truck stayed put.

  Glancing over her shoulder at the last SUV, she saw Angelo González, another security specialist, climb out. They were in full defensive mode and had probably found her through the GPS device in the diamond-studded watch that Laz had gifted her when they were first married.

  Journey’s heart stopped.

  Her hands shook.

  Dread charged through her body as realization dawned on her.

  “Ohmigod. Ohmigod. Ohmigod.”

  She fumbled with her seatbelt as tears pricked the back of her eyes. “Something’s wrong. Something must’ve happened.” Her voice cracked, and she couldn’t hide the panic in her words.

  “Damn straight, something’s wrong. Who the hell are these people?” Prentice roared, tension radiating off of him as he kept his gun lowered but didn’t put it away.

  “Su—Supreme Security,” she managed to say, still fumbling with the damn seat belt. Her hands were shaking too bad to unhook herself.

  “Why are they here?”

  There was only one reason they would’ve hunted her down like this, but Journey couldn’t form the words. She didn’t want to believe anything had happened to her man or her baby. Her heart squeezed, and her chest tightened as she struggled to calm herself.

  God, please, please, please. Let them be okay.

  Tears blurred her eyes as she watched Kenton’s powerful approach. His eyes were covered with dark shades, but the firm set of his mouth let her know that whatever was going on wasn’t good. He wasn’t dressed in the company’s usual uniform of a black suit and tie. No, his attire was casual, and he’d probably been at the party, which only made her more frantic.

  She finally managed to unhook her seatbelt and practically fell out of the car when she grabbed the door handle while shoving it open with her shoulder.

  “What happened?” she blurted and swayed from the fear pumping through her body. She swiped away a rogue tear. “Where is he? Where’s Laz?”

  “Grab your stuff and let’s go,” Kenton said firmly. He might’ve been the most laid-back and funniest person on Supreme’s team, but none of that was present as he held her door.

  “Wait. What’s happening here?” Prentice asked in a rush.

  “Kenton, please.” He was such a giant of a man. She had to crane her neck to look up at him. “Just tell me,” Journey begged, her voice shaking. “What hap—”

  “I’ll explain when you get in the truck,” he said tightly, not bothering to acknowledge Prentice.

  “No! Tell me now, dammit!” she yelled, fear getting the best of her. “Where the hell are my husband and my daughter?”

  Kenton went rigid and gritted his teeth. “Laz…he’s been shot.”

  Chapter Six

  In a daze, Journey stumbled to the truck with Kenton’s large hand at the small of her back. She had to take three steps to his one in order to keep up. Scenarios bombarded her mind, each one worse than the first.