Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(54)

Ryker grasped her arm and held her back. “Stay out of the picture for now, darlin’. Considering you were probably the last person to see the victim alive.”

Zara stumbled and paused. “Besides the killer, you mean.”

That was exactly what he had meant. He had to shove down the thought that the killer could’ve gotten to her that day, too, or he’d lose his f*ckin’ mind. His entire body flushed with heat, and he took a moment to regain control. “I want to hear what else Jay says to the detective when he gets finished using this whole thing to his advantage with the press,” Ryker said. “At that point, we have to sit down and figure out what kind of mess you’re in. Did anybody see you yesterday?”

She paled. “I don’t think so, but I can’t be totally sure.” She winced. “And I went through all of Julie’s things.”

“Why?” Ryker asked, the blood rushing through his head.

She looked down at her notepad. “Brock had made some allegations about drugs, so I looked around her stuff to see if I could find any. I didn’t find one tiny bit of evidence that Julie was doing drugs. Not one.”

Ryker grasped her chin and lifted her face to meet her eyes. Shit. This was getting worse and worse. “Did you touch anything?”

She blinked. “Yes. I searched the whole room.”

Well, f*ck. He automatically sought for an exit. This was bad. She was in trouble, and running might be the only option until Ryker found the real killer or proved that Jay did it. “They’ll dust for prints, darlin’. You haven’t been arrested before, have you?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm for her.

“No.” Her eyes widened, and the pulse fluttered in her neck.

“Are your prints on file to be a paralegal?” This was beyond bad. It put in danger not only Zara but also anybody around her, including his brothers.

She slowly shook her head. “No. Only people taking the bar exam get printed, and paralegals don’t take the bar exam. Nobody has ever fingerprinted me.”

“Okay. That’s good.” It was also probably only a temporary reprieve. If anybody tied Zara to Julie, the cops could probably get Zara’s fingerprints, and that would put Zara at the scene of the crime.

“Am I in trouble?” she whispered, any remaining color draining from her face.

He slid an arm around her, offering her warmth and protection. “Yeah, baby. You’re in deep shit.” But he’d get her out of it if it was the last thing he did. For now, he had to protect his brothers and stay away from the cameras flashing outside.

Oh, moving to Cisco had been a f*cking terrible idea.

As he tucked Zara close, something in him roared to life: the fighter he’d tried to quell for so long. He’d known someday the showdown would occur, and he’d figured at some point Sheriff Cobb would win.

Not now. Now Ryker had way too much to lose. “We’ll figure this out, Zara. I promise.” As the cameras flashed again outside the door, he wondered if they’d all have to run this time. Maybe getting lost was his only option once again.





Chapter





19




Zara couldn’t believe it. Julie was dead. Really dead. The words kept going through her head all day, and she couldn’t get them to stop. It was unbelievable and so unfair.

Her heart hurt, and her stomach ached. Her temples pounded until her eyes stung. Julie had been a good friend, and somebody had brutally stabbed her. How frightened the poor woman must’ve been before death.

Zara had hung around while the detective questioned Jay Pentley for a few hours, handled the press for another hour or so, and then finally sat down with a game plan for dealing with the publicity. Brock had steadfastly sat by his client’s side, once in a while cautioning Jay not to answer, but for the most part letting the detective take the lead. Ryker and Zara had watched and listened before finally heading to Zara’s home after darkness had fallen. They’d grabbed burgers and eaten on the way, taking several home to Greg, who’d been dropped off earlier by Denver.

Zara batted away tears as she changed clothes in her bedroom while Ryker got Greg settled into the spare room. During the horrible day, she’d forgotten all about poor Greg. He’d descended on the burgers like a normal teenager.

The door opened, and Ryker entered, shutting it behind himself. “That kid ate all the leftover burgers.”

Zara finished tugging down her T-shirt and turned to sit on the bed, her entire body exhausted. “Growing boy and all that.”

Ryker studied her for a moment and then crossed the room to crouch between her knees, his warm hands flexing on her thighs. His gaze was steady and concerned. “I’m sorry about your friend.”

A tear escaped her furious blinking. “Who would kill her like that?”

His eyes darkened. “Best bet is the husband. He would’ve lost half of his assets in the divorce, and that guy’s an egomaniac. Anybody else would’ve thrown you to the wolves and had me arrested for hitting him. He’s too embarrassed by us both—it’s all ego.”

“Maybe, but I don’t see him taking a chance like that. Although he did like to hit Julie. The idea that she was really leaving him would’ve pissed him off.” Zara set her hands over Ryker’s. “Thank you for being with me today during all of that. I felt better having you at my back.”