Christy Barritt - Key Witness

“Make a statement, huh? What kind of statement would they be trying to make with threatening me?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

“You mentioned your team of profilers earlier, but I cut you off. What did your team conclude?”

“One of the subjects is the dominant personality and the other is submissive. The dominant’s emotions were tightly under control, while the submissive was taken by surprise by the murder. But even though the second subject seemed in the dark, we believe the crime was well thought-out, the murder perhaps even preplanned.”

“Impressive. And chilling.”

“The police are working the case right now. They’re looking at video feeds from everywhere around the area.”

“Did the K-9 unit turn up anything?”

“No, they lost the scent at about a block away. The suspects probably jumped into a getaway car.”

“Does that mean there are three? A driver also?”

“There’s always that chance.”

“This isn’t good.”

Denton shook his head, wishing he could comfort her. But he couldn’t. “You’re right. It’s not. But I’m not going to let you out of my sight until these guys are arrested.”

* * *

Elle stood backstage, her arms folded over her chest as she watched the debate from the sidelines. Her dad had answered every question with educated, reasoned responses, even combining some humor into the mix. He had this election in the bag...at least, she hoped.

These threats against her had her unnerved enough. Then throw Mark Denton into the mix and she felt even more uneasy. Not because she didn’t trust Denton—the opposite, in fact. She felt more drawn to the man than to anyone in a long time. But there was no room in her life to play with the idea of romance.

Not only was she incredibly busy with the campaign, but her last relationship had completely shattered her trust in men. When she and Denton had innocently flirted at the bank, that had been one thing. But now she was going to be forced to work with the man for...how long? Who knew?

The man was handsome—too handsome for his own good, probably. He had a rakish grin that Elle was sure women swooned over. Not Elle, of course. His build was solid and muscular, and he stood at least six feet tall, maybe taller, with brown eyes that could melt the coldest of hearts—except Elle’s. The man was confident, charming and he didn’t take himself too seriously. He knew how to work a room and how to handle himself in a tense situation. He’d proven that. And Elle had always been a sucker for men like that.

But she couldn’t be now. Not anymore. Not since Preston had taken every piece of trust she had for men and shredded it like yesterday’s paperwork. Men were not trustworthy, and she had no trust to give. End of story. The one thing she feared in life was failing and letting people down. When things had ended with Preston, she’d let herself down. The humiliation and shame she felt afterward had solidified her resolve to stay single—forever, if necessary.

Denton stood beside her, his gaze scanning the crowds just as he’d been doing since they’d arrived. The person who’d sent her that email wasn’t here tonight...or was he?

She prayed that the police would figure out the men’s identities and quickly so she could resume life and focus on other, more important things.

Her best friend, Brianna, shimmied up beside her and leaned close. “Who’s your escort?”

“He’s...no one. I’ll explain later. Long story.”

Brianna raised her eyebrows, her eyes twinkling. “I can’t wait to hear.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like?”

“Someone’s threatened me.”

“If someone threatens me, will I be forced to have someone who looks like him follow my every move? If so, bring on the threats.”

“Brianna!” Elle scolded. “This is serious.”

The sparkle left her friend’s eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry to make light of it. Are you going to be okay?”

“She’s going to be fine.” Elle looked up and saw Denton glance at Brianna, the corner of his mouth curled. Apparently he’d heard their conversation.

At least Brianna had the decency to blush a little.

Bentley Davis, her father’s chief-of-staff, bustled toward them. “The debate’s wrapping up. You ready for the reception afterward with our campaign donors?”

Elle nodded. “Of course. I confirmed the audio setup and the catering this morning. Everything’s in place.”

“Perfect. I left a few more pledge cards in the dressing room. Some people aren’t comfortable leaving any of their information online. Makes more work for us, though.”

“It’s no problem. I’ll have Brianna enter the information.” Bentley was always so concerned with his to-do list that he often turned people away with his off-putting manner. Elle prayed she’d never get so wrapped up in her goals that she forgot about the people around her.

As the debate ended, Elle turned to Denton. “Let me grab my things. The reception is in one of the conference rooms down the hall.”

He didn’t miss a beat as he fell into step beside her. “I’m coming with you.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

Denton stayed close as they wove between people toward the dressing room. She had to admit—she felt safe with him nearby and, even without knowing a lot about him, she already trusted his competence and skill.

Elle’s conversation with Brianna fluttered through her mind. She glanced over at Denton. “By the way, I apologize for my assistant earlier. She’s always been the one who speaks before she thinks.”

“No apologies necessary. She’s your assistant?”

“As of two months ago she became my assistant. Before that, she was simply my best friend.”

“Your best friend now works for you? Sounds like an interesting dynamic.”

“She and her husband just split, and she’s having trouble making ends meet right now. I needed an assistant so I hired her. It seems like a win-win...for now, at least.”

“I see.” He paused for a second. “Tell me more about Bentley Davis.”

Elle’s gaze cut to him, but she didn’t slow her steps. “Bentley? He’s worked with my dad for years, ever since Dad was a judge. Why do you ask?”

“Until we know who’s behind these threats, everyone is a suspect.”

“Even Bentley? He’s quite annoying sometimes, but truly harmless.” She pushed into the dressing room and spotted the papers atop her soft-as-butter leather briefcase. “Besides, if he’d been one of the robbers, I think I would have recognized him. They were strangers, remember?”

“Remember that things aren’t always as they seem, Elle. And there could be a third person involved, someone you never saw or heard. Everything that happened yesterday could have been a ruse for something bigger. There are a lot of unknowns right now.”

“I have a hard time believing anything other than that my involvement in this whole thing is random. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Let me decide that.”

She flipped through the correspondence with one hand while she grabbed her briefcase with the other hand and swung it over her shoulder.

“Anything good?”

“Any support of my father’s campaign is good.” She glanced up and smiled. “But yes, there are some pledges in here that look promising.”

She paused when she got to a sealed envelope. Why hadn’t Bentley opened this one? She slid her fingernail through the paper and pulled out a card. She sucked in a breath, noting that this wasn’t their normal correspondence.

“What is it?” Denton’s hand covered hers.

She dropped the papers from her hands. They scattered across the floor as Elle backed away.