“I can’t let that happen,” Cobi says, resting his hand on my bicep. “If they get spooked, it might blow the whole case against them.”

“Mia’s been staying with me this week.”

“Yeah, but as far as they know, she doesn’t live with you, so it’s not gonna seem odd that she’s staying with her family tonight,” he says then steps close until we’re face-to-face. “I promise, once this is over, it’s over. You won’t have to worry about being away from her again. I just need you to trust me and know that I’ll do right by you and her, and by the weekend, this will be over, and you’ll be able to start your life together without worrying.”

With my jaw clenching I pull out my phone and dial Mia’s number as I walk towards the back door.

“Hey, honey,” she says quietly, the fear in her voice making me want to shove my fist through the wall.

“You doing all right?”

“No.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m worried about Cece. She’s not taking any of this very well.”

I’m sure she’s not, which is understandable. “Cobi assured me that she and the girls are good, baby.”

“I know, but this is a lot… on top of a lot. She’s flipping out, because she’s going to have to explain things to Mike, and she knows that is not going to go down well.”

“How are your parents dealing?”

“Mom was opening a bottle of vodka for her and Chaz, since he doesn’t have his shop here to disappear into.”

I smile at that. “Where are you?”

“Driving back to the dealership. Um… Officer Jameson has been driving me around while I talk on the phone. He said I can’t make it look suspicious when I get back to the dealership by leaving right away.”

“This will be over soon.”

“I love you,” she whispers, and my head drops forward as my eyes close.

“I’ll meet you at your parents’ rental tonight.”

“Talon,” Cobi barks, but I ignore him.

“They said we can’t make anything look out of the ordinary, so I’ll just stay for dinner. I just need to see you,” I tell her, and Cobi groans.

“Thank you.”

“Love you, baby. Call me when you’re leaving work as soon as you get to your car.”

“I will.” She hangs up, and I shove my phone into my back pocket.

“Don’t fuck my case, Talon.”

“If this shit was going down with Hadley, no one would be able to keep you away from her,” I say, and his jaw twitches, because he knows I’m right. “I won’t stay all night. I’ll go for dinner. It would be stranger for me not to see Mia.”

“Fine.” He shakes his head. “I’m gonna head out. I’ll be in touch tomorrow morning when Corina and Harry are behind bars.”

When he leaves, I turn to face everyone. “I’m gonna head out.”

“Do you wanna talk?” Uncle Cash asks, the concerned look in his eyes reflected in everyone else’s in the room.

“No, I need some time to get my head right.”

“You know Mia will be safe, along with the girls.”

“Yeah,” I agree, but still that doesn’t change the fucked-up feeling sitting in the pit of my stomach. “I’ll have my cell if you need me.” I leave the house and go home to check on the pups and take them out. When Mia calls to let me know she’s at her parents’, I load up the pups in the car and head her way and don’t leave until close to midnight. I don’t sit in my car outside like I want to. I head to my parents’ place and sit with my dad until four in the morning, when Cobi calls to tell that Harry and Corina have been arrested. After that, I drive straight to Mia, pick her up, and take her home with me.

Cobi

Standing with my arms crossed over my chest with Winston at my side, we watch Corina Schmidt through the one-way mirror sit up as the door opens. She fidgets nervously as Detective Jameson and Detective Clarkston enter the room.

“Ma’am,” Clarkston dips his chin before taking a seat across from her, while Jameson stands near the door.

“Will someone just please tell me why I’m here?” Corina pleads, wrapping her sweater around her middle, hugging herself. “I’ve been here for hours and no one has been in to tell me anything.”

“I’m sorry about that, it’s been a busy night,” Jameson tells her, moving his chair to the edge of the table then sitting with his elbows to his knees, bringing his body closer to her, making the situation seem more intimate. “This kind of thing is never easy.”

“What happened?” she whispers, looking between both men.

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you that your husband was shot at his home a few hours ago.”

“What?” she whispers, her body slumping as her eyes start to water. “Is he okay?”

I gotta give it to her, she’s a good actress and if I didn’t know the truth, I might have been convinced that she actually cared.

“He’s dead,” Jameson says, and she covers her face with her hands and starts to sob.

“No, no, no!.” She falls to her knees, resting her forehead on the floor while she screams and Clarkston looks at the mirror rolling his eyes.

“Ma’am.” Jameson touches her shoulder. “I know this isn’t easy but I have some questions for you.”

“I don’t know anything.” She franticly shakes her head as he helps her back into her seat, hands her a box of Kleenex and waits for her to stop crying.

“Do you know a Cece Willimson?”

“Yes, she worked with Winston, why?”

“We’re trying to figure out the connection to your husband’s murder and hers,” he says, then continues.

“From what we were able to gather, your husband and you are no longer together. Can I ask what led to your separation?”

“Winston cheated.” She sniffles. “We were trying to work things out, but it’s not always easy to get over an affair.”

“Is his affair what led to your relationship with Harry Charmers?” Clarkston asks. Her face pales as she registers what the officer said. “You two have been together for a few years now, right?”

“I… we….” She shifts her attention back and forth between both men. “Harry and I are just friends.”

“That’s strange because Harry is in the room across the hall, and he’s admitted your affair to us,” Clarkston states, taking on the role of bad cop as he looks down his nose at her.

The tears in her eyes seem to instantly dry up, and her lips press into a tight line. “He’s lying!”

“Was he also lying when he said it was your idea to find a hitman to murder your husband, the woman he’s been seeing, and her entire family?”

“That never happened,” she spits as the door opens again and Ace, one of our undercover officers, is escorted into the room in cuffs with his head down.

“Do you know this man?” Clarkston asks her, and I can see as panic fills her eyes.

“It wasn’t my idea!” she blurts, looking around like she’s searching for a way to escape. “Harry wanted to marry me, Winston wouldn’t divorce me no matter how much I begged him to.”